Wish I'd Thought of This & A Coffee Cri de Coeur

Via Seattle Coffee Gear (where I have spent a great deal of time of late, lusting over their machines and watching their fabulous "how to" You Tube Videos), I found Internet Cafe Hobo. Of course it's the BBC. Now, this is a fun way to see the world... Too tired tonight to say much more, except to say that my current espresso machine is broken, really, really broken.

And, people, how stiff do you like (or make) your cappuccino foam ? Are you a "micro" foamer, or do you prefer a stiffer foam ? One snooty professional style video insisted that "one never spoons the foam out of the pitcher." Uh-Oh. I intend to refine my technique, I think. As soon as I have a machine that actually has pressure in the steam wand again. Sigh. To the left is the image of one I lust for, though I'm not actually certain I'd buy something this expensive even if I could afford it. I'd like to play with it, though, let me tell you...

From what I've read and seen on the videos, there is clearly an anthropology dissertation (or two or three) to be written on espresso culture and rituals. I suppose I could get into a rant on consumerism and how we've been sold the idea about being "serious" equalling spending serious money on equipment and accessories ---and this seems true of almost any endeavor these days---, but I do love the techie beauty of these machines and the real knowledge that seems to go into a good number of morning coffee rituals out there in the world. I, on the other hand, am not exactly an amateur, but I have a plastic tamper, folks. Maybe it's the challenge...


*As usual, dear reader(s), I am following my passions here, and have no financial connections to SCG or the machine pictured.