User:Naomilorene/sandbox

 Article Critique 

Espresso has been a popular commodity growing more and more over the years and in many countries including the United States. I especially see this happening where I live thirty minutes north of Seattle in Washington State (home to the first Starbucks). Working at one of the many coffee stand in the city of Everett for over three years, I’ve only just become interested in the details and history from which these concoctions I consume and create originate. I visited the Espresso page on Wikipedia, and found these three aspects of it worth commenting on the: History, Cold and Espresso-based drinks.

History
Two or three clicks of the mouse was all it took before I noticed the Espresso WIKI page had insufficient citations. I was perplexed as Espresso is such a popular term and subject of today as well as excited to research and contribute to such an important subject. The information I found on the history of espresso aligns well with the Wiki Pages information. However, under the ‘heading etymology and spelling’ the author has important information regarding Achille Gaggia, who actually invented the modern and widely used espresso machine by patenting a spring which he attached to the existing brewing coffee machine. He’s mentioned in the three books I reviewed from the library as the inventor of the espresso machine with no mention of Angelo Moriondo. The espresso machine prototype was invented, and over time it was improved to become what it is now.

Cold
The subheading "Cold" appeared inadequate for an espresso page on WIKI, and in relation to the rest of the information throughout the page. To be mentioned is cold brew coffee. Also becoming a very popular way of consuming espresso especially during the Spring and Summer seasons. Cold brew is another extracting process that uses cold water instead of hot water. There are various ways to process cold brew. In short, the process would be as follows:


 * grind whole beans (fine)
 * position grinds into a filter evenly (filter craft needed or something similar)
 * pour water over grinds
 * let steep for 12 hours
 * pour over ice (add cream/flavor if desired)

Espresso-based drinks
In this section there was one citation noted and that was after the drink, cappuccino. I added a citation [40] near the beginning where the author mentions nicknames for coffee and espresso combinations. What makes this somewhat challenging is the fact that different countries, cultures, cafes, and baristas create espresso individually. Which the author does mention. In the book, which I referenced, there were drink selections mentioned that could be used to create an alternative drink menu. I think the drink menu listed in this book would be helpful because they are all drinks we drink here in the United States. Some of the ones listed on the WIKI page I’ve never heard of. If I feel this way, it’s very possible others may as well.

In Conclusion
I was excited to add my one little citation to the espresso page. It's something I'm interested in and have passion for. The librarian was impressed with this assignment and contribution. Some things I’ve learned from this process as a result is to approach information with critical eyes. Don’t just believe what you read. I usually discount myself and think that I don’t have something substantial to contribute. This proved otherwise. Investigate further if I feel that something is missing or even if there isn’t something missing. I didn’t find the author to be biased or come from a biased place, the WIKI article was informative. It’s very easy getting side-tracked and going down a rabbit trail. There were numerous times I had to re-direct my attention to what my three main points were or I’d never get it done. With that being said it’s important that the heading matches the information below it and that it relates and flows.