Hourglass Aging Taste Test

We’ll never know how Marilyn Monroe’s figure would have held up over time, but that’s not the kind of Hourglass we’re talking about here, baby! We’re talking about the cold coffee brewing system that creates a smooth concentrate that you can use to make hot or cold coffee for up to two weeks afterward.

Or so they say! But can you, really? These are the big questions that only the crew at Seattle Coffee Gear are prepared to take on. We had Gail brew up a batch of the Hourglass coffee; she then tested it the next day for a baseline flavor assessment and then we followed it up 1 week and 2 weeks later to see how the flavor stood up.

Watch Gail as she takes one for science!

Field Trip: Uesugi USA – Recycling Center

Where do espresso machines and coffee makers go to die? Not in the landfill, if we can help it! At Seattle Coffee Gear, we launched a recycling program last year in an effort to keep as many fully assembled machines from landing in the trash. Many of these are pretty complex — they have circuit boards, electrical wiring and miscellaneous metals that are best kept out of our ground water supply.

Our partner in this venture is Uesugi USA, a Japanese company that (as luck would have it) have a US presence here in the Seattle-area. We pulled Henry into the mix and headed out to their facility to talk about what they do and see how they take these machines apart, break them down to their components and funnel them back into the commodity supply chain as cleanly as possible.

Video Crew Review: Hario Pour Over a la Gail

We spent an afternoon up at Hario USA (now Roustabout Products) earlier this year and posted a wide array of videos from that field trip. But there’s nothing like a Gail review, is there? So we asked her to show us the ropes on how to use one of the Hario pour overs. Watch as she talks to us about the process and whips up a smooth cup of coffee using Velton’s Twilight Blend. Delish!

Technivorm & Temperature

You may recall a post we wrote last year that measured the temperature in a Technivorm thermal carafe, testing it at brew and then tracking it hour by hour to see how the temperature held up over time. In general, we have had a small percentage of customers report that their new Technivorm coffee makers don’t brew hot enough; after testing some returned models, speaking with the manufacturer and testing known working models, we determined that, ultimately, this was largely a question of personal preference.

Some people love their coffee to be really, really hot — and that’s cool! But the Technivorm is designed with a different end goal in mind. Watch as Gail talks to us about what you can expect from this drip coffee maker.

Video Crew Review: Hario Cold Brew

When the weather starts heating up, we love nothing better than a rich iced coffee drink. Seriously — nothing. In the past, we have be known to brew espresso directly onto ice or pour out hot-brewed drip or press coffee into an iced cup, knowing that there would be dilution in the mix. We are now converts, however, of the cold brew coffee preparation — specifically, Hario’s Cold Brew Pot makes a deliciously smooth and rich cup of coffee.

Gail tried it out with Velton’s Twilight Blend and there were cheers all around. For the coffee AND the cups, obviously. Check it out!

Field Trip: Hario USA – The Great Pour Off: Gail vs. Velton

The final video (yes, can you believe it?!) from our field trip to Hario USA earlier this year features a competition between Gail and Velton regarding who could produce the better cup of pour over coffee. Velton might have had the edge, since his coffee was ground in a hand mill that had previously ground cloves — truly making it a ‘clovered coffee’. Hilarity ensues.

Manualicious

If you’re anything like us, you probably used your gear’s user manual for one of three things:

1. To ineffectively swat at flies, yet one day you accidentally killed one and couldn’t bear to keep the gut-stained book around.
2. To prop up the uneven handmade bookshelf lovingly made by a friend/parent/spouse/sibling/child that never sits right on the wood floor.
3. To start a fire in the fireplace to enjoy while sipping on a delicious glass of chai spiced wine. (Guilty!)

Or, maybe you just recycled it by accident. Whatever the case, the fact of the matter is that now you have no wisdom to guide you. We created our manufacturer manual repository over at Brown Bean to connect you with the source code. We have manuals for a lot of models both current and historical, so if you’re looking for tips on how to perform maintenance or need to find out what that error code means, check ‘em out.

Don’t see your model there? Leave a comment here and we’ll see if we can’t track it down and add it to the repository.

Nespresso Competition?

While the Nespresso machines are clean, convenient and easy to use — as well as making darn good coffee — some folks are turned off by the fact that the capsules for the machine are available for sale only through Nespresso directly. We sometimes have people stopping into the store hoping to get a small batch of the capsules to tide them over until their next mail order shipment arrives…and you can imagine their sour disappointment when we tell them we’re not allowed to sell any of the demo capsules we have in the store.

It can certainly be a really convenient option for those that are great with planning ahead, especially because you can setup a regular delivery of your favorite types of capsules so, theoretically, you’d never be out. And the way that Nespresso has structured their product and pricing reflects the fact that, when you buy a machine from them, you are starting a long term relationship, not just engaging in a quick n’ dirty one night stand.

So it’s no surprise that Nespresso is reacting with a little bit of attitude to the recent news of a second large company (this time, it’s Sara Lee) in the process of producing capsules that will be compatible with the Nespresso machines to directly compete with them. Last year, another company (Casino Guichard-Perrachon) announced it would introduce capsules made with coffee from the Ethical Coffee Company. Nespresso says it has over 1,700 patents covering the capsules and the way in which they interact with their machines, stating that they will “defend our intellectual property vigorously”.

We think competition does benefit the customer at the end of the day, so maybe two companies coming after their business will result in Nespresso changing up their game a bit. In our opinion, if they widened their capsule distribution to include their authorized retailers, that would be an excellent benefit for everyone involved.

Field Trip: Hario USA – Edwin Demonstrates Pour Over Technique

In the next installment of our field trip to the Hario USA HQ in Bellingham, WA, Edwin demonstrates how to use the Hario pour overs to make a truly delicious cup of coffee.

21st Century Coffee Klatch

We can just hear it now: ‘Coffee? Anyone need some coffee? I really want to make coffee. Hey, you — coffee? Want some coffee? I can make you some. Coffee. Coffee, anyone? SOMEONE DRINK MY COFFEE.’

While Primula’s Speak n’ Brew isn’t teetering on the verge of insanity like a self-actualized toaster stuck aboard a mining ship adrift in deep space, it will offer you a little bit o’ chitchat along with your morning java. The newest kid on the coffee maker block provides some call and response, allowing you to set the time and brewing schedule by voice command and talking back to confirm your orders.

It’s a cool idea…though we can’t help but wish it was a little more flexible with its command lines: Groggily shouting ‘Coffee, hot!’ would give us that giddy feeling inherent in realizing adolescent dreams of living aboard the Star Trek Enterprise. Mm-hmm, you know the one.