The Rocket Espresso R58 - Il Centesimo Giro d'Italia Edition featuring custom pink dials, commemorative engraving, and an individually numbered face plate.

What does it take to pull the perfect shot of espresso? Patience. Expertise. Precision. Diligence. A deep understanding of your materials. The list goes on with different preparation techniques from person to person informing your perspective. Espresso aficionados alike strive for that euphoric moment of perfection – a demitasse cup of liquid gold. While many tools exist to get you there, a select few reign supreme. The Rocket Espresso R58 Il Centesimo Giro d'Italia Edition stands at the peak of its class. A reflection of espresso and cycling mastery, the R58 Centesimo is a commemoration of 100 years of Italian Bike Touring excellence.

The second of the famed 'European Grand Tour', The Giro d'Italia follows a route over 2,200 miles long circumventing Italy in a 23-day race. This centennial achievement is memorialized in this limited edition R58. Each R58 Centesimo sports the names of Giro d'Italia's champions (including 2017s Tom Dumoulin), custom side panels, maglia rosa-themed gauges and matching accessories. Much like a champion cyclist, you'll find the R58—with its classic dual boiler E61 setup, removable PID controls, and optional plumbing—a prime contender for creating some of the best espresso you've ever had.

Limited to a run of 100 machines worldwide to echo the 100 winners of the race, each R58 Centesimo is individually numbered to reflect it’s place it this one of a kind collection. Only 9 are available in the United States exclusively at Seattle Coffee Gear.

Reflecting a cyclist's wheel, each R58 Centesimo features custom engraving of every Giro d'Italia champion.

The Big Race:

Giro d'Italia 1953, Stage 4, Wim van Est and Gino Bartali

• Founded in 1909, the original Giro d’Italia was organized as a means to raise funds for the La Gazzetta dello Sport – an Italian publication covering various sports and the most widely read daily newspaper in Italy.
• The race is held annually during late May and early June, except for two breaks during World War 1 and 2.
• The Giro d’Italia is one of three races that make up the ‘European Grand Tour’ – the Tour de France and Vuetla a España complete the trifecta.
• Professional road bicycle racer Tom Dumoulin won the 100^th race – becoming the first Dutch rider to win the race.

The one of a kind R58 Centesimo stands above the rest.

Details of Excellence on the R58 Centesimo:

• Italian cycling history comes together with Milan-made espresso machine mastery featuring custom pink dials, packaging, tamper, and engraved side panels celebrating past winners of the Giro d’Italia.
• Manufactured in Milan and limited to 100 machines. Only 9 exist in the United States and are individually numbered with a custom front face plant.
• PID-Controlled Double Boiler allowing for superior control of steam and brew boiler temperatures. PID controller is detachable.
• Plumb in adaptability; hosing included.
• Classic E61 Group providing thermal stability at the head of the machine.
• Insulated Steam Wand allowing for barista-quality steaming ability without the risk of burning your hands.

What does Gail think? Check it out!

Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of Bicycle racing and espresso history. Buy your one of a kind machine here!

 Are all of the options we’ve discussed in the previous parts still not meeting your whole milk standard? In this last segment of our four-part series, we’ll explore specialty versions of coconut, soy, and almond milk designed specifically for lattes.

While researching how to make lattes with nondairy milks, we came across Pacific’s “Barista Series” that we decided to try out! The company claims subtle flavor profiles, curdle-free frothing, and perfectly textured milk for professional cafes to use. We were skeptical going into it (how different could they be?), but in the end, the results were fantastic! Overall, coconut milk was the clear winner, and soy and almond tied for second around the office for the best latte.

Coconut Milk: Barista v. Conventional

Wow! The Barista Series coconut milk was amazing! This is easily our standout. In a cup, you get all the good, sweet flavor from regular coconut milk except with a rich foam that steamed well. Not to mention the latte art!

Almond Milk: Barista v. Conventional

Similarly, the Barista Series almond milk was definitely a step up from the regular almond milk we tested, but some of the tasters still opted out due to the persistent bitter undertones.

Soy Milk: Barista v. Conventional

The Barista Series soy milk was good, but it wasn’t our favorite. The texture was much improved when mixed with the acidic espresso, but still not as good as coconut. However, we thought that the flavor of the other milks paired better with our coffee.

