This morning, I pressed a batch of Panama La Berlina Estate Typica. I remember it having a wonderful, full and round mouthfeel, quite viscous and pleasant. I go back and forth between thinking it's a bit syrupy and a bit hefty, like whole milk. No chalkiness, either, which is extra nice. And its taste? Brightness like a Central American coffee often has, with citrus fruit notes that fade into a graham cracker finish. It's a somewhat juicy cup, too, in that it doesn't give off too much of a drying sensation.

Last week, I wrote about what I perceive to be one of the most common misconceptions in all of coffee, the myth of the french press. This morning, I got a text message from my buddy Justin telling me that he's becoming frustrated with the fines he's getting in his french press brews.

A week or two ago, Kyle Glanville of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea shared a thought on Twitter: many high-end coffee shops that pride themselves on the quality of their espresso serve downright mediocre filtered coffee. This is not a sentiment I can agree with based on my own personal experience, as I've not been able to frequent many such shops in person, but I do agree with it in principle.

Last night, I had the privilege and honor of hanging around with the staff at Quills Coffee as Kenny Smith helped them install their new La Marzocco Linea 3MP. To the best of my knowledge, it's the only paddle-group machine in the city, and by all accounts, it's well worth the investment. It took us a little while to get all the kinks worked out, and Chris Heiniger claimed to be nuzzled by a family of possums, but the early closing time of 4 PM yesterday still allowed us to get everything done by midnight or so.

Anyone who knows Chris Heiniger knows that the man just doesn't smile all that often. Or, if he does smile, it's fleeting and not easy to glimpse. Thus, it becomes all the rarer to see not only a picture in which he is smiling, but a picture in which he is posing and smiling. This Linea 3MP, which he will be working very closely and lovingly with, was deemed by him a more than adequate reason to pose and smile.

*Click*.