Espresso machines, beans, and geekiness
Posted by chris Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:29:09 GMT
So, today I came across CoffeeGeek.com. I am a big espresso nut, although after reading this site, I’m clearly not to the freak level, even if most of my friends think so. Afterall, I use a superautomatic. I was quite interested to read their review of the machine I have, the Jura-Capressa S9, which is THE superauto to have IMHO (and which they’d agree with at least based on the review). I was of course slightly bummed to see that Capressa has a new one out, the Z5, which is now the new top of the line, and costs a friggen G more! It sure looks purty though :)
I truly love my machine, and I do know that I sacrificed quality and fiddle-ability by going superauto, but I made that decision specifically, because I really did want the convenience. I don’t feel I have the time, or the desire to do so much clean-up. That may change, especially once my 7 mos old and 3 year old get older and I’m not so tired, etc. Or not, dunno. What I have found though, is that I simply can’t drink Starbucks or most other coffee-house espresso or caps anymore. They taste like crap to me. They never ever tasted as good as the stuff I had in Italy, which is what got me started (I rarely drank espresso or coffee before going to Italy – where even the local airplane coffee tastes better than almost anything I’ve had here in the US). I can be at a Starbucks, and dying for an espresso, and I’ll opt to go home and make my own instead, it’s that big a difference (read the stuff at coffeegeek.com, or home-barista.com).
Given that I’m a superauto guy, I will add one thing to the reviews… Put a USB interface and a web server in/on it, so you can program it via your laptop that sits next to it (like the setup in our kitchen :) Ok, kinda silly, but when you’re shelling out over $2000 for one, well, come on! Just think, it could email or SMS me when the water gets low, or when I need to clean it. Ok, well, that’d just be the geek factor, since it does YELL at me on the little LCD panel that I need to do those things :)
I also am a total believer in the beans making a HUGE difference. Sure, that’s obvious, but not in the way most think. Most of these super dark, oily beans that seem to be so in fashion here in the US, well they suck! I’ve had one exception to that (Espresso Blend from the tiny Sisters Coffee in Oregon), but even that I only liked for a couple days, and then wanted it gone. So far, I only buy Italian coffee. Call me a snob, but think about that for a minute – it doesn’t even cost more than this supposed chi-chi coffee here in the US. For example, a pound of Peet’s is often $10-20 depending on variety. I can buy Mauro, Lavazza (get the food service line; try Pienaroma), Illy, for the same, sometimes less! Try it for yourself. If you like espresso I think you’ll agree.
Having said that, I’m going to try IntelligentsiA’s Black Cat espresso, since I’ve seen a lot of raves about it from the freaks (I mean that in a good way!) at these web sites. So, as I’ve told a few folks, if you’re thinking of getting your own home machine, be prepared to have to give up going to local coffee houses, unless you really have a stellar local place (I live in the burbs, so no stellar joints around here).
