As part of our celebration for five years on the Internet, CoffeeGeek is introducing our first ever Editor's Choice awards! Have a look at our top picks for anything and everything in espresso for 2006.
sriccio Senior Member Joined: 5 Dec 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Chicago Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaz S1 Rossini Grinder: KA Proline Drip: Bodum FP, Cuisinart G&B
Posted Tue Dec 19, 2006, 2:13pm Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
Very nice, definitely enjoyed the summaries. Would love to see some of the individual judging comments on the runners up too, but this is a great summary for newbies and classics alike. Thanks.
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 4,622 Location: Vancouver Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Frankenstein'ed LM Linea Grinder: Anfim Super Caimano Vac Pot: 1922 Silex Drip: Krups Moka Brew Roaster: Hottop
Posted Tue Dec 19, 2006, 3:09pm Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
sriccio Said:
Very nice, definitely enjoyed the summaries. Would love to see some of the individual judging comments on the runners up too, but this is a great summary for newbies and classics alike. Thanks.
Hola Scott... the next podcast online should give you some more to chew on - I'll be discussing the runners' up and some other products that people felt should have been contenders.
sriccio Senior Member Joined: 5 Dec 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Chicago Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaz S1 Rossini Grinder: KA Proline Drip: Bodum FP, Cuisinart G&B
Posted Tue Dec 19, 2006, 3:16pm Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
Nice, I'll be looking forward to the podcast then. I think I better just make my final call BEFORE that comes or I'll have to go back into spinning OCD obsessession mode again and I just don't have the time or energy for another run!
It's looking like I'll be going with a runner up (The BZ02) because I wanted (for family reasons) the programmable dosing buttons and I just couldn't find anything between that price point and the full $1500 ish range that gives you access to the Vibiemme Domobar Super, the La Val Auto, the Grimac Mia ELE, the La Scala Butterfly, Laranzato Casa, etc. For good reason, I think, people just seem to hang onto them once they've got them and I couldn't pry any kind of deal out of anyone that would get me one of those latter group AND a top quality grinder for $1500, so the BZ will let me do that.
At least I think it'll pay my entrance fee to geekdom, so I'm hopeful. Haven't clicked 'checkout' yet, but I'm almost there.
Thanks again for all the work on this site and others, it's an IMMENSE resource and an amazingly helpful and supportive community you've (along with a number of other great folks) helped create and continue.
Luca Moderator Joined: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 2,596 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Espresso: H: Maver W: FB-80 Grinder: H: Super Jolly W: Brasilia... Vac Pot: Hario TCA-2 Roaster: Sample Roaster at Work
Posted Wed Dec 20, 2006, 2:57am Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
Hey Mark,
Great minds obviously think alike; I picked out the tampers for us to stock at Veneziano and First Pour a while back ... coffeelab and espro all the way, baybee!
Steve from coffeelab is such a dude. A few months ago I made a wishful comment about something to consider changing. Opened up our last shipment and there was a prototype with the change!
Posted Wed Dec 20, 2006, 9:10am Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
Awesome reviews, thanks Mark. I think I'm settled on the Espro for my tamper. I'm a noob, so not having to add a bathroom scale to the pile of equipment I'm building in the kitchen is worth it for me. That said, I'll be visiting my Mom for Christmas, and she lives about 15 minutes from Reg Barber's, so you never know...
If anyone has any info on where to buy or order a Europa pitcher in Canada, please let me know.
Posted Wed Dec 20, 2006, 12:33pm Subject: Re: Editor's Choice Awards 2006 - Espresso by Mark Prince
Hi Mark,
Are you able to post any links for distributors of the Scace Device? I've been tempted for sometime, but the only price I've seen is $250. I think I'd pull the trigger if I could find one in the price range you quote. Thanks.
It wasn't a consideration, but only because I don't know anything about the product. I tried to limit the Editors' Choice awards this year to products I've either had some real use on, or knew enough about to justify (in my mind at least) the reasons for the picks.
Unfortunately, one individual has decided to seed some ideas elsewhere online that these spots are bought for "advertisements".
I just want to make it crystal clear that is not the case. The only consideration given on this listing is that, once the products were chosen objectively, and the list was set, when it came time to pick where to link to, I generally chose CG advertisers as the links. This was all done without the companies' prior knowledge or input. I finished writing this back in November, sent it off to our Content Editor for a polish, then put the article aside for publication on the 18th. In that time, I decided that, where products on the Holiday Gift List were also Editors' Choice, I would put the graphics up there on the HGL and inform the companies at that time about the award for their products. I asked them not to post the award graphics until the HGL was online.
Some of the winning products and vendors chosen still probably don't know about the awards. I haven't, for eg, told WLL or SeattelCoffeeGear about their choices for Machine under $500. I didn't tell Intelly that Kid-O was picked as my blend of the year. I didn't tell Andrew Barnett his Northern Reserve was runner up.
I hope this clears things up. The Podcast, being recorded tonight (online tomorrow hopefully) will talk more about the choices and how they happened.
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