Nutrition per 8 ounces

Sodium Citrate is a food additive that emulsifies liquid and fat. Pacific likely added this so that their milks had a creamier texture than comparable conventional options.

Gellan Gum is an additive to some alternative milks to help them foam and behave more like dairy milk. We suspect that the barista soy milk doesn’t contain Gellan Gum because soy milk has a tendency to get thicker foam than dairy milk, which they were aiming to fix.

Photography courtesy of Landon Montoya

There’s just something about the shift from August to September. The sun sets a bit earlier, the mornings are a little cooler, and kids are headed back to school. Whispers of the impending arrival of pumpkin spice echo from café to café. Coffee just tastes a bit more pleasant. What better way to usher in the changing season than by having a party? Seattle Coffee Gear happily joined Spotted Cow Coffee Company for their Hello September Open House this past weekend alongside local gelato purveyor Gelatiamo. The event offered exclusive coffee tastings, special beverages, raffle prizes, delicious nitro cold brew, and even free hot dogs!

Joining the Bustle

The Spotted Cow is positioned perfectly at the northernmost end of the Mill Creek Town Center, where a collection of diverse shops meets residential homes and apartments. Here locals congregate each Saturday for a boost of caffeine amidst the smell of freshly roasted beans and a flurry of conversation. The café and roastery has been a hub for community throughout its history, and owners Brian Parker and Rachelle Gehrig wanted to celebrate all that their shop has to offer.

Seattle Coffee Gear has proudly carried a collection of coffees from Spotted Cow since 2015,

Photography courtesy of Landon Montoya

and we surely weren’t going to miss out on the opportunity to participate with this special happening.

Equipped with the Chemex coffee makers, Bonavita Gooseneck Kettles, and paper filters in hand – our SCG team set up a tasting station for patrons to enjoy while waiting for their beverages to arrive. Tyler Marshall, customer service specialist for Seattle Coffee Gear, prepared two of Spotted Cow’s newest offerings – Ethiopia Misty Valley Blend and Panama Finca San Sebastián.

By sharing these new varieties, many customers were able to experience flavor profiles they hadn’t before. The notes were so robust it caused one customer to proclaim in surprise, “Oh my god – this coffee DOES taste like blueberries.”

A Bit More About These Coffees

Photography courtesy of Landon Montoya

Misty Valley Blend – Sourced from Ethiopia’s Misty Valley, this coffee is grown at 1,750 – 1,950 meters by various smallholder producers in the Yirhacheffe region and processed naturally. Boasting notes of melon, blueberry, and milk chocolate Misty Valley is an excellent example of offerings from Southern Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone.

Panama Finca San Sebastián – Credited with producing some of the best coffee in the world, Panamanian offerings are always exciting to come by. Grown in the Boquette volcanic region and fully washed, Panama Finca San Sebastián pops with flavors of Meyer Lemon and stone fruit. Deliciously well rounded, it’s a classic cup of coffee.

Seattle Coffee Gear’s Chemex Recipe

Coffee: 40g
Water: 600g at 202 degrees Fahrenheit
Bloom: 60g water for 1 minute
Brew Length: 4 minutes

Musings from the SCG Crew

“People were super excited about the Misty Valley that they were tasting – big heady notes of blueberry for sure. It hasn’t been released yet but is sure to be a big hit! The owners are amazing and committed to making the Spotted Cow a long lasting destination for perfect coffee. A big shout out to the entire Spotted Cow team for making it not only a fun experience for us, but for everyone who visits.” - Tyler Marshall, Customer Service

We look forward to many more events like this with Spotted Cow Coffee Company and other friends of SCG!

Purchase Spotted Cow Coffee here!

Spotted Cow owners Rachelle and Brian with the winner of the Hello September Raffle! Photography courtesy of Landon Montoya

Next round of finished lattes!

Are the milk alternatives we’ve already explored still not satisfying your morning caffeine cravings? If so, keep reading to find your next cup companion. In part three of this four-part series, we’ll explore some uncommon lactose-free and vegan alternatives to dairy milk.

In this round, oat milk won the gold medal, with cashew milk being a close runner-up. Oat milk boasted a rounded flavor and a mild oatmeal taste. The texture was slightly different than dairy milk, although most of our taste testers didn’t mind. Check out the article about the rising popularity of oat milk in Sweden on page 71 in Volume 4 of Drift Magazine. It is a common alternative to soy and dairy milks due to its sustainability and taste.

