I'm fairly serious about my coffee...
My current espresso machine. Lots of steel, a big brass boiler inside, HX, with E61 group head.
I used to use a L'Elit PL/51 espresso maker. Fairly decent at generating espresso with crema, but with a fair bit of variation in quality.
Freshroast SR500 coffee roaster
This roasts coffee in 4 ounce batches, considerably more cleanly, safely, and repeatably than the hacking of popcorn poppers for the purpose.
Based in Milton, Ontario. They used to carry the L'Elit line of Espresso machines and grinders, which is what I had been using. I acquired my Magister Stella there.
This is a cooperative group where some folk with access to buy full bags (80+ pounds) of green beans split batches and sell a few pounds apiece to members.
Purchasing beans from the US involves (these days) somewhat punitive postage rates, but, by them buying in bulk, it nonetheless leads to getting fantastic beans at favorable prices, generally lower than available from any of the local vendors of green coffee.
A Toronto-based vendor of green beans and related paraphernalia. This is where I got my AeroPress
Perfect capuccino
Fill a small pot with milk, to about 1/3 capacity.
Pressurize the coffee machine to produce steam.
Place the steam spigot in the milk and activate the command for making steam, only when the machine reaches the right temperature...
Place the pot with the milk under the steam spigot: then raise and lower the pot for several seconds, frothing and steaming the milk.
Cool the system, and prepare the espresso
Pour the espresso and milk into a cappuccino cup using these portions:
1/3 frothed milk
1/3 hot milk
1/3 coffee
Coffee by Prime Roast Coffee Co. - Demon Roast is dark roast coffeebeans
Espresso Coffee: The Denver Effect
At high altitude, it may not be possible to produce decent espresso since the lower air pressure and boiling point causes destruction of the all-important crema...
Alternatively, at altitude, it may be necessary to change the brewing temperature.
Then there's "Kopi Luwak," the world's most expensive "gourmet coffee." It would be easy to believe it to be an urban legend, with the bizarreness of its production method.
The story is that a set of "rats" that look like cats eat up the very freshest Indonesian coffee beans, and then excrete them in their feces.
Finicky American coffee drinkers then purchase those beans, for upwards of $100 per pound, and brew coffee from this.
It has a little of everything pleasurable in all coffees: earthy, musty tone, the heaviest bodied I've ever tasted. It's almost syrupy, and the aroma is very unique.
I'm sure the aroma is very unique...
I once shared in a test-cupping of Kopi Luwak at a coffee shop in Milton. It was very smooth, with a near-total absence of bitterness. There was indeed a "musky/musty" note to it, but nothing unpleasant. Overall a nice cup of coffee. Not a cup so good that I'd be willing to pay $75-$100 per pound of beans, but a nice cup of coffee.
Corn Popper Modifications to allow them to be used to roast coffee
I had used just such a popper to prepare my green beans. It worked reasonably well, though I have burnt out a couple of poppers, as the roasting process really heats them up.
I have been known to buy my green coffee beans from Craig Andrews, who is operating a small part time coffee wholesaling business. I have been very happy with the beans I have gotten from him; I haven't gotten any coffee I wasn't thoroughly pleased with.
Well, there was one exception. He was trying out some Yemenese Mocha, and gave me about a pound of it to try out. (Buying large quantities hath its privileges! :-).) It wasn't horrifyingly bad, or anything, but for the price he was paying, it surely ought to have been outstanding coffee, and it was, well, "merely OK". I hadn't paid for it, so this isn't even close to qualifying as a "black mark" on Craig's record. In effect, I provided a "second opinion" that it wasn't a great bean. On the other hand, the (fairly expensive) Kona he got in once was outstanding; I really wish he could get that one in again!
Anyway, he provides excellent green beans at excellent prices in the Toronto area, and I'd very much like to see his business expand.
Quite cool stuff, this is an espresso machine in an SGI case. Excellent for technophiles!
Heritage Coffee Companies: Full Service Coffee Roasters For OCS, Vending, Foodservice & Specialty
CoffeeKid - Exploring the Culture and Artistry of Espresso and Coffee
CoffeeGeek - Bodum Antigua Grinder
What I used to use; it has been retired in favor of a Saeco grinder, that has since been retired in favor of a L'Elit PL-53.
Saeco Aroma Graphite
This "classic" espresso machine is what I use to produce my "morning cup". It's a nice little step up from the Starbucks™ Barista I used to use.
A Toronto-based vendor of "fair trade" coffee.
This fellow bought a FreshRoast SR500 roaster, which is what I have, and has since been hacking on it, after discovering that the control mechanisms of most roasters are pretty limited.
reddit - /r/roasting on Coffee Roasting