Got latte?
It was actually the Latte Craze of the 90s that got me hooked on coffee. Up until that point, I was a Diet Coke in the morning to get me going girl. Aaahhh …. lattes. The transition drug. Add to the equation that I had a good friend working at a Starbucks roasting factory in Washington who didn’t like coffee, and so forwarded me care packages containing assortments of her employee free pound of coffee per week. Oh, my. That’ll get you hooked. I quickly was.
Fortunately for me, I ran in a cheap (broke) circle of 20 something singles who made their own lattes. So this has pretty much been par for the course for me over the years. However, two years ago I upgraded to a nicer machine with a pump pressure system. This isn’t a Product Review – this is me sharing one of my Favorite Things in Life with you!
This is also not intended to be a Consumer Reports breakdown of the Espresso Maker options out there. Suffice it to say that after I performed online research for hours, and tried and returned 3 different unsatisfactory models, I discovered my dream machine!
The Cuisinart EM-100 Espresso Machine |
- Cost Savings
- Excellent Strength/Quality
- Enjoy 1st Thing in the Morning!
The cost saving is obvious. It kills me to spend $5 on a drink. That’s good lunch money! I do purchase quality whole Espresso beans, usually at Starbucks. If you grind your beans yourself at home as needed, your espresso is going to taste much stronger and fresher. You will need to use a Burr style grinder if you are going to invest in using the pump pressure style machine. With this combination, you are going to be able to pull an amazing shot with gorgeous tasty crema on top! Yes, I like me a triple shot…
From my Cuisinart EM-100 machine at home. YUM! |
This leads me to my next point – the quality and strength of your latte! For every 4 lattes my mom purchases at a coffee shop, she is happy with the taste and strength of about 1 of them. That’s a 25% satisfaction return on investment. Not good enough! Make it at home, make it as strong as you like.
Comments (3)
Pammy pam
January 3, 2012 at 2:18 am
well i've been drinking coffee a long long time but i have two problems: #1 i'd like a coffee maker in my bedroom, kinda like they have at hotels and #2 i'm hooked on the whole coffee shop ambiance. i feel so important with all the other self proclaimed important people who are in a hurry to go someplace fabulous other than what i'm doing.
i'll admit i had an espresso maker years ago. it was a gift. i used it once. GAH!
DisneyBabies
January 3, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Espresso machines seem like so much work.. but I do love lattes.. Though even prego, I still sometimes crave a simple iced coffee… yum..
Trace
January 3, 2012 at 5:05 pm
I used to make my own "frappucinos" I am all for saving the dough and still living the good life!