Next, cashew milk was a yummy alternative to too-bitter almond milk that is more widely available than hazelnut milk. It presented a creamy texture that fell somewhere in the middle on the latte art potential scale. Good sign: our blind test tasters thought this was oat milk at first!

Lastly, the flax milk fell a little short due to its thin texture and lack of flavor. The flavor seemed overly bland, but it wasn’t terrible. However, flax milk could be an option if you are interested in comparing the flavors of several espresso blends without adding too much flavor.

Nutrition per 8 ounces

Gellan Gum is an additive to some brands of alternative milks to help them foam and behave more like dairy milk. We suspect that the flax milk has less of this additive, which would explain its lack of frothiness.

Let's just call them trendsetters.

Spotted Cow Coffee Company is quietly nestled in the city of Mill Creek, just 25 minutes due north of the bustling coffee scene of Seattle. However, Spotted Cow isn’t doing anything quietly.

Since open in 2003, the Spotted Cow has progressively been setting the tone for specialty coffee in smaller Western Washington cities often overshadowed by Seattle’s highly saturated market. In the midst of this coffee overload, they have found a unique voice offering high quality coffee in a warm and welcoming setting. This caught the eye of our team here at Seattle Coffee Gear, prompting us to bring them on as one of our earliest roasters available online and featured in store to be enjoyed on our tasting wall.

Leading up to their “Hello September Open House”, we invited head roaster Joshua Montoya to join us at our Bellevue location to showcase some of Spotted Cow’s delicious coffees in espresso and pour over form at our tasting. Sharing his wisdom on their roasting approach as well as notes to look for in their various offerings, Joshua and crew masterfully prepared their Ethiopian Gedeb as well as their flagship Farmhouse blend and answered questions from guests who came out to the pop-up. Notes of strawberry and sweet citrus shone through in their Gedeb, while Farmhouse showcased refined flavors of dark chocolate covered berries and stone fruit.Join Spotted Cow Coffee Co this Saturday, September 9th, from 10am to 6pm at their cafe in Mill Creek, WA for their Hello September Open House! SCG will be on site preparing and serving coffee from 10-1pm, so make sure to stop by and say hello!

Purchase a bag of Spotted Cow here!

Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.'s Banko Natural Reserve

We’ll admit it – coffee never gets old to us. Whether it’s a favorite blend like Huckleberry Roasters’ Blue Orchid or a delicate single origin like Caffe Ladro’s Malawi Mzuzu, every coffee takes us on a palatable journey. It’s a taste-filled explosion that, at its best, causes us to recall a slew of diverse flavors from the culinary world in one delicious cup. Berries, dark chocolate, brown sugar, brioche, jasmine – the variances from seed to seed abound.

It is without question, however, that some coffees stand above the rest. Near the top of the list sits Olympia Coffee Roasting Company’s Banko Natural Reserve. Regarded by the Seattle Coffee Gear staff as one of our most dynamic offerings, Banko displays delicious notes of blueberries and robust dark chocolate like no other.

As we gear up for its release, we wanted to catch up with Oliver Stormshak – Owner, Green Coffee Buyer and Roast Master for Olympia Coffee Roasting Company – to get a little bit more information about this incredibly special release.

Understanding Banko Natural Reserve: An Interview with Oliver Stormshak

Before anything else tell me about Banko, where it comes from, and what makes this coffee so special.

It comes from the small village of Banko Gotiti in the Gedeo Zone of Sidama within the area classified as Yirgacheffe District. Yirgacheffe is likely the birthplace of the Arabica species of coffee. Over a thousand varietals within the Arabica species are said to grow within the Yirgacheffe area. The Natural Process is the way this coffee has traditionally been processed for the last few thousand years. This is about as pure, traditional, and ancient as coffee can get. Banko is a selection of the oldest heirloom varietals grown in the world, in coffee's birthplace, presented in its purest form.

This last year has been incredibly turbulent politically for Ethiopia. For those who may not be aware of what’s happening, can you share about who and what is being affected in this turmoil?

Ethnic conflict in the southern regions to keep out, what are considered, outsiders. It's an ancient battle within Ethiopia that has been going on for thousands of years. It is rather complicated for westerners to truly understand. These conflicts spark up from time to time.

