I spent a Saturday afternoon auditing a class at the Seattle Barista Academy — I was there to write a story for an inflight magazine. Alexa, the coffee goddess who runs the course was a patient and entertaining instructor, I was charmed. I was also worried that I was going to freak out when faced with my home coffee situation because I Have Been Doing It All Wrong.
Turns out that while I enjoyed learning how to pull a perfect shot and how to control the variables that affect that shot, I’m likely to keep doing it wrong. The seals on my machine are going and the steamer has never really had enough pressure, but I like my house coffee.
Personally, I’m just impressed that you have a machine and make your own espresso at home! Who does that!? I’m typically a french press girl, which most of my friends already find a bit pretentious… 😉
Yeah, but it’s not much of a machine, it’s a really old one, probably one of the earliest consumer ones. A big deal at the time — and it was a gift, a really nice one — but the game has sure changed since I got it.
Might want to look into an AeroPress. I’ve had mine for a couple of years now and love it (not paid to say this). Not fancy, but it gets the job done and it travels well.
You’re not the first to tell me this. Sounds like I need to try one.