Throughout this piece, I urge people to talk to coffee professionals and other hobbyists, to try the famous espresso blends and cafés, and even to home roast, cup and blend for themselves. Ten years ago this would have been virtually impossible; five years ago, difficult. But since then the coffee Internet has exploded. It has put coffee enthusiasts from all around the world in touch with each other, circulated new knowledge more widely and more rapidly than ever before, and created a market large enough so several Internet vendors specializing in coffee related wares can make a living and provide us with a dizzying selection of state of the art items. The Internet has created a golden age for hobbyists in general, and for coffee hobbyists in particular.

There are thousands of coffee related sites. Here is a very short list of some of the major ones, as well as some of my favorites, organized by type.

Information and Review Sites

• Coffee FAQ: Everything you ever wanted know in a handy format. Thanks Scott
• Home-Barista.com (this site): High-end espresso equipment reviews for the home market and how to's
• Coffee Review: Ken David's, the popularizer of homeroasting, monthly reviews of roast coffees
• HV's Comprehensive Coffee Links: You wanted more links?
• Espresso Italiano: If you want the official Italian, and quite poetic definition of espresso
• The Coffee Research Organization: a useful information website on coffee basics including espresso
• Water FAQ: not really up to this standard; but I wrote it, so it's in.

Roasters and cafés

• Intelligentsia: In my hometown, Chicago. Great coffee, great people
• Gillies: New York's Don Schoenholt is one of the founders of specialty coffee, and a great supporter of coffee enthusiasts
• Dallis Brothers: Gillies NYC competitors, also terrific people
• Gimme Coffee: There's good coffee descriptions, there's bad coffee descriptions, then there's Gimme's descriptions. But the educational material is solid enough for a banker
• Counter Culture Coffee: Real espresso in the Old South? You bet. Another great supporter of us enthusiasts
• Hines Public Market: Seattle Haut café. Seattle is the center of North American coffee culture
• Zoka: More Seattle
• Café Victrola: More Seattle
• Caffé D'Arte: You guessed it
• Espresso Vivace: Last but not least Seattle. There's lot's more, but I'm tired of typing Seattle
• Stumptown: In Portland; one of the best in North America
• Supreme Bean: LA's roaster to the stars; nevertheless, their espresso blends are great.

Home Roasting and Green Coffee

• Sweet Maria's: Not just a vendor; but the Free University of home roasting too.
• Coffee Bean Corral: Russ sits on a Hawaian porch sipping coffees. The ones that fit, he sells.
• Coffee Project: James' list is available to home roasters
• Green Coffee Coop: 5lb minimum lots at coop prices, vetted by Bob Yellin, the best amateur cupper I know.

Internet Coffee Equipment Vendors

• Whole Latte Love: One of the original Internet home coffee equipment vendors
• 1st-line equipment: The other original
• Chris' Coffee Service: A commercial coffee equipment retailer who also sells high-end home equipment

Personal Websites and Blogs

• Bread, Coffee, Yoga, and Chocolate: if there's a role model for coffee enthusiasts, it's Fortune
• Espresso! My Espresso: The ultimate love story: boy meets espresso machine ... But seriously, Randy's site has tons of solid info on everything an espresso lover wants to know
• God Shot: Chris Tacy's blog. He is a "3rd wave" barista: a taster, a roaster, and an officer of the Barista Guild of America.

Professional Associations

• SCAA: Specialty Coffee Association of America. The industry group for real coffee. Join as a consumer-member
• NCA: National Coffee Association. The enemy. Industry group for Folgers, etc.