Espresso News and Reviews - TheShot.coffeeratings.com

In the “unclear on the concept” department, this weekend’s Toronto Star published an article that, in its opening paragraph, mentioned “coffee’s elevated status as the new wine.” However, it then proceeded to discuss coffee-pod-based home espresso machines in the same context: TheStar.com | living | Specialty coffees become the new wine.
This is as incongruous as [...]

Tags: coffee_freshness, coffee_pods, home_espresso, keurig, nespresso, panama_esmeralda, paper_cups, single_serving_coffee, wine_analogy

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I’ve written both here and elsewhere on how the state of home espresso has both improved and become worse at the same time. While home espresso is mostly out of the Krups Dark Ages, its future is uncertain:

super-expensive, super-disappointing super-automatics are now de rigeur for high-end home kitchen designs
as a new format, coffee pods are [...]

Tags: home_espresso, jura, moka_pot, nespresso, single_serving_coffee, sur_la_table, williams-sonoma

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Consumer Reports published a home buyer’s guide to espresso makers this month: ConsumerReports.org - Buyer’s guide to espresso makers 3/07. As with a lot of things in Consumer Reports, they often lack sufficient knowledge or background to offer educated opinions beyond winging it with what’s on the surface. (Well, beyond that and Consumers Union’s usual [...]

Tags: coffee_freshness, coffee_pods, espresso_machines, grinders, home_espresso, moka_pot, nespresso, single_serving_coffee, Starbucks

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Coffee pods are a fad that is on life support at the value end (i.e., for machines under $100). However, home sales of high-end coffee pod makers are up significantly: MediaPost Publications - Upscale Coffee Makers Drive Segment But Overall It’s Flat - 03/19/2007. As I discovered in Lisbon’s fashionable Chiado district last year, an [...]

Tags: coffee_pods, espresso_machines, home_espresso, krups, lisbon_coffee, nespresso, single_serving_coffee

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Today’s Edmonton Journal published a primer on the more sophisticated home espresso setup: Getting Serious About Coffee. In other words, what do you do when your $100 home Krups machine isn’t cutting it — because the espresso it produces belongs in the same landfill where your machine will deservedly rot its final days?
There’s an avalanche [...]

Tags: cleaning, coffee_freshness, espresso_machines, grinders, home_espresso, home_roasting, krups, peets_coffee, rancilio, single_serving_coffee, Starbucks

3 Comments »

According to an article in today’s Frederick (MD) News-Post, the coffee pod revolution isn’t exactly winning over fans en masse just yet: Users, vendors not fans of coffee pods - The Frederick News-Post.
Citing a recent NPD Group report, the article notes that beyond single-serving convenience, pods don’t exactly represent a step forward in the evolution [...]

Tags: coffee_freshness, coffee_pods, home_espresso, moka_pot, product_development, single_serving_coffee

3 Comments »

So Coca-Cola finally revealed some of what they’ve been up to with their recent patent frenzy (as reported here in January): Coca-Cola’s next ‘real thing’: lattes - Sep. 1, 2006. Next Wednesday in Toronto, Coca-Cola plans to formally announce their foray into “premium” brewed tea and coffee.
The brand is called Far Coast (the corresponding Web [...]

Tags: coca-cola, coffee_extracts, coffee_pods, coffee_service, far_coast, single_serving_coffee

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An article published in yesterday’s The Wall Street Journal noted the growth of coffee pod use in the U.S. for both office and home: Wall Street Journal Notes Growth In Coffee Pod Sales @ Vending Market Watch News at AMonline.com.
Customized and convenient, coffee pods have been pushed by the industry as an alternative to the [...]

Tags: coffee_freshness, coffee_pods, folgers, home_espresso, nespresso, restaurant_espresso, senseo, single_serving_coffee, tassimo

7 Comments »

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported today that “Coca-Cola may take on Starbucks.” I used quotes here because the overlap of both businesses isn’t significant enough to warrant their headline — or at least what it leads you to believe.
The story is this: Coca-Cola is always looking for growth opportunities (read: cash flow) in anything you [...]

Tags: coca-cola, coffee_extracts, coffee_marketing, coffee_pods, single_serving_coffee, Starbucks

5 Comments »