Welcome to The Cafe' Experience!

This is a site dedicated to my thoughts on coffee, one of my favorite subjects. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments. However, please refrain from any abusive or disrespectful language as it would taint the beauty of the coffee dialogue.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Restart Now

I can't believe so much time has passed.  I was really enjoying writing in this blog and then I got the sudden notion to start graduate school -- it's been crazy busy since then. But, given that I'm on summer break, I thought I'd start back up again.  My coffee pot conundrum was solved by purchasing the Francis Francis X8 by Illy.  See here: http://www.illyusa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_iperespresso_iperespresso_iperespresso_francis-francis-x8-E309

Now, before I go one, I must admit that I didn't get rid of my Cuisinart. It still sits on my counter top.  I haven't gotten rid of it because when guests come over, I need to make large quantities of coffee.  Plus, I haven't researched another type of coffee maker. I honestly don't use my coffee maker anymore since the X8. 

Now, about my new love...Illy espresso.  So, although I drank Illy coffee with my Cuisinart, Illy espresso is another experience.  Illy espresso has a unique flavor and my visits to Illy Cafe's over the summer of 2010 wasn't enough.  I kept looking for excuses to go to D.C., and grab a latte to go which wasn't always very easy to do given that I live about 2 hours away. 

Decisions - Espresso Machine vs Espresso Machine vs Coffee Machine
My coffee obsession started years ago when I was in college.  I worked as a barista for that place, you know the one that's on every corner? Back then, they didn't have the automated espresso machines and in order to serve drinks, you had to learn exactly how to make and pull the proper espresso shot. 

Thanks to Illy cafes, I started looking for espresso machines.  I was considering buying the high end espresso machine, but after researching the various brands, I realized it was too much of a hassle.  Yes, you can dish out thousands for an extremely nice espresso machine, but know that you need to also buy an expensive grinder - at least $300 plus.  Then, you need to spend a lot of time making sure that you are grinding the beans properly and tamping the espresso properly...all too much for the little time I have in the day.  Plus, I would feel excessively guilty knowing that the espresso machine/grinder cost more than my dishwasher, or stove or refrigerator. I don't think I could balance that in my head ever. 

The iperEspresso system which the X8 uses is perfect for people like me.  The capsules have the exact pre-measured amount of espresso ready to go.  The machine is easy to use and also has a frothing wand that makes excellent steamed milk.  I bought it in July of 2010 and havent' looked back.  The taste of the espresso is spot on to the Illy cafes as well...the best part of the whole purchase I believe.  Yes, you need to purchase the recurring delivery of Illy capsules, but I got over that pretty quickly.  It saved me an extra trip to the grocery store and shows up on my doorstep every month.  I love it!!!  The only downfall is, you can only make one shot at a time. Which means, it will take you a long while to make a cup of espresso for guests. Which is why my Cuisinart survives. 

Well, I could go on, but I'll save it for the next post. 

Coffee News:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=137203279