Way too much information and a smart guy saying dumb things. But hey! It’s an imporant purchase, isn’t it?! We do a deep dive into pressurized dual wall baskets and what they mean for your coffee, plus, what’s the upgrade path for the Breville Bambino Plus buyer? Espresso, Latte Art, and the Pressurized Portafilter… It’s all here in this video review.
Guitarist by night, Barista & roaster by day. This is Corey Waldron who together with fellow musician Aric Forbing who played the bass guitar, have flipped espresso machine design on its head.
The idea was simple at first. They wanted what they called, “a truly ala carte” espresso machine. This meant allowing the customer choose their own bar setup. Up until this point, all espresso machines followed relatively standard formats. Mostly, they consisted a big box that sat up on top of the cafe counter. From that big box would extend the espresso group heads, the steam wands, and the hot water taps. They found that this setup limited flexibility. Enter: Modbar.
Modbar is short for “modular brewing systems.” It’s Corey & Aric’s attempt to crack this design problem. The system consists of a below-counter head unit, similar to a stereo amplifier. From there extends one of three individual chrome “taps” (think of a bar with beer taps). The selected tap sprouts up from the counter to provide hot and pressurized water or steam for crafting espresso, steamed milk, or pour-over coffee. You could now select only the elements you actually needed for your cafe concept, and invest in only those.
So say you want an espresso-shots only setup for your iced latte concept? Just get the single espresso group head. Two years later and you’ve seen a spike in popularity? Simply add another espresso group head. It’s straight-forward and elegant.
And elegance was always at the forefront when designing Modbar. Inspiration for the hardware came from several areas: a chemistry lab, vintage stereo equipment, and the unsung hero of the computer world, server racks. But the real challenge came in designing the system’s espresso group heads, which would be visible by the customer. In search of organic inspiration — and after months of racking their brains for a design direction — they actually Googled “nature images” and came across a whale leaping out of the water. This was the breakthrough they needed, and what we know today as the Modbar Espresso Machine is exactly that: an organic pillar of muscle pulling out from the surface tension of a now-made-fluid coffee bar counter-top.
It’s quite impossible to run out of cool cafes to visit when in Taipei. Here’s one that’s easy to love because of its awesome location: it’s called Mountain Kids Coffee Roaster. Located in the Zhongsheng district this space offers a cozy vibe despite its slick, modern interiors. Make your way up the white steps in the back corner and you’ll find a seating area giving you an unobstructed view of Beiman. That’s the North Gate of Taipei, a significant city landmark. It’s obvious that guests who frequent that cafe also prefer to sit by the window, you’ll find them sipping their coffees while enjoying the scenery and we totally get why!
Mountain Kids Coffee Roaster, also known by its abbreviated moniker, “MCKR,” seems like a pretty ideal chillout spot. It’s also a good place to visit if you’re exploring Taipei for the first time. Not only do you get to enjoy their locally roasted coffees, you also get to appreciate a beautiful historical site.
It’s not only the view that makes Mountain Kids Coffee Roaster worth visiting. The coffees served here are pretty stellar too! As a micro-roaster, they have a wide range of flavors to choose from but we decided to have their offering from Colombia. Lightly roasted and brewed using a pour-over filter method, it was mildly sweet and tangy. Just the right drink to enjoy after having been on a salty and spicy street food spree around the city. They also offer a variety of beautifully decorated pastries and decadent desserts which you can enjoy with your cup of coffee.
Coffee geeks can also geek out on the all-white KB90, the latest model from Italian espresso machine giant, LaMarzocco. The machine features a fresh take on barista workflow ergonomics and integrated scales that take espresso brew consistency to a whole new level.
Follow @mkctrw on Instagram.
Espresso machines are beginning to change in many ways. The Decent espresso machine, which is a compact and smart machine, is a great example of what’s to come. An app installed on a tablet that comes with it allows you to control all aspects of the brewing process, including brewing time, temperature, water pressure and flow, and pre-infusion time. It’s perfect for dialing in shots and bringing out different flavor notes from the same coffee, allowing experimentation with different facets of a brew.
But personalizing a tablet in a fast-paced cafe may not be ideal, which is why it comes with pre-programmed settings. During our visit to their factory, they also showed us a prototype of a touch control panel on the group head that will be available as an upgrade to their existing machines. Using their DE1PRO model in our HQ is a blast and we’re excited for what else is coming next.
While Italy is generally held up as the gold standard of espresso machine manufacturing, Decent espresso machines are made in a small industrial building on the other side of the globe: Hong Kong. But switching production from Europe to Asia is just the start of how the guys at Decent are shaking off the old rules. Usually, with a fancy machine that has multiple boilers, the general rule is that bigger is better.
Decent’s machines are compact and minimal. And rather than using manual knobs, theirs is programmed through a tablet that allows you to take full control over pressure, temperature, and flow during the brewing process. Also gone is copper tubing, which is replaced here with hoses. Large boilers? Out the window. The Decent machine doesn’t even store boiling water, opting instead to boil it on demand for efficiency.
Follow @decentespressomachines on Instagram.
Adelphi and Co might be our favourite coffee shop in Kota Kinabalu. A multi-roaster cafe, they were serving Papa Palheta coffees on espresso when we visited. Also featured were single origin pour overs from Finnish roastery, Kaffa Roasters and Koppi from Sweden. Between these options, you get a nice sampling of expressions from Europe, Africa, and Asia. There is an obvious high amount of attention paid to quality here, and an even higher amount paid to culture. The staff is friendly and this attracts a friendly bunch of customers too. And even though Adelphi and Co is very much coffee-forward, the dining menu and other beverages — such as a healthy wine selection — are equally excellent.
So simple, so complex. Adelphi & Co’s coffee soda starts with a cold brew concentrate to which soda water is added upon every order. The soda water really opens up the flavor of the cold brew revealing inherent sweetness and spacing out the layers of flavor without any additives. The result is a pretty healthy version of an energy drink in the middle of the afternoon.
