1.866.430.9198
A couple of months back, we fell in love with the Breville variable temperature kettle. Every day, Chad cups the previous day's production roasts, and it takes a fair bit of preparation. Measure and weigh out the samples, put them in cupping bowls, grind the samples, set them out on the table, fetch hot water, fill each bowl, wait, smell, break crust, smell again, skim, cool, slurp, evaluate, make notes, pontificate (if anyone is around to listen), and clean up. Sure we have a hot water tower, and multiple other ways of heating water, but, the Breville kettle is by far the most convenient. We can just fill it up, push the button for french press and the kettle will not heat to a boil (212?F), but rather it will heat to precisely 200 ?F (the ideal temp for brewing coffee).
But wait, there's more! (I always wanted to say that). Not only does it heat exactly to 200 degrees (or four other pre-set temps that are great for green tea, oolong, etc.) but we hit the 'hold' button, and it keeps the water at that temp for up to 20 minutes. Yup, you can set it and forget it (let's see how many Ron Popeil references I can cram into one post, shall we?). This is the kettle's killer app. To be able to go about your coffee preparation (the weighing, grinding, setting out, etc.) and know that this brushed steel beauty will be ready exactly when you are is what makes all the difference.
Anyway, we mostly wanted to order these for ourselves, but we thought it would be nice to share. This kettle is very well-made, and it will make seriously brilliant addition to your kitchen if you make french press or pour-over coffee at home.
We also decided to carry the Breville conical burr grinder. It's a nice little grinder, able to pull off a coarse french press grind all the way upto a decently fine espresso grind. It may not have quite as many steps or commercial parts as the Baratza, but if you're thinking about making the leap from the old 'chop-o-matic' style blade grinder to a burr grinder, this guy is more than capable. If you're wondering about the difference between blade and burr grinders, and the benefits of a good grinder, we did a podcast about grinders back in the summer that's certainly worth a watch.
One other thing I have to say about Breville, is they know how to make sleek and sexy products. These things are really well-designed, and they'll look great in modern kitchens.
Other updates
That brings me to the end of my little infomercial (I am the marketing guy after all), but there are some other shiny new things still in the works.
- we got a new shipment of Technivorms in this week
- work continues on Transcend Garneau
- we're working on a brand new website, with a fully featured e-commerce back end, updated design, and some of the latest web tech that should hopefully make the buying/browsing/learning experience around here much more enjoyable
- all new custom coffee bags (sealable with one-way valves) are in the works too
