Hi Again,

Bob here, Mel’s something or other.  She’s tied up with nerves, and the final exams for Basic Patisserie, so I thought I’d fill in and keep y’all entertained (and no, I am not from the South).

If you fancy yourself to be any sort of coffee aficionado, you ought to buy this beautiful coffee table book. Filled with knowledgeable information on coffee, brewing methods, and baked goods recipes, it’s become a great source for inspiration. And self-doubt.

So I quote from the The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee‘s espresso brewing section, p. 101:

 “Optimism, confidence, exuberance – these are the delightful by-products of our evolved ability to deceive ourselves.  So we buy things like espresso machines. Optimistically.”  

They further encourage us by stating – I paraphrase here – ‘If you think you can make a home-brewed espresso, consistently better, and less expensive than your local coffee shop, you are sorely mistaken’.

Ouch.  Well, Sirs and Mesdames, I accept your challenge!  I am skilled at self-deception. I am confident. And optimistic (see paragraph above). If Jane and Joe Barista can make a great Macchiato, I can do so, too.

So, friends, off we go on a Brewing Extravaganza! Part I

What Bob Brews and Drinks

• Double Espresso – I was advised to use 16 grams of a fresh ground, fine quality bean.  I use 17 or 18.
• Double Espresso Macchiato – ‘to mark’ with a dollop of thick, creamy, silky, foamed steamed milk.  Think mini-Cappucino.

The wonderful Bezzera espresso machine arrives, a work of fine, old world craftsmanship.  Heavy gauge folded steel, polished surfaces, simple toggle switches – no electronic push contacts here – and a 58mm cast porta-filter. It’s cool!

Man Party:  7:00AM, 17 March, Saturday. Early. First Experience with said Prosumer Machine.  Intimidated. Confident. Clearly deceived.  Four friends arrive – did I mention at 7:00AM. On a Saturday! – to test my barista skills and watch one of the great European road races, the Milan-San Remo Professional Cycling Classic, streaming live from Italy. What better way to break in the new machine than sit with friends, watch bicycle racing, and sip espresso!  Well … 3-4 coffees each, and a few omelets later, I struggled to send them on their way. Jazzed on caffeine, talking and talking.  Happy. Success!

The First Taste:  The Italian Sampler Pack – 6.6 lbs. of traditional, mass production espresso beans! Total overkill. That’s … six months of 16 gram espresso drinks.  While it was a nice sampling and gave me a feel for grinding and tamping, it wasn’t the experience I was looking for.  I gave much of it away.  Spread the love, I say! While it’s fresh!

Conclusion: We had a great time arguing over who would win the race, drinking better espressi than I’d made before, and I know there is a long road ahead learning this craft!

And… Here’s Mel, Day One!  She’s so happy!!!