The Espressoparts.com Newsletter for Spring 2005

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening to all barista, service technicians, espresso industry workers, aficionados and the good ole home espresso hobbyists and enthusiasts. You guys are receiving this because you have signed up to our mailing list if you would not like to receive this newsletter in the future you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.

We are switching control from our old newsletter systems to our new website. If you subscribed for the newsletter on our old website you may want to go to http://espressoparts.com/subscribe.cgis and sign up again if you wish to continue to receive our newsletter emails. If you are unsure whether or not are on the new or old mail list go ahead and sign up again, the system will only allow sign you up once per email address so you won't need to worry about duplicate mails.

Big News for EspressoParts.com
First and foremost is our Brand Spankin' new web site. Devon, Brian, Terry & I (Dave) have worked really hard on it over the last few months. I'd like to thank all involved including Dan at Home-Barista.com for all the hard work. I couldn't have done it with out every single one of them.

We hope you enjoy this new version and find it easy to use and navigate. Be sure to check out all the new equipment that is up and will be going up. Now are even more of "One Stop" Shop as we currently offer a wide selection of Café related equipment such as, well Espresso Machines and Grinders of course, an expanded Coffee Brewing Equipment Section, Refrigeration Units large and small, Convection Ovens, Panini Grills and coming soon a Gelato Cases and a wide variety of reasonably priced café furniture and fixtures.

SCAA 2005 | Seattle

WOW is all I have to say about the 2005 SCAA Show in Seattle. I will elaborate on that however for those who missed it, were possibly too overwhelmed to take it all in, or even just want a quick review. EspressoParts had a GREAT show. We took on the big boys in the industry and tied "Best Booth Over 200 Feet" with the Columbian Coffee Federation. I guess you just can't beat Juan Valdez, but apparently you can tie with him. We had the pleasure to meet international coffee dignitaries and barista teams from all over the world, we hob knobbed with distributors, product designers, equipment manufacturers and met customers new and old. We even met a lot great new people from our own backyard, a great time was had by all of us here at EspressoParts.

I even personally had the pleasure of taking 3 of the top CoffeeGeeks to lunch and a small 3 cafe tour in the town I grew up in. EspressoParts would like to thank Jeffrey Pelo from CoffeeTool and Joe Glo and Reg Barber from Reg Barber Enterprises for making the journey to showcase and represent their first-rate products in our booth, and helping us hold the fort down during the busy times. I know I saw more than a few people receiving autographs from Reg and our own Terry Z on t- shirts... Espresso Celebrities??? Do I even have to mention I drank WAY too much coffee? Thanks to Dr. John at Josuma and David Schomer at Vivace for that, I'll be bouncing off the walls for weeks. Anyway I know I will be writing more about this experience and I will be encouraging Terry Z and Brian (MVP) to do the same so check back for updates.

Congrats to Denmark on winning the World Barista Championship! Thanks to the SCAA for on putting on yet another great show.

Check out some pics from the show here.

Print Catalog.
Sign up to receive the new edition of the Espresso Parts NW 2005 Print Catalog. Click here to do so.

*Important* Discount Code for Spring2005
The discount code for this newsletter is SCAA2005. It will entitle you to 10% off purchases made between 09/20/04 - 11/31/04. To activate the discount code shop around our catalog at www.EspressoParts.com, and during the checkout process of our web site type "SCAA2005" (All Caps) into the text field labeled "Discount Code".

Thanks for your time keep enjoying that Espresso, even if it is iced.
-The Crew @ Espresso Parts NW

EspressoParts @ CoffeeFest Las Vegas
June 03 - 05, 2005 - Booth# 418
Las Vegas Convention Center
Specialty Coffee & Tea Trade Show
CoffeeFest.com

If you don't have Coffee Fest tickets and would like to attend this gala event its not too late.

Click Here and EspressoParts will provide you with a free PDF registration coupon good for up to 6 admission passes if filled out and faxed to Coffee Fest by 05/13/05

This is a $120.00 value so get on it, don't delay!

The Clicker Tamp is here!
Pressure Regulated Espresso Training Tamper
Click here to view on EspressoParts.com

Finally a product that promotes correct tamping procedures! The Clicker Tamper from Espresso Parts Northwest addresses the age-old question "How hard should I tamp?"
The industry standard has always been 30 lbs of pressure and in the past the only way to determine this was to use a bathroom scale or simply estimate what proper pressure feels like.

Does it really matter?
Yes, consistency in tamping is an important part of espresso preparation. Applying consistent pressure to the bed of coffee will result in consistent extractions. The advent of the bottomless portafilter has also proven that consistent tamping reduces if not completely eliminates channeling.

What is channeling and what's the big deal?
Channeling is the occurrence of water slipping along the edge or through the shallow or weak point in the tamped bed of coffee in the portafilter basket. What causes this is uneven tamping and a lack of consistent pressure. The result of channeling is a poor quality extraction that is compromised by the addition of water that has bypassed the bed of coffee. The Clicker Tamp, while not adjusting for level, will provide a consistent tamping pressure every time. Manufactured using high quality materials. The Clicker Tamp is the industry's answer for training Baristi in the skill of consistent tamping pressures.

The Clicker tamp addresses the issues behind hand placement and is designed ergonomically to enhance its function.
As a training tool the Clicker Tamp's upper housing features an apron that allows for proper placement of both the index finger and thumb. This allows you to use the tool as if it were a standard espresso tamp, and results in more exact accuracy of pressure applied. Those who have used the Clicker Tamp find it to be solid built and very accurate.

The Bottomless Portafilter
Revolutionary only begins to describe it...Click here to view on EspressoParts.com

I was casually conversing with Dr. John from Josuma about the Bottomless Portafilter which he was using at SCAA 2005. This is a gentleman that I and many others consider to be one of the foremost experts in the coffee industry today. He told me he didn't understand why more people were not using the Bottomless Portafilter and I couldn't agree more. It makes such a drastic difference in the taste of your espresso extraction and allows you to immediately know whether a shot has been properly tamped.

Last summer a couple of Baristi from Zoka coffee decided to play around with the idea of cutting the bottom off a portafilter handle. The idea was to use this tool as a training device.

The idea was that you would be able to see the basket in action, thus showing any tamping flaws. Well the good news is that it works well as a training tool, and the even better news is that the coffee produced by these "Naked" portafilters is excellent.

About a zillion years or so back in the dinosaur days of espresso, a couple of really cool tech guys at ESI also chopped a few portafilters. Now, I don’t remember anyone drinking the coffee from these but maybe they did. The short of it all is that now someone has sampled the coffee from a "Crotch-less" Portafilter and it is good, real good.

So with all the clamor it seems that everyone wants in on the action. That’s good news because this is truly one of the biggest advancements in espresso, that doesn't have a $10,000.00 espresso machine attached to it.

Coffeehouse’s all over the country are beginning to swap out their lowly double spout portafilters with units lacking a bottom and no spouts. A revolution? Well maybe, but who knows. The word on the internet grows daily as those who are hot on this one have compiled enough research to keep you reading for days.

Try some of these reviews for an in depth look:

CoffeeGeek.com
http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/general/69297

Chris Tacy’s Excellent research site
http://malachi.coffeed.com/naked.html

as well as the Barista Guild Forum
http://www.scaa.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=1

Now, after all this reading you may find that you must have one of these bottomless portafilters, and the good news is that we have them at our Home-Espresso.com web site and will be on EspressoParts.com as soon as our new site in complete:
http://www.espressoparts.com/product/F_NKDPF