Two weeks of at-home espresso trial and error (mostly error!) with at-home espresso have produced this week's episode.  If you missed it, check out @craftyourowncoffee on Instagram to see a recap. Listen in for my Top 9 takeaways from the past couple weeks as I try to level up my at-home espresso game...and hopefully help others do the same in the process.  Many of these takeaways have come from fellow Coffee People like you, so thanks for weighing in and helping me out! 1) Instagram is...

John is a pretty big deal in the specialty coffee world and we are super honored to have him as a guest on the Craft Your Own Coffee podcast! Decent Espresso is a game-changing espresso and technology company focused on helping amateur (and professional!) baristas figure out how to pull an incredible shot of espresso Every.Single.Time.  John Buckman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Decent Espresso and joined the podcast to share how he got interested in coffee, how his frustration with making...

Channeling.  The word which incites fear in the hearts of the coffee people.  If Good is the enemy of Great according to Jim Collins, Channeling is the Enemy of Coffee according to...well, me. What is it? Why should it be avoided at all costs? And most importantly, HOW can we avoid channeling in our espresso craft at home? Thanks to this sweet article/resource by Clive Coffee, we'll dig in to the first two questions first. Thanks to Jonathan Pascual, the owner of Taproom Coffee & Beer...

Justin is an at-home espresso enthusiast and shares his experience with us on: - How a brewed coffee lover can become an espresso lover - Why he loves manual/lever espresso machines...especially the Flair Classic - A start-to-finish look at his espresso-making process at home - Some of his favorite espresso-based drink recipes Follow Justin (@fresh_ground_methods) to see and learn more from his expertise! Also, to hear more from Justin listen (or re-listen) to CYOC Season 1 Ep 12 where he...

This is a family (and podcast-light) week!  Returning to the Espresso content next Monday. Practice the discipline of gratitude this week and head over to @craftyourowncoffee for how your expression of gratitude could also win you some sweet @Baratza swag! Happy Thanksgiving my friends! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/craftyourowncoffee/message

Here's a deep dive into your options for at home espresso machines.  While this is definitely not a comprehensive list, it should be enough to get you started.  Plus a couple articles about bars of pressure and "stovetop espresso."  Cheers! How Pressure Affects Espresso Quality article Moka Pot vs Espresso Machine article A few Automatic/Pod options ($) Nespresso Lavazza A few Manual options ($-$$) Article with "Top 3" Robot (CafeLat) A few Electronic options ($$-$$$$$) Breville...

Getting started with making espresso at home is easier than you might think!  If you brew coffee at home, you might have most of this stuff already.  Check this episode out for the most essential equipment you'll need to get your espresso journey going. 1) Burr Grinder (recommend Baratza) 2) Something to make hot water 3) Gram Scale (here's one option) 4) Tamper (size will be determined by your espresso machine's portafilter) 5) Espresso Machine (this is the one I have...but there are LOTS...

Is it a bean? Is it a drink? What makes it taste so different? Is it hard to make? Kicking off this season with a brief Espresso history lesson (mad props to Luigi in Milan!) and some busting of the most common myths about Espresso. Myth #1: Espresso is a type of coffee bean Myth #2: Espresso has more caffeine than other coffee drinks Myth #3: Espresso shots taste gross Myth #4: You have to buy an expensive machine to make espresso at home Myth #5: Making good espresso at home requires no...

A shot-sized preview of Season 3 of the Craft Your Own Coffee Podcast: At Home Espresso!  Don't tamp down your enthusiasm for this season.   I'm pulling for you! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/craftyourowncoffee/message

What are your top Home Coffee Roasting takeaways from Season 2?  I share mine as a wrap-up to this season (episode time stamp in parentheses) 10) I'm proud to be part of the home coffee roasting community (2:05) 9) Pronounce and spell names of guests correctly (3:32) 8) Roasting amazing coffee on your own can be as simple as "turning green coffee brown" (4:51) 7) Amateur coffee roasters CAN roast world class coffee (6:30) 6) The Coffee Cupping Table is the key (8:20) 5) Want to be a better...

Lots of home coffee roasting goodness to unpack this week with the experts at Sweet Maria's, Thrive Farmers Coffee and Bellwood Coffee! Links/Resources mentioned: - Here's a list of some great coffee roaster options.  (**here's a video on the Barwell roaster...I was wrong, you CAN change the temperature**) - What Aaron uses with his Nostalgia Popcorn Popper:  Grease Splatter Screen // Thermocouple - Scott Rao's Coffee Roaster's Companion --- Send in a voice message:...

I'm taking the week off!  Back next week with a Q&A episode with your questions and expert answers. Send in home coffee roasting questions and/or insights to be featured in next week's episode: @craftyourowncoffee [email protected] Send in a voice message "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."  - Epictetus --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/craftyourowncoffee/message

Want to "level up" from your popcorn popper?  You've got to check out the FreshRoast.  It's compact.  It's fast.  It's easy to use.  It has some downsides for sure, but it's a great way to gain more control over key coffee roasting variables and help you roast better coffee. In this episode I share some of the pros and cons of the FreshRoast air roaster, and then roast a batch on my back porch. Check out this video tutorial from the pros at Sweet Marias on how to use the FreshRoast...

We are all sacrificing right now, all over the world.  We are truly in this thing together! If you're listening to this podcast, you're a coffee lover.  And you know our beloved locally-owned coffeeshops are struggling right now.  I challenge you to take action on one (or more) of these 3 steps to help save the coffeeshops that we love so dearly in our local communities: 1) BUY.  If you're financially able, buy the highest-margin items that you local coffeeshop offers.  Examples: bags of...

Katie and I went to the Coffee Farmer Caravan event for date night this week at East Pole Coffee Company where we got to meet and learn directly from Colombian coffee growers and exporters.  It was such a fun and educational night and we wanted to hop on the microphone to share some of our takeaways with you while the learning was still fresh.  Although this season of the podcast is focused on Home Coffee Roasting, learning more about what it takes to grow and process coffee with excellence...

Time to nerd out on coffee roasting with Chris Averitt, a professional coffee roaster and Head Roaster for Thrive Farmers Coffee (Roswell, GA). Chris drops some knowledge bombs about roast curves, roasting software, some funky thing called the Maillard reaction, and the Coffee Roasters Guild.  Let's get nerdy! Resources/Links mentioned: --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/craftyourowncoffee/message