Entries tagged with 'espresso'
Page 1 of 1
[Photo: Williams Sonoma] Until I joined the ranks of the working world, I really believed that a good cup of coffee isn't something that you have on the go. Instead, it should be a relaxing part of the day and ideally be kept as something special to be savored as a treat. It's not always that easy though, and in those moments, coffee should be an effortless (and still wholly delicious) pick-me-up. Unexpectedly, I found that the new Nespresso CitiZ was just what I needed to live out my modern-day coffee philosophy. Yes, there are certain drawbacks to Nespresso's newest machine, though they generally extend to capsule coffee in general. Arguably, the individual packaging makes it a bit more...
Continue reading »
Note: Serious Eats contributor Allison Hemler is a NYC-based barista who recently traveled to Seattle to check out the internal coffee college at Starbucks HQ. This week, she'll be educating us on tidbits she picked up in class, with today's focus on the espresso. A latte poured by a barista at Stumptown Coffee in Portland, Oregon. Any seasoned barista will tell you what the time before being cleared on an espresso machine is like. You're stuck at the cash register, acting as the interpreter between the customer and the artist behind the La Marzocco who pulls shots, steams milk, and applies a delicate touch to a porcelain cup as it makes its way to a caffeine-starved owner. The barista does...
Continue reading »
Free PDFs are available from Make Magazine that guide you through making your own coffee roaster, hydraulic coffee tamper, and more. If you're absolutely, 100 percent serious about making your own espresso, you'll want to go beyond merely grinding boutique beans in the morning. You'll want to roast the beans, tamp the grounds with perfect pressure, and then make sure your espresso machine's at exactly the right temperature. Fortunately, Make Magazine has free PDFs for doing it yourself: DIY Coffee Roaster, DIY Espresso Tamper, DIY PID Temperature Control. [via Gimme Coffee]...
Continue reading »
Photograph from mypressi.comGood espresso is indispensable, but at-home options are few—classic Moka Pots that don’t get a decent crema, or modern machines that are clunky and pricey. And now there’s a third option: the Mypressi Twist ($129), available for pre-order now. This hand-held wand runs on tiny gas cartridges, requiring no other power. Fill the machine with ground espresso (or an espresso pod) in one chamber, and hot water in the other. Pull the trigger, and the gas pressure forces water through the coffee, pouring a strong extracted shot. Of course, the Mypressi begs a few questions—how many gas canisters does this thing go through? (And how suspicious will I look buying that many?) If it’s dependent on hot water,...
Continue reading »
Ms. Adventures in Italy No, not that the addictive kind of crack, but the onomatopoeic "crack." Sara Rosso of Ms. Adventures in Italy comes across Coffee Crack at Lino's Coffee. Coffee Crack consists of a shot of espresso liquor topped with cool frothed milk and chocolate syrup that is supposed to harden from the frothed milk, thus the "crack." Related Sugar Rush: Coffee Pocket A Student's Report on Universita Del Caffe, the Intensive Coffee Course at ICC...
Continue reading »
Photograph from Greencolander on Flickr Just outside Washington D.C. in Arlington, Virginia, local mini-chain Murky Coffee will not serve espressos on ice. “I’m sorry...it’s against our policy.” According to Murky Coffee, diluting the espresso will compromise the integrity of the coffee, and that's "not cool," as one barista told an agitated customer. "Touching a waitress’s chest is not okay. Pouring the coffee onto the floor instead of the cup is not okay." But according to blogger Jeff Simmermon behind And I Am Not Lying, requesting ice should be okay. Once the skirmish reached popular blogs, Murky Coffee owner Nick Cho responded, arguing for the "craft of coffee." While Starbucks or another corporate coffee chain might serve the ice without flinching,...
Continue reading »
I have a friend with a fetish for mini things. Travel-sized toothpaste, those midget ketchup bottles at upscale restaurants, adorable jam jars at high tea. She really needs to know about this $155 "Handspresso," as does the mini things fetishist in you. Like a bike, it uses the "pump air" method to generate pressure, eliminating electricity altogether. Whaddaya think? Any use for a gadget like this in your morning routine?...
Continue reading »
For people like me, who know almost nothing about the family of espresso-centric drinks, Lokesh Dhakar's illustrated guide to espresso drink composition may be helpful. The illustrations won't help you much if you want to make the drinks, but they're great for providing a simple overview of the ingredients. [via Boing Boing]...
Continue reading »
Making the perfect espresso at home is not easy, especially without professional-grade equipment, but following David Lebovitz's tips from his recent visit to Illy will certainly get you closer....
Continue reading »
