Some jokes fall flat...like pretty much any joke about pancakes.
Today I discovered a new way to increase my calorie and caffeine intake. I call it homemade espressos. Now, for only a fraction of the cost, I can race toward diabetes and the jitters. What a deal!
Maybe you think making your own espresso is too expensive or time consuming. Or maybe you are one of those people who just wants your coffee black without all that garbage in it. All I can tell you is give love a chance...the love of a steaming hot cup of dark coffee and foamed milk.
To start out with you will need an espresso machine. Ours was an add in to a dollar bag at a garage sale. It seems like it is a great gift to give (like at a wedding or coffee festival) but often times they collect dust until they are finally unloaded. I am not sure how long the polite amount of time to wait after receiving a gift is until you sell it in a garage sale, but I have heard that anywhere between an hour and 10 years is the norm.
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Not bad for a couple of pennies
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Next you will need a shot glass. This is to make up your shot of espresso. Some people use two or three shots. I am not there yet! One shot does me just fine. I have included the shot glass in the picture for a size comparison. In reality I am just saving film so I put the machine and the glass in the same picture.
Beans are the next thing you need. A good espresso bean is a little bit darker than your average bean. I have found Eight O'Clock Dark Italian Espresso to have the flavor I seek. Note...it tastes just as good at 7:22.
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| It is Eight O'Clock somewhere! |
Fresh ground espresso is the best, so I use whole beans. To grind them up you will need a grinder. I kind of want to get one of those hand grinders some day, but until then I have an electric one. Make sure you grind the beans to an extra fine consistency.
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| Grind well |
Next you will need to have a special spoon. It has a measuring spoon on one end and a tamping surface on the other. Make sure you tightly compact your fresh ground coffee.
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| Squeeze it tight! |
That is a lot of work already, but the finished product is worth it! You are finally ready to get that delicious shot of espresso.
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| Hot stuff coming through! |
Your last step is to get about a half cup of milk. Today I was using 1% milk, but I prefer to use whole. I add in a spoonful of my favorite flavoring syrup and then steam the milk. Everyone is bed still (even with the smell of espresso wafting through the air) so I had to just show you the before and after pics.
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| Foamy espresso, foamy milk |
Now it is time to dump the espresso into the steamed milk. Make sure you have left enough room in the cup to add the espresso! I have learned this the hard way. The foam on the top of the espresso can be used to make a little design. Today I made mine into a little chihuahua shape. This scored points with the wife, who was finally out of bed!
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| So cute...and it doesn't bite! |
So there you have it. You can be your own barista. All it takes is a well stocked garage sale, time, syrup, milk, a grinder, and some espresso beans. Enjoy!
Lucky that your wife wasn't totally awake before the chihuahua shite-shaped foam imploded into itself, otherwise you'd been wearing that cutey all the way to school.
ReplyDeleteNice buy, and now I have espresso-making-envy. Please tell me that you had to practice over and over to get the tamp technique right so you get that nice, double stream of coffee. I once had a finicky Gaggia Classic that drove me crazy.
ReplyDeleteYou know...I seemed to have it mastered right off. I guess I have a gift.
DeleteFor family members who don’t like coffee, the sound of grinding beans will get them going.
ReplyDelete