Espresso
 

My dad and I just split the cost on a pretty decent espresso/cappuccino maker last night. It was originally for his birthday, but I didn't have the money till now.

:fuse:

I'm so wired. It takes trial and error to learn how to work the thing. I make a decent cup now, but I have paid the price. If I have a heart attack and die, you guys can have my room.

I will post some tips later... I used to work in a Bistro.
You may want to drink some water with baking soda... heartburn is soon to come.

How many words per minute are you at now?

Me?

No, caffeine boy! :)

rkzenrage, I already took a few Tums. I have dumped a lot of the coffee trying to find the right grind, the right amount of froth, etc. I'm hoping I haven't actually consumed as much as it seems. But since I'm trying to turn my dad on to the whole "good coffee" thing, I didn't want his first one to be less than great.

Speaking of, can you recommend a grinder? I don't want to spend too much, or I'll be paying what I would have for a full auto machine. How about the fineness? How much to tamp? 140 degrees or 160 degrees? Grind a little at a time or a whole bag? Freezer or no?

I am newbie. If you ever decide to post a primer, I will likely print the whole thing. Since I'm not allowed beer, wine, or single malt scotch atm, I have to have something to expend my snobbishness (wrong word...but you know) on.

Also, pipe is forthcoming. I'll save those questions for that thread. Also, I can't smoke in the house and it's winter, so it's a bad time.


Griff -- I haven't counted, but it feels slower :lol: I think I may have overextended something.

As they say:

If you are not going to spring for a burr grinder then just any decent grinder that you will have to practice with. Braun makes some that are affordable.
NEVER freeze coffee, btw.

OMG, I have that poster in my dorm room!:D I'm a little bit of a coffee snob myself, although nothing near some of the people who hang our at our Starbucks. I'm able to taste the difference between different regions and will only drink it black if I get my hands on a good roast.

http://www.wholelattelove.com/Capresso/impressa_z5.cfm

DAYM !!! 3Grand for a cup of coffie !!??!!??!!

Like many caffiene afficionados, I have an espresso machine in the top of a closet that I use once or twice a year, if I'm lucky.

Maybe if I had more counter space and could leave it out?

I just got one of these beauties.

As always, the "permanent" filter tends to let more grounds through than I actually like, but overall, I'm pleased with the quality of brew I'm getting out of it. The timer and the auto-shutoff immediatley on completion of the brew cycle is sweet. Although I never did it, I was always paranoid about leaving my old (mechanical switch only) machine on when I left the house.

I got this one. I had a coupon for 20% off from Bed Bath & jBeyond, so the price was great.

I was tempted to get a drip machine, just because it's so much easier and I'm afraid I'll get tired of the hassle of making lattes all the time (not to mention, sometimes I get in the mood for Just Plain Coffee). But I've committed now :lol:

So far, I've killed 1/4 bag of coffee. I really must stop drinking them after dinner.

:speechls::eek2: That's the machine we have up in the honors lounge!!! I knew it made the best damn cup of coffee or expresso on campus, but I had no idea they shelled out 3G's for it :yelgreedy

I just came back from a Starbucks after dropping the wife off at her job -- I mostly go for whatever today's bold offering is, and not in a programmer-size oilcan-o'-coffee. Getting mentally lively is good for getting the paper's crossword puzzle done, though today's Jumble is still resisting me. All the words, no solution yet.

I started drinking coffee regularly in the Navy, but it wasn't until I started hanging out in Bay Area coffeehouses that I began to know a good cup of coffee from a bad.

Just for fun, I'm keeping a Java Jacket around for re-use, and drawing rows of little latte cups on it to tabulate how many re-uses it's lasted. The largest number I've heard of was eighty-three. Tally marks would be far more compact, but latte cups are more fun and artistic. Thing's already got a girl on it, if you count the Starbucks melusine (mermaid with two tails) in the center.