Making
the perfect espresso requires skill and knowledge that not many outside
Italy possess. But with the advent of coffee pods and espresso
machines, the guesswork is taken out of making the perfect shot of
espresso.
There's nothing like the perfect espresso. Finely ground, dark
roasted coffee, pressed and percolated into a strong, rich coffee drink
that delights the senses and perks up your day. In Italy, ordering a
coffee means that you're ordering an espresso. The Italians stop in
their local bar once, twice, even three times a day for the perfect cup
of espresso. But here in America, it's not as easy to find espresso
done right. The grind of the coffee, the right temperature, the
pressing of the coffee and the foaming of the milk are skills that few
people know how to wield properly on this side of the ocean. But now
with espresso machines and coffee pods, the guesswork is taken out of making espresso at domestic bars or even in your own kitchen at home.
In Italy, most Italians wouldn't recognize what we think of as a coffee
maker. They use a "machinetta", a contraption that looks like a metal
hourglass that has a top like a pitcher. The machine has 2 chambers.
Water and coffee go into the bottom chamber. The machine is placed on
the stovetop and heated until the water boils, percolating through the
espresso grinds and into the second chamber. The pressure on the grinds
between the two chambers insures that the coffee is pressed - the word
espresso means "expressed" - and the rich taste comes from getting as
much of the flavor out of the grinds as possible. The milk is heated
and whipped separately. But it's easy to make a mistake in this
process. Either by using the wrong amount of water or coffee, turning
the heat on too strong or not using the right timing.
The growing popularity of espresso has meant that people want an
easier, error free way to make it at home. So now you can find espresso
machines that let you get the right combination of the necessary steps
every time. There is a wide range of models to choose from, with
different features and capacity. Some are designed for use in
restaurants or bars, capable of producing large volumes of coffee in
shorter amount of time. Unless you do enough entertaining at home to
justify the cost, these probably aren't the best solution for you.
Models made for home usually produce either one or two "shots" of
espresso at a time. If you prefer your espresso "macchiato", with milk,
or you want to turn your espresso into a cappuccino, you will want to
get an espresso machine with a nozzle that creates the steam and lets
you froth the milk. Beyond these choices, you might want to consider a
product that lets you use coffee pods. These pods look like large tea
bags. They contain the exact amount of espresso to deliver a perfect
shot every time. You simply put the pod into its slot, close it, and
start the machine. When the cycle has finished, you just throw the pod
away. It helps prevent any problems with measuring out the espresso and
makes cleaning up absolutely easy.
If you purchase a machine that uses coffee pods, you might
want to consider whether or not it can also take either another brand's
coffee pods or regular loose espresso. Some machines do, but many will
work only with the coffee pods that the same company also designs.
Having the flexibility to use either the pod or loose coffee means you
can still use it even if you run out of pods, which might need to be
special ordered. Until these machines become more popular, it's not
likely that the pods will be carried consistently in local grocery
stores. Plus, the choice to use either kind of coffee also gives you
the freedom to experiment with other roasts or flavors of espresso to
further indulge your love of coffee.