Ethiopian varieties are a precious commodity in the specialty coffee world. How has Olympia felt the effects of the setbacks in Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone? What might be different this year compared to other years?

We have a new team we are working with at Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). The cooperative is undergoing a major shake up right now. There are not too many changes in terms of quality of coffee and direct purchasing within the cooperative. The large change for us is our customers will see some new names – we will be introducing a new cooperative to our customers this year called Halo. We purchased the majority of our natural process coffee from the Halo Cooperative and single coffee farmer Adisu Kindane this year. The real reason behind this is not conflict but simply quality. The Banko Gotiti Cooperative has finally opened their washing station (something they have been trying to do for years now). They processed 80% of their coffee in the washed method. The remaining 20% processed naturally were separated and cupped by us and did not meet our quality expectations with the exception of this lot. FYI we will have Banko as washed coffee this year!

Even as there have been difficulties in this region, a rebuilding process has been happening that has provided a lot of hope. Can you tell us more about that?

It's a work in progress at this point.

What can a people do to help or stay up to date on what’s happening in Ethiopia?

We don't have a great source for honest on the ground information outside of emailing our cooperative partners at this point. So keep your eyes peeled to our social media spots at @olympiacoffee.

Purchase one of our limited bags of Olympia Coffee Roasting Company’s Banko Natural Reserve here!

Finished lattes!

Are the mainstream milk alternatives just not your thing? If soy, almond, and rice milk don’t quite cut it, read on to find your next macchiato mixer. In part two of this four-part series, we’ll explore some anomalous lactose-free and vegan alternatives to dairy milk.

Left to right: quinoa, hazelnut, pea, coconut

Spoiler Alert: None of these stood out as a clear winner, as they were all pretty different. However, pea milk was the only contender that won a spot in my refrigerator. Pea milk’s thick texture and neutral flavor allured my dairy-dependent taste buds. 

Pea milk had a subtly sweet flavor and a luxurious texture. Supported by its creamy opaque appearance, latte art would be a breeze with this beverage. The milk created a silky latte with a marvelous mouthfeel due to the high protein content. Don’t worry! It doesn’t taste like peas.

Hazelnut milk was also delicious. If we were to make a family tree, this would be almond milks beautiful cousin; it had a nutty undertone but this time in a good way! In other words, this milk created velvety milk with a luscious layer of foam on top. Bonus: the hazelnut flavor in this milk made a mad mocha!

Coconut milk wasn’t bad either. It flaunted a fantastic subtly-sweet flavor. If you can’t handle the varying flavors of the other options, definitely try this out. But be warned, If you want a creamy latte, the milk frothing may not be on par. In reality, latte art really wasn't an option and the foam was limited.

Quinoa milk…hmm. Don’t buy this one.

Nutrition per 8 ounces

Gellan Gum is an additive to some brands of alternative milks to help them foam and behave more like dairy milk. The coconut milk's inability to froth well clearly displayed this attribute.

It’s your classic coffee shop success story: Local barista meets customer. Customer becomes a regular. Barista and regular bond over a love for records and beer, becoming good friends. Friends experiment with roasting coffee in their garage. That coffee gives way to Huckleberry Roasters – Denver based coffee roaster and café producing some of Seattle Coffee Gear’s favorite coffee.

Huckleberry Roasters is the byproduct of entrepreneurs Koan Goedman and Mark Mann’s friendship that developed over a shared passion for community centric business practices and specialty coffee. Shown in their transparent relationship with their farmers, their ever growing staff of excited coffee professionals, and their dedicated following of customers expanding far beyond the Mile High City area – it’s clear that Huckleberry Roasters is doing something incredibly special.

Huckleberry Roasters Pecos Street location. Image Credit: Ross Evertson

We caught up with co-founder Koan Goedman to hear a little bit about his personal journey in coffee, how Huckleberry Roasters came to be and where they’re going next, and his favorite home brew method.

Huckleberry Roasters co-founders Koan Goedman (left) & Mark Mann (right). Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

It seems like every coffee enthusiast has a journey where really good coffee finally clicks for them. When was that aha moment for you?

