The Joy of Coffee

My partner and I splurged on an espresso machine recently. This is the culmination of years of making coffee with a variety of methods. Just for the fun of it, I'm going to share some reflections on all this here.

I think I first began drinking coffee as a teenager. It was Starbucks with cream and sugar. I didn't become a real coffee addict until years later when I would need it to get through a work shift or a college class. I drank a lot of Dunkin Donuts coffee, but I was never especially excited about. In fact, I remember the the taste often being off.

A few years ago a friend introduced me to the French press. He may have been convinced that the press produces the best tasting coffee. And in years since, I have had a lot of French press coffee, but mostly because it is often the easiest and most convenient way for me to make a single cup of coffee. Perhaps instant coffee is easier, and I used to do that, but I lost of ability to tolerate it. But I wasn't a coffee snob. I would sometimes drink reheated coffee that had sat in a pot for a whole weekend.

I began occasionally getting iced Americano coffee at a cafe near my office. I think that elevated my standards. The iced Americano I order is two espresso shots with ice and water. It is equal in strength to a typical Starbucks iced coffee. But because it is made to order with espresso, it is as fresh as iced coffee can be. I find that is has a slight nutty flavor that regular iced lacks.

So then I traveled abroad to places where espresso is the standard form which coffee is served and I became addicted to that. I bought a moka pot as an inexpensive way to make espresso. I understand now that while it produces nice coffee, it isn't true espresso.

But now we did it. We had our eye on an espresso machine that would have been quite expensive for us. When we found it nearly half-priced refurbed, we bought it. And it is a blast. The geekery required for getting it right is joyful. To achieve the right pressure and brew speed, you have to grind the beans right and tamp it firmly enough. It seems to matter that I run the machine without grounds first to preheat all the parts.

And the result is real espresso, with texture and flavor you don't get with other methods. A straight shot brings me back to my overseas adventures. A hot Americano is just a good cup of coffee. I'm inept at frothing milk for lattes and cappuccinos, so I will have to practice that.

So coffee is on my mind, now that my household has four different devices for making coffee: a standard drip coffeemaker, a French press, a moka pot, and an espresso machine.