Choose, use, understand.
Come funziona una macchina, quale scegliere, come si estrae un buon caffè.
Buying guide / pick
Hand grinder: what matters for espresso vs filter
A hand grinder for espresso and one for filter coffee are not asked the same things: adjustment, uniformity, time and e…
Buying guide / pick
Bialetti induction moka pots: which to choose between Fiammetta, Octagonal and Brikka
Our catalogue has eleven Bialetti moka pots, and three have "Induction" in the name. Here is what they cost at list pri…
Buying guide / pick
Sage Bambino, Barista Express or Barista Touch: which to choose
In the CoffeeSpecs catalog the Sage thermocoil machines run from just over €500 to almost €1,300 list price. Here you c…
Deep dive
ECBC, SCA and brewing temperature
«92-96 °C» is not a margin of uncertainty: it is the standard that two different bodies verify independently, and it is…
Tutorial / How-to
Cleaning the group, the portafilter and the milk system
Coffee leaves fats, milk leaves proteins. They are different kinds of dirt, which call for different products and above…
Tutorial / How-to
Water, hardness and descaling
Limescale is not a manufacturing defect: it is what tap water leaves inside the machine, cycle after cycle. It is the f…
Buying guide / pick
How to choose a filter coffee machine
ECBC and SCA are not the same certification, even though they get cited as if they were interchangeable. Knowing who de…
Buying guide / pick
How to choose a milk frother
A standalone milk frother is not the steam wand of an espresso machine, nor the cappuccinatore of a bean-to-cup machine…
Deep dive
The 15 bar myth
Fifteen bar is the pressure the pump can reach, not the pressure the coffee comes out at. They are two different number…
Deep dive
Steam wand: panarello or professional wand
A panarello emulsifies for you and produces a puffy foam. A bare wand does nothing on its own, and precisely for that r…
Deep dive
Pre-infusion and pressure profiling
Before pushing to nine bar, wet the puck. And then, instead of holding one pressure from start to finish, decide how it…
Buying guide / pick
How to choose a bean-to-cup machine
The number of drinks on the display is the thing that matters least. What will decide whether you still use it in three…