Can I claim two "aha" moments or is that a huge cop-out? The first, which happened as a consumer, I remember quite vividly. It was a natural Ethiopia Harrar from Intelligentsia brewed on a Fetco in 2002. To be totally honest, I didn't seek it out and I didn't really know what to do with the coffee when I tasted it -- it was so radically different from what I thought coffee was. It was delicious and I wanted more! Fast forward most of a decade, the second a-ha moment came very early on in Huckleberry's existence. We'd just roasted a coffee from Guatemala, called Finca La Bolsa. Joe Marrocco from Cafe Imports suggested it and who was I to argue? It was one of the first coffees that we roasted and was legit tasty! We roasted it well, we sort of knew why & how we roasted it well. It was a milestone for a tiny coffee roasting company and it propelled us forward!

Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

It’s one thing to go from simply enjoying coffee to stepping into the specialty coffee industry. What made you decide to take this venture on? What was the goal?

I wish this story was a bit more romantic, but here's the truth: it could have been anything! Mark Mann and I shared in an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to own a business together...and coffee is what we did, what we knew and what we were interested in. Had we been heavier/savvier drinkers, maybe it would've been a neighborhood bar (I own one of those now, so what does that say about me?). Had we been makers and better with our hands, maybe it would've been a leather goods company? We knew coffee, we had an amazingly supportive community through coffee and our decision was basically made for us. The path forward seemed clear(ish).

Like most businesses, our mission statement is a living thing. It changes from time to time. Our focus gets shaped and shifted as our experience teaches us what works. However, from day one, we've always wanted Huckleberry Roasters to mean something, stand for something and leave a mark. This certainly manifests itself in our coffee philosophy, where we try to be approachable and welcoming in the coffee we source, roast, brew and serve. That foundational goal also pushes us to be generous in our fundraising and support of organizations doing important work, while also pushing ourselves forward towards a healthy, thriving and fun company culture for our family of employees.

The roasting process. Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

What is your favorite coffee that you currently are roasting?

Like picking a favorite child. This is cruel! I've been on a pretty big South & Central American coffee kick lately. We just roasted the last of some of our Colombian coffees, but we have a stunner from Costa Rica, called Santa Maria, that's just the bee’s knees and the cat’s pajamas. It's so good! Comforting in all the right ways with deep sweetness and fantastic body, but also with some grape and candied orange fruitiness that keeps your attention. It also happens to be one of the kinds of coffees that Huckleberry prides itself in! We're really proud of the cooperative (CoopeDota) it comes from and being able to help Costa Rica continue to be a global leader in sustainable coffee growing. It's maybe not the wild & crazy flavor profile you may get from a Kenya, but it's super drinkable and enjoyable. It's the kind of coffee that I think specialty coffee needs to truly embrace if we're going to keep growing.

Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

What is your favorite way to brew at home?

Siphon. Ha ha. False - I'm not a psycho. Honestly, the go to is the Bonavita Auto Brewer. It's easy, it's consistent, it's fast, it makes good coffee and it allows me to spend my little free time with my family.

Outside of Huckleberry, are there any other roasters your excited about?

Most def! I (and Huckleberry on the whole) have a pretty big crush on the lovelies over at Cat & Cloud. Just a bunch of superheroes over there that are hitting all the marks right now! Plus, I used to go to Capitola Beach when I was growing up, so I have a soft spot for that city. I continue to always be in total awe of Counter Culture. (Do I just have a thing for roasters with the letter C?) Counter Culture keeps growing and does so with such smoothness and ease that it's almost irritating. If only they weren't so dang nice! We get to send them coffee from time to time and their roasters give us the best, no bulls*** constructive criticism we hear.

Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

Community is clearly at the core of Huckleberry. How did that become so central to the ethos of what you guys are doing?

I think I hinted at this a little bit in an earlier response, but...we would be nothing without the love and support of our friends & families. They said our coffee tastes good when it didn't, and encouraged us to push onward. They said our coffee tasted bad when we thought we were masters, and still encouraged us to push forward. We embraced all that love and wanted to be sure that we passed it forward ourselves - be it in the communities of our cafes, be it in being helpful to other coffee companies, so on and so on. Sadly, I think the word community has become somewhat meaningless over the last few years. It's such a trendy word to throw around that it's stopped being meaningful in a lot of ways. We do our best to push back against that tide as much as we can!

The friends behind Huckleberry. Image Credit: Kathleen Moloney

Anything else we should know about what you guys are doing at Huckleberry?

