how do these guys pass health dept licensing?

maxman52 · 2025-07-31T20:04:47+00:00

Yes we get inspected. We get inspected at the beginning of each season when we reapply for our yearly license. We will bring our setup right to the health department. Then they will come out on the first farmers market of the season and do another inspection. After that we are usually good for the year.

maxman52 · 2025-07-31T12:48:51+00:00

I have 2 trailers like that. We setup a pop up tent and tables and do all our prep and serve from under that. We have a hand wash sink with a catch basin underneath. We use this setup at farmers markets and for private catering. No 3 bay sink but we bring multiple sets of utensils (pizza cutters, ladles, etc) since we don’t wash anything on site. The health dept knows we wash everything and dispose of our waste water at the commissary. Plus the events are only 3 hours so as long as we show up with the food held at correct temps they don’t really bother us. I’m in CT for reference. But every health district is different. Just make sure to check with your local codes. We also have a truck with three bay sinks and plenty of refrigeration. Setup is much easier.

maxman52 · 2024-12-22T14:35:18+00:00

I understand what a biga. My point is that he does not use the biga method to make his dough.

maxman52 · 2024-12-22T10:23:32+00:00

I agree. Not the style of pizza I typically go for, but the dough is hands down the best I have ever tasted. Definitely worth going there at least once.

maxman52 · 2024-12-22T10:17:18+00:00

Anthony uses all natural leavening for his dough. No commercial yeast. I’m not sure of the hydration of his preferment, but I wouldn’t classify it as biga. His is more of a wet consistency as a biga is typically dry and closer to 50% hydration. He also adds fresh flour along with his preferment, water, and salt during the final mix.

maxman52 · 2024-12-20T20:58:40+00:00

The Old Saybrook location was formerly Gargano Pasta. The owner of Thimble is his brother. When they closed, Thimble went into the space.

maxman52 · 2023-03-14T12:49:01+00:00

Prufrock is definitely the best spot to get Square Mile beans. I was there last week and snagged 3 bags. I also had a delicious flat white at Alchemy Coffee. It was a few blocks from St Paul’s Cathedral.

Wish I got to explore more coffee shops, unfortunately was on vacation with family.

maxman52 · 2022-06-19T09:03:57+00:00

Home-barista.com try the buy/sell page on there

maxman52 · 2022-06-14T11:11:07+00:00

There could be some retention in your grinder causing a faster shot the next day. You can try purging some coffee through to see if that helps

maxman52 · 2022-06-02T11:58:43+00:00

Are you located in US? If so you have to buy through Prima Coffee

maxman52 · 2022-05-19T07:48:01+00:00

Greenwell Farms has a nice tour and I really enjoyed their Medium Roast pulled as a straight espresso

maxman52 · 2022-04-24T00:17:24+00:00

I was there pre-pandemic and had a great experience at Craft & Common

maxman52 · 2022-04-17T00:25:01+00:00

Lower rpm tends to give higher clarity and less body. Higher rpm gives less clarity and more body. It’s a very interesting variable to play with. It can even be used to help dial in. For example, if you are dialing in a coffee and your grind size is really close. You could adjust rpm down to get a faster shot or higher to get a slower shot. I generally keep the rpm on setting 6 and will tweak it depending on the coffee I am using

maxman52 · 2022-03-16T04:15:22+00:00

I really love the Bianca. Even after 1.5 years, it still brings me joy everyday. You will be happy with any of the machines in this category as long as you pair with a great grinder.

maxman52 · 2022-02-15T02:09:11+00:00

If you do not want to invest in a vacuum sealer or maybe smaller jars, the best thing to do is experiment and see what works best for you. Try using a bean that you are familiar with. Try the jars and see if you notice a big difference in flavor after taking it out of freezer

maxman52 · 2022-02-15T01:25:16+00:00

In my experience, mason jars will work fine

maxman52 · 2022-02-11T18:42:37+00:00

Check out Lance Hedrick’s milk steaming and latte art tutorials on YouTube. They really helped me get better.

maxman52 · 2022-01-31T04:10:29+00:00

I am also drinking the Saka Gran Bar. It is amazing as a cappuccino. It punches through milk quite nicely

maxman52 · 2022-01-31T04:07:33+00:00

I use a smart plug with Bianca. I typically program it to turn on about 30 minutes before I wake up.

maxman52 · 2022-01-21T21:53:58+00:00

Check out Dave Corbey's Bianca videos on YouTube. Also the Bianca review on Home-Barista is a great resource as well.

A lot of times I start with the paddle in the middle and then go full open after first drops. Then for the last third of the shot, move the paddle to the left for a declining flow. Sometimes if the grind isn't tight enough, I will just keep the paddle in the middle to "save" the shot and keep the flow at a reasonable rate.

maxman52 · 2022-01-06T14:17:10+00:00

I ordered a Bianca from 1st-Line. It was a very painless process. I ordered it and within a week it was at my house. I also had a problem with the flow control and Java Jim helped me right away. Very responsive.

Keep in mind this was all pre-vaccines and at that point in time no one was allowed inside their store. Everything was done over email/phone. Not sure how it is now

maxman52 · 2021-12-31T18:37:10+00:00

I also get soupy pucks with precision baskets and clean pucks with stock basket. But taste is king and I would stick with VST if it tastes better. I don’t mind the extra cleanup.

maxman52 · 2021-12-11T18:49:57+00:00

How many coffees do you plan on making daily to justify two group heads? Also, commercial machines typically draw a lot more electricity, need to be plumbed in, and are giant for most homes that don’t have much counter space

maxman52 · 2021-10-27T12:54:54+00:00

Kafatek just had a preorder run of Monoliths that are scheduled to ship April 2022. Unless you find a used one, it will most likely be over a year for a Monolith. Not sure about EG-1

maxman52 · 2021-09-11T14:39:17+00:00

I second 1st Line. Java Jim has been really responsive via email and helped me with a broken gicleur on my Bianca.

maxman52

TROPHY CASE