I snagged this domain name a while back when it expired after the previous domain holder just let it go. Going through some internet archives (http://archive.org) I found it belonged to another coffee enthusiast/roaster/cafe owner who is no longer in business (as far as I know). I believe it was also a blog!

I hope to blog my experiences with anything coffee. I've not been in to coffee that long, perhaps 3 years. It was when I bought my first espresso machine and grinder, and started enjoying specialty coffee (much to my wife's dislike, she doesn't like coffee).

I should mention I'm in Perth, Western Australia

I started with a Sunbeam EM6910 espresso machine and Sunbeam EM0480 burr grinder. I still have both, although the grinder is now at work where I grind fresh for brew's at work. I've upgraded my home grinder to a Mazzer Mini manual (doser), which I just love. It seems indestructable.

The Sunbeam is a very basic machine. I did some research on http://coffeesnobs.com.au/ before buying. I wanted something affordable, just to "dip my toes in the water" and see if this was the thing for me (coffee). It's advertised as a 15bar, thermoblock machine. One of it's "strong" points is the ability to extract espresso and steam at the same time. It has pre-infusion, built in water tank, 3-way solenoid valve, cup warmer, and is programmable (dose size, etc). I picked it up for around $550. Much less than the $800'ish retail price thanks to a mate that works at an electrical good store.

I still use the Sunbeam today. Through regular maintenance, it's lasted well, it still pulls reasonable shots, but the steam is really not great (I guess it never has been). I hope to upgrade to a more powerful machine in the near future. The wife says not until she gets more diamonds. *urgh*

Moving on.... I plan to update this site with not only my own coffee journey, but also other relevant and interesting things that I find, all about coffee.

I'm on http://twitter.com/JamesMandy and http://facebook.com/jmandy

Bear with me while I get this site configured properly with appropriate styling, etc.

If you are in Perth, and you are in to coffee, or you are a cafe or roastery, feel free to contact me or contribute to my site!

Cheers, James