Oh Sweet Coffee!

Yesterday was a wonderful day for two reasons: (1) I got paid and (2) I ran out of my grocery store espresso blend. Why, do you ask, was (2) a contributing factor to the day's sense of wonder? Well, that is because I was able to head over to Anderson's to grab some legit dark espresso blend!


Now, I honestly should stop heading over to my local grocery store for my ground coffee. The blend is not terribly great, and the blade grind often results in subpar underextracted espresso. Nonetheless, I always seem to end up there due its convenient location (I can walk there). Anderson's, on the other hand, has a fantastic blend and a burr grinder (I really wish I could afford my own burr grinder to grind at home - maybe this will happen when I finally have my doctorate). Plus, their coffee is reasonably priced (the espresso blend is only $8.95/pound).

At home, I have the Mr. Coffee ECMP50 Espresso Maker. And let me tell you, for the price, the machine is legit. It is the only decent pump espresso machine I know of under 80 bucks. Don't let the price fool you though - it produces a fantastic cup of espresso with a nice layer of crema. Well, it produces a great cup if you do your homework. A few things I have learned to get the most out of this machine: (1) use a good blend of beans, (2) master the art of tamping and realize the correct amount of tamping may vary depending on the grind of your coffee, and (3) clean the machine as much as possible. I should also note that the machine is quite powerful (15 bars!) so it requires a bit of a different touch than your standard 9-bar espresso machine. Get the variables right and you just might surprise yourself with the quality of your shots. Case in point: the two shots I drew this morning with the Anderson's blend honestly tasted better than anything I have tasted in Austin. And that is without manual temperature control (unfortunately, as one would probably expect, this machine does not come with an adjustable thermostat).

The first shot right after being drawn. Note that the reddish hues.



The same shot a few seconds later, having settled. Note the golden tan layer of crema. Delicious sweetness.


The second shot awaiting me at my coffee table.



Naturally, the espresso can't by any stretch touch the best espresso I have had in Italy. However, I have honestly had worse espresso in Italy as well (yes, not all of the espresso in Europe is out-of-this-world good, contrary to popular belief).

For tradition's sake, I should probably mention food to finish off this post. I shall express my thoughts in terms of a simple equation: