The Good Eats "Espress Yourself" review

So last night I curled up with a nice bowl of cereal and watched Alton Brown do his culinary magic on espresso. I'll admit it, I'm totally addicted to Good Eats and know all sorts of random food trivia from the program. Where else can you see a food anthropologist on TV discussing the history and cultural role of food in society?

The "Espress Yourself" episode of Good Eats is chock full of useful information on how to pull a good shot at home. He begins with a discussion of beans and the roasting process used in most commercial roasters. He reviews the gadgetry you need, including a style of machine and grinder recommendation. I loved the little bits of Italian espresso history woven into the episode and particularly enjoyed Alton's funny viewmaster sequence.

My only beef with this episode? Why would you put your bathroom scale on the kitchen counter to learn how to tamp to 50lbs of pressure? It seriously grossed me out. If you are genuinely interested in hand tamping shots, please buy a new scale for your counter. The one from your bathroom is nasty and should not touch your kitchen counter!