What is espressoman.ro and what does it want?

It all started in 2007 when I was ready, ready to take a criminal DeLonghi, with steam pressure. The lady at Carrefour told me it was nonsense and to save the money for a better espresso machine. And I put, going to a «less criminal» Ufesa. This was the point where I started discussing a topic on Softpedia. If I look back, I see many aberrations written, but, analyzed better, they are the preconceived opinions of the Romanian, who slowly tries to enter this splendid world of coffee, undeservedly little explored in our country and beyond. Luckily I wasn’t the only one and together with some spiritual users we managed to bring online discussions never before held in Romania, from simple things to the most complex clarifications. Furthermore, we have expanded, creating a topic dedicated only to preparation techniques and coffee, this is the famous «In search of the perfect espresso». Thus, many people have managed to radically change their vision of espresso, knowing the real world of coffee, not the one presented by shops or in advertisements.

But I felt that it wasn’t enough and I created a category on my blog (blog.LiviuFratila.ro) dedicated to the art of espresso, where I summarized many of the things discussed on the forum, to bring some order. Thus, tens of thousands of new visitors have seen that there is more than capsules, vending machines and «branded» coffee, and I am satisfied, first of all, because they have noticed it, even if not everyone has understood it. Furthermore, the existence of the forum and the blog has consolidated what in Romania is called «freshly roasted coffee», encouraging the few small entrepreneurs in this field to have great ideas and to hope that Romanians will also evolve in terms of taste…

And since these good things don’t have to end here, starting from February 24, 2012 we launched the site you are just getting to know, Espressoman.ro, the place that wants to be a center of mass culture regarding espresso, coffee, related drinks (lattes), machines that are worth paying for (or not), industry events not to be missed, false advertisements not to be believed and so on. I hope with all my heart that we contribute to a change of mentality, to the education and development of taste, to new accumulations for enthusiasts of the sector, to exchanges of experiences.

Espressoman.ro is an online platform, a blog and a beautiful and lively forum, which aims to be the tool of expression of a community in formation in Romania, that of «espresso at home» enthusiasts or, more precisely, of those who drink a better espresso/cappuccino at home than in most bars in Romania. We will not miss the new arrivals of domestic or semi-professional espresso coffee machines, coffee grinders or accessories, trying to outline an objective and very current review, regardless of whether it is from the author of this site (Liviu Fratila) or anyone who wants to contribute. Furthermore, as a community of espresso lovers, we will participate in barista competitions (as spectators), we will test, repair and modify tools together that deserve attention, we will benefit from discounts on the purchase of equipment and coffee, we will meet (at least online) people who have something to say in this field and I hope that at least once a year we will have a national meeting. I have the time, patience, and energy for this project, and I hope you do too!

And since Espressoman.ro wants to go beyond the limits of a personal blog, I invite you to participate actively with articles, reviews, opinions, tutorials and absolutely any information that you think might be useful to other enthusiasts, both on the blog (via an email on the contact page) and on the forum.

I am convinced that only together can we achieve all these things (and this is not a cheap corporate exhortation).