espresso thingy

[magicicada]

one of the things that i enjoyed in france was the way i would be offered un café after a meal. it is not coffee, but espresso, and it is a lovely custom. i would like to be able to make this at home, but an electric espresso maker has been ruled out as another thing to clutter up the counter. i could fuss, but... it would be hard to find a place to store it.

now, a second option is to get one of them metal espresso thingies. as it happens, i have an amazon gift certificate that would just cover this with shipping.

my dilemma is that i really know nothing about espresso except that it is extremely tasty and high octane. i really like the $100 machines with cream warmers & frothers, but i am sure i will survive without them. so... coffee gurus out there. is this the way to go? is it fussy? is the coffee better or worse than with the fancy machines?

drop me a line because school has started and i really need the caffeine.

Comments

[cadrys.livejournal.com]

They work. Becky still has hers. Odds are what you had in France was made in one of those. The fancy machines are _faster_ and more suited to US-style service...but it's all steam (at pressure), finely-ground, dark-roast, quality beans, and flavor to taste.

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

thanks. i know i saw a very fancy model at one of smaller hotels, but a small hotel still has a lot of people.

[fountaingirl.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Ok. I don't use *any* coffee makers of any sort that plug in while at home. I find that they give weaker coffee, tho I do like my lattes when out and others can steam milk.

I have a Bialetti stovetop maker, I used to have one that was aluminum but it got kind of grungy looking, so I went to the uber-small Bialetti and that wasn't big enough (it was like single-serving size) so I got the big 'un and am happy with it.

For coffee in general I use the basic Bodum french press. I used to have their Chambord but I broke it which broke my heart, but at least I have the basic one. Before I got the replacement I was stuck with a percolator which was hell, but better than drip. I covet a chambord pot again bad though....

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

thanks. that is one of the ones i was looking at. we used to have a french press, but only used it on the weekends. then we managed to break the carafe on one, and the plunger on another and we gave up. the cuisinart that we have with automatic timer and coffee gauge does a pretty good job for weekday mornings, but it is not the special treat that espresso is.

[bexfiles.livejournal.com]

The Bialetti thing is the ONLY way my sister's other half, the genuine Italian boyfriend, will make his coffee. Or similar looking device he brings back from Italy every time he feels he needs a replacement. I can verify it makes damn good espresso!

[fizzgig-bites.livejournal.com]

Can't speak for anything with a coffee bean in it but I know a lot of Cuban mom's with that maker. It seems like every Cuban household had one in Miami and almost all of the workplaces.

[penguinicity.livejournal.com]

One of the advantages of having three Italian co-workers is having espresso in the office. I'm not sure how the different makers compare (although the fancy-pants Krupps machine we have does a fine job). However, as for the espresso itself, they insisted that Lavazza was the one true brand and everything else pales in comparison. I think it's pretty good.

[clamnebula.livejournal.com]

I have a stovetop espresso maker myself, and while it doesn't really create the same type of coffee that an electric pump style machine would do, it's a heck of a lot easier to deal with. I would also suggest getting one made from stainless steel instead of aluminum, just because of the potential dangers of getting aluminum in your system.

I cant stand shitty coffee

[stonegargoyle.livejournal.com]

The metal espresso thingy is what I use for Cuban coffee. The big electric ones are grate for milk if you want lattes or cafe con leche. You can do that on the stove as well, but it is easy to burn milk and make a big mess. Getting the right Coffee will do so much more then what you use to make it.

Grate now I want Cafe con leche and I don't have any coffee.