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>>> I just moved to California and am pretty bummed about the whole foie gras thing. <<<

As are we all . . . .

I'm sorry . . . you think Mother Nature -- through sharks -- is responsible for certain species of fish being brought to the edge of extinction? Or is it Man?

But you AREN'T eating them . . . the fins that you seek are routinely taken from sharks and then they are tossed back into the sea where they die a slow, miserable death.

You *seriously* want to talk about barbarism?

>>> sharks will barbarically eat thousands of fish over their lifespan. <<<

And how many head of cattle, sheep, pigs, and fish will you "barbarically" eat over YOUR lifespan? How much food will you throw out, thus adding the word "needlessly" to the word "barbarically" . . .

With the exception of "traditional" flavored vodkas, like Zubrowka or Pertsovka, I don't see (nor do I understand) ANY reason for these . . .

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-new...

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Oh, look! Robert has a classification system!

(Oysh)

lol! OK . . . but let me put it into a larger context.

I agree that numerical systems are not worthy of the ink they waste -- ESPECIALLY the 100-point scale that a) resonates with most Americans from their time in elementary school, and b) implies, if only subconsciously, a level of specificity and exactitude that is impossible to attain.

On the other hand, the more wine one tastes, the more one needs some form of "shorthand" to quickly rank those wines that have been tasting in preference order. So while I often tell my student that the most important thing they could ever say about a wine is "Yum or Yuck," as soon as you taste more than three wines, some "classification system" becomes necessary.

When I was one of the corporate wine buyers for Liquor Barn (a 104-store chain that used to gross $330 million in annual sales), I came up with a 5-point scale of my own to rank the wines and decide which wines should be considered for purchase, versus which should be eliminated from such consideration. The scale was a series of TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms), as follows:

>>> IFC = in-f***ing-credible! (If anything was a "must buy," this was it!)

>>> GSM = Good $#|+, Maynard! (My homage to The Dobie Gillis Show, and Maynard G. Krebs; worthy of purchase, if we needed wine in this specific category)

>>> PGS = Pretty Good $#|+ (good, but had to exhibit great QPR [quality-price ration] to be considered for purchase)

>>> DNS = Does Not Suck (no faults, commercially acceptable, but nothing to get excited about)

>>> DNPIM = Danger! Danger! Warning, Will Robinson DO NOT PUT IN MOUTH! (applicable to bad bottles)

Then I realized that this didn't cover a wine that obviously started off with great potential but were horrible due to a winemaking mistake, and so was added

>>> STW = Shoot The Winemaker!

Against REQUIRING? Absolutely! Wineries want to do it voluntarily, fine . . . .

Without getting into a long, drawn-out discussion, let's just say you don't understand winemaking if you don't understand the costs.

My bad . . . there but for a hyphen go I.

If you are so inclined, please check out the following two articles:

1) "Wine tasting is bullish*t -- Here's why," written by Robert T. Gonzalez @ http://io9.com/wine-tasting-is-bullshit-heres-why-496098276

2) "Re: wine tasting is bullish*t," a response written by W. Blake Gray @ http://blog.wblakegray.com/2013/05/re...

. . . and what do YOU think?

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeatu...

Never found that to be the case . . . but even with my Gaggia or a friend's Silvia, the Capresso was woefully inadequate.

And let's not forget, Robert, that even WITH $3,000 -- heck, $10,000 machines and loads of practice, virtually every restaurant and most cafés can't makes a decent espresso to save the life of the establishment!

Fine for coffee (pourover, moka pot, siphon, press) . . . not so good for espresso.

NOOOOOOooooooooooo . . . . .

The Rocky is a fine grinder, BUT is overpriced for what it is. I would strongly urge you to check out the reviews on www.coffeegeek.com and www.homebarista.com . . . or just go to the "Espresso-Grinders" forum on CoffeeGeek and ask what people there think of the Rocky.

I agree. I haven't seen ANY of the Pimms (other than No.1, of course) for sale in the US since the 1980s, if that recently . . .

Can you cite a reference that says Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 (Black Label) Tennessee Whiskey is produced from only 50 percent corn?

Well . . . one out of two ain't bad.

Two things to remember, above all else:

---> The Four M's of Espresso:
1) the Macinazione is the grinder, and with it, the correct grinding of the coffee beans;
2) the Miscela is the coffee beans/blend itself;
3) the Macchina is the espresso machine; and
4) the Mano is the skilled hand of the barista.

All four are important. Nothing is more important than the grinder.

/ / / / /

---> Babbie's Rule* of Fifteens:
-- Green (unroasted) coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months, or they go stale.
-- Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days, or they go stale.
-- Ground coffee should be used within 15 minutes, or it goes stale.

/ / / / /

At home, I have a Mahlkönig K30 Vario and a Baratza Vario; in my office, I have a Cimbali MaxHybrid and a Nuova Simonelli MCF . . . I *highly* recommend you get a Baratza Vario or, at least, a Baratza Preciso.

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-new...

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-new...

From a cost perspective, it's inane . . .

I have *never* worked either for or with a winery that used such things as Mega Purple, Ultra Red, etc., or even things like RO (save for "alcohol-free" wines) . . . I agree with Paul Draper, who -- according to the article, "Draper said he opposes any regulation requiring ingredient labeling, which would be expensive for smaller wineries in laboratory costs and the need for new label approvals by the government. "

http://www.vinography.com/archives/20...

What are your thoughts?

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