So, last Saturday I bought myself a birthday present, three weeks early. I've often felt birthdays require a whole week (sometimes even a whole month) to properly sink in, and I have a habit of purchasing my own presents days, weeks, months in advance. This time, I had been window-shopping for a proper espresso machine. Although I love my cabinet-ful of Teavana teas, particularly the large tin of "golden monkey" with its brown, earthy taste, I do like a nice shot of espresso or a densely steamed milk every once in while.
For several years, I've used a stovetop Bialetti. These are lovely, classic objects that look good in a kitchen, make a thick cup of coffee, and bubble nicely while they're doing their jobs. But the Bialetti pots come with a few problems: many of the models are made aluminum (not too desirable if one hope to avoid Alzheimer's) and their gaskets/funnels often need replacing but can be difficult to find in stores or on-line. Plus, I like that milk, that fuzzed milk like a little snowy peak perched on the top of my beverage.
Thus began the research. Did I want to return to my days as a barista extraordinaire, grinding my own beans, navigating complex buttons and nobs on an Italian machine. No, probably not. Did I want to venture into the land of automatic and semi-automatic contraptions? It turns out the answer is YES. After sipping and testing, window-shopping online, visiting stores, and comparing prices, I finally discovered that fully automatic, capsuled coffee was for me.
Nespresso.
I used to be a coffee snob. But last week I went to the Bloomingdales in Chevy Chase and bought my very own "CitiZ & Milk" espresso machine at the official Nespresso Boutique located INSIDE the Bloomies. The machine is shiny. It is black. It's footprint on my kitchen counter is very small. The machine takes less than 90 seconds from the time I hit "on" to warm up for Full Espresso Blast-Off. The shot comes out of the machine at the perfect speed. Every. Time. The crema on top of each shot is always lovely and thick. And the milk froths almost to the consistency of meringue.
In other words: I am in love.
Ever since I bought the machine a week ago, J and I have been sipping lattes, mochas, and plain shots as if coffee were the only form of nourishment in the world. Yesterday, we bought raspberry and peppermint syrups from St****cks. I can now make a Raspberry Soy (or almond milk) mocha for about 60 cents, rather than the usual $4.50.
The machine can make regular shots and long ones. You can set the shots to your specifications.
0 comments:
Post a Comment