with a little help from my friends
Today, I took back that piece of my soul that had previously been conquered by coffeehouses the great nation over. What took a good while to ::sip:: dwell over, I decided to get an espresso machine. Next, followed the weeks of Amazon.com reviews I read (this step has become a fashion of mine lately; I am generally aided in these reviews and have begun to offer my own advice because they have been so helpful).
Beth, a friend from JF, BRCC, and also the new LiveWire, bought an espresso machine right after Christmas and she bragged about it one night. I had to see it, being the curious me, and from that point on I was convinced it was easier than it seemed. Even now, I never watch a barrista as they make my lattes or cappucinos - I’ve always thought it to be rude to stare down a person as they prepare your food (what if it makes them intimidated or angered or wrathful? …. I mean, they could easily shoot a few prescription pills into the drink out of sight ::shiver::).
::sip::
So, I found a good bet for a low-cost machine and found the check-out line. The first-time cleaning process was a breeze and then I left it alone.
In some manner, I was afraid of getting near it. Was this going to be my mutiny against my myriad friendships I had forged with local barristas? Would they be sending out hit-men to my doorstep, armed with ::gasp:: coupons for their drinks? I suppose they must already be on their way, because ::sip:: I did the unthinkable and made my first latte.
No, it is not Bollo’s quality. It’s not Joe Bean’s quality. It’s not Starbuck’s quality. But I made it, and for some reason… it just makes it taste great. Experience with this little device will help, clearly, but this was a fantastic first try; honestly, this drink is rather nice.
Here is where, though, I need your advice. Advice on espresso-making procedures, advice on extras to get, advice on anything related to this world of brewing which I have insignificant experience with. And I pre-thank you for your help.
But I am very excited. After ::sip:: sipping my first latte, my head coulda ’sploded from the consummate joy that was bubbling up. This is one of those entries that ends in a 
March 28th, 2005 at 4:35 pm
Wow! Congratulations on your espresso machine! Ever since I quit my Starbucks job, I’ve wanted to get an espresso machine, but never got around to it. Thus, I’m very envious of your purchase…
Coffee Geek is a pretty good site about high-quality home-brewed coffee, but it can be quite technical. However, I suppose it’s necessary to get technical as you learn more and more about coffee. Let me know if you ever start to do latte art!
March 29th, 2005 at 3:43 pm
Nice one! I’m not a coffee expert, but I consider myself an expert coffee drinker. I am a huge fan of home brewing (coffee or beer) and I do consider it a science. My advice is obvious, but important. Make sure you are brewing with cold water and using cold milk for frothing. The cold milk (preferably with a nice milkfat %) froths beautifully when making a latte or capuccino.
March 29th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
Latte art is not my thing… as of yet. So far I’m lucky if I can control the frothing process. I’ve been getting a tad too much of the bubbles, thereby making all of my drinks into semi-cappucinos (but they still taste supreme). I’m still a beginner so I’m content.
May, I actually prefer skim milk; I’m not a fan of the taste of other milks. But cold milk, regardless of fat content, is always a thousand times better than warm milk.
No… wait.. I love steamers. And that’s certainly warm milk. Maybe I meant lukewarm milk that has been sitting out for a few hours. eewwwww
March 30th, 2005 at 1:17 am
I agree with May when I say that you should always use cold milk for frothing, because if you try and steam warm milk over and over it gets scalded. But you probably wouldn’t have to worry about that unless you were making a high volume of drinks.
As a fellow skim milk lover, I can tell you that skim does froth MUCH better than whole milk or 2%. At work, we have some soy drinkers who want cappuccinos and while we do make them, they’re definitely not as dry as they could be if they just used skim.
Happy barista-ing.