Espresso maker for Christmas?

[Ddan]

It usually takes 2 4-shot lattes to get me out the door...   

[The Architect]

Good to hear you machine is running well and you're enjoying it.

Anyone else an espresso junkie?
Is there a cure? (So I can stay away from it.)

I gave up coffee many years ago.  But I'm back to espresso, a cup a day. 

I use this machine, http://www.delonghiusa.com/index.php?product&nid=61 for the money you can't go wrong.

What coffee are you guys using?

I'm fortunate to have family in Italy and they love to send coffee to us.  I'm liking Kimbo and Lavazza. 

(may be we should start a new coffee thread?) 

[Bun-bun]

(may be we should start a new coffee thread?) 

Maybe we should.
Let's see. .  guns thread, music thread, words thread, intoxication thread, insomnia thread,...
Nope, no coffee thread
yet

What coffee are you guys using?

I'm fortunate to have family in Italy and they love to send coffee to us.  I'm liking Kimbo and Lavazza. 

I went through the uberfancy coffee stage early on (Lavazza), then went slumming for a while (8 o'clock), then I found a local roaster, and use one of their blends. I think the fresh roasting makes a difference.

[Howie]

<snip>

Anyone else an espresso junkie?
Is there a cure? (So I can stay away from it.)

Yes.  Dunno, I am happy with my addiction

[mstevens]

Lavazza is quite easy to get in the US. I get mine sent by Amazon on schedule. I think it's basically the Folgers of Italy.

[671M900]

Used to work in a small coffee shop with my wife a year ago, we used Lavazza exclusively, and one month we had Top Class from Korea. Hot damn that was a good espresso, wonderful smell and crema, but the best part was that on the last sip, you would instantly taste slightly sweet chocolate! The Koreans love their espresso as much as the Italians do.

The owner had a sweet la cimbali espresso machine, the only automatic part was the shot selection, but you still had to tamp correctly to get that 22 second shot. The la cimbali grinders are wonderful too! They cut in a way that produces a better flavor imo. I think its a kind of hybrid cone burr/ cutting grinder.  somehow the la cimbali was able to cut the beans in a way that produced more crema than the nuova simonelli we used to have. And that's from the same bag!

Come to think of it, I worked in a coffee house, still work at an Italian restaurant. Only makes sense that I have an Italian motorcycle. The car is still Japanese though, unfortunately.

[mstevens]

The car is still Japanese though, unfortunately.

So, you're saying it runs and the parts don't cost a fortune?

The only Italian cars I'd want are impractical living out in the boonies in a snowy part of the world with potholes and frost heaves.

[The Architect]

Lavazza is quite easy to get in the US. I get mine sent by Amazon on schedule. I think it's basically the Folgers of Italy.

I know.  I once bought it at Wal-Mart, real cheap.  I don't have the heart to tell them.      

[Buckethead]

Happy Voodoo Day to me. Pulled my new (to me) Gaggia Syncrony Digital out of the box, ran a cleaning cycle, poured in beans and water, pushed the magic button and *presto* I have debil juice.



My friend Holly is a barista and while she abhors my use of a super-automatic, she's offered to come teach me some of the finer points of frothing milk so I can make all the froo-froo drinks I want in the privacy of my own home.

[mstevens]

I have debil juice.

Maybe it took a while to grab your camera, etc. but is that crema a bit thin?

You might need to tinker with your grind or shot time settings.

My wife got me the cutest little baby Saeco X-Small for my office. I'd been hunting for one but they don't seem to import them to the US. She got it from some Canadian website. Very much like my machine at home only cut way down and less electronicalishiousness. Fits on my desk behind the computer and most patients don't even notice it.

[DesmoLu]

Espresso is a lovely thing, it really is, but for the price, I feel like I get more satisfaction out of a cup of really good French Press coffee. Is it just me?

[mstevens]

Espresso is a lovely thing, it really is, but for the price, I feel like I get more satisfaction out of a cup of really good French Press coffee. Is it just me?

Espresso is its own different thing. Sometimes I need a nice cup of French press, sometimes I need an espresso.

Quite good espresso can be made very cheaply if one is willing to put in the work. I'm too lazy for that.

[Kopfjager]

Espresso is a lovely thing, it really is, but for the price, I feel like I get more satisfaction out of a cup of really good French Press coffee. Is it just me?

Yeah it's you, a very cheap stove top espresso maker is the way to go.

[Buckethead]

Maybe it took a while to grab your camera, etc. but is that crema a bit thin?

You might need to tinker with your grind or shot time settings.

Oh, I'm sure I do. The cheapy beans didn't help, I'm sure, but they were all I could find at the time. They gave me a starting point.

[Buckethead]

At the risk of being labeled a philistine, has anyone tried using kona beans for espresso? I know they're not Italian, but they sure are tasty.