Oh, yea! Mark and I just signed our names on a lease to a new cafe! It's going to be super, duper mega radical! We'll be located in the activated lobby of The Maven Hotel in downtown Denver, as the anchor tenant to the Dairy Block development. It's a pretty expansive space, so we're going to be doing some fun stuff like a walk-up style service window on the sidewalk, in addition to the full-service counter inside. We'll be doing some exciting and snazzy food & drink things, as well as using the larger footprint to offer programming and educational workshops. Plenty to be worked out still, but sometime before the end of the year we'll be doling out LOTS of high fives!

Huckleberry Roasters is currently Seattle Coffee Gear's featured roaster, and we're proud to include a bag of their coffee with every order on Rocket espresso machines. Purchase a bag here.

To learn more about Huckleberry Roasters, visit their website at huckleberryroasters.com.

Image Credit: Koan Goedman

Finished lattes with soy, hemp, almond, rice, and dairy milk.

Do you get tired of the same boring latte every morning? Maybe it’s time to rethink what you put in your morning shot of caffeine. In this four-part series, we’ll explore alternatives to standard cow’s milk and show off some vegan and lactose-free options for your next morning mug.

Left to right: soy, hemp, almond, rice, 2% dairy

We started by comparing conventional 2% milk to almond, hemp, soy, and rice milk.

In this round, hemp and soy tied for the best overall alternative to dairy milk. They definitely had the most potential for latte art, despite our less than pretty attempts. They both also had a long-lasting creamy texture, making them the closest alternatives to dairy milk.

Hemp milk was better than we expected, even with its initial grassy smell. Once steamed, the smell transformed into an earthy undertone that most tasters thought paired well with espresso. When steamed, it created a creamy latte with delectable foam. However, a few tasters found it too bitter, and some complained about its grainy texture.

Soy milk won for the best appearance and potential for latte art. Its foam was thick and creamy, most similar to whole milk. Its downfalls came later…the foam that was once luxurious separated and became a little unappetizing. But don’t worry! As long as you aren’t a slow sipper, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Rice milk might be good for folks who are accustomed to drinking skim milk, or just want a sweeter, more mild flavor. It looked a little more transparent and didn’t create cafe-quality foam. It did better with an automatic steam wand but still didn’t create the consistent creamy foam we were looking for.

Steaming the rice milk using the automatic steam on the Breville Oracle

Almond milk was probably our least favorite—we found it tasted too strongly of bitter almonds. The foam was much better than rice milk though, and it would certainly be a health-conscious choice with only 30 calories per serving. So, if you love the flavor of almonds, this milk would be worth considering!

Nutrition per 8 ounces

Gellan Gum is an additive to some brands of alternative milks to help them foam and behave more like dairy milk. We have noticed this difference with the rice milk, which did not froth nearly as well as the others.

It’s a frustrating question that has plagued many a coffee aficionado throughout the years: why doesn’t the cappuccino I make at home taste as delicious as the cappuccino I buy from my local coffee shop? The answer to that question can be found by addressing a diverse set of material related variables from the freshness of your beans, to the quality and calibration of your grinder, to the pressure at which you are extracting your espresso. Maybe your machine hasn’t been cleaned? Maybe it wasn’t properly rinsed after cleaning?

But what about when you’ve covered all of the variables and you’re still not getting the results you are hoping for? Then it’s time to look at your technique!

That’s where illy’s “Be Your Own Barista” course came in to play. Meant to empower coffee lovers who wanted to take their home coffee preparation to the next level, this class held at our Bellevue location provided participants with the opportunity to train hands-on with Giorgio Milos – illy Master Barista and Italian Barista Champion. Equipped with all of the tools needed to produce great coffee at home, fourteen students discussed coffee history, learned tips and tricks to consider when preparing their beverages, and were released to put their new knowledge to the test while illy’s education team helped fine tune their technique.

“I never knew I could make espresso that tastes this good,” shared a participant frustrated with the past drinks she had been making at home. It was a matter of making small corrections to her grinder as well as changing her tamping that helped her produce a cleaner, fuller bodied drink. Many attendees took notes on the discussions while others asked technical questions they had been investigating for months.

Seattle Coffee Gear strives to be a place where coffee lovers like us can go to the next level in beverage preparation using the best tools available while also being a resource for people to ask questions and learn. This partnership with illy is only one of the many ways we continue to help people “make coffee you love!”