How do you drink your coffee?

[Steve MacDowall]

I drink my coffee black with no sugar. I love a rich strong fresh coffee. But I am really enjoying having an espresso now and then when I get out.

How do you drink your coffee?

[Richard Penney]

I like to have an espresso followed by a 4oz.latte to get me through the morning. I seldom have any more when at home. I do use cream in my coffee about half the time when I eat out. The first sip will tell me whether to use cream.

[Steve MacDowall]

Do you have an espresso machine? I have just started to drink espressos but only in a coffee shop. - Steve

[George Shepherd]

I drink mine black with no sugar. I too, enjoy espresso. I also like café ristretto which is a stronger version of espresso. I rarely if ever drink instant coffee now.

Oh, I almost forgot, I occasionally have a café coretto (literally, coffee "corrected"). This is an espresso with alcohol added to it. My own preference is with amaretto but grappa is popular in Italy.

George

[Steve MacDowall]

how do you make an espresso stronger?

[George Shepherd]

By using half the normal measure of water and twice the normal measure of espresso grounds. This results in a coffee beverage that provides a very strong espresso flavor.

[Leah McFarlane]

Just black.... I prefer to grind my own beans and make it strong..... excellent !

[Elizabeth]

Same here, but I got a rather bitter batch and temporarily took to using sugar which worked well to fix the flavour! But if it's good coffee, it should be unadulterated.

[Steve MacDowall]

I agree with you

[Steve MacDowall]

Leah - I just can not see you up early grinding beens - new light.

[Cynthia]

I actually splurged and bought a super-automatic coffee machine that makes espressos, cappucinos, americanos etc. etc. etc. with the push of one button. So I fill it with my favourite beans, (Merchants of Green Coffee, sustainably-grown, fair-trade, organic, locally fresh roasted espresso beans) and I get the best cup of coffee I've ever had.... every morning. When we got the machine, it seemed like it was a lot of money for coffee... but when you look at how much a bitter/not organic/not fresh roasted, Corporate Coffee Company (no names) costs, this machine pays for itself in both convenience and quality.

I saw this J5 Jura machine initially when on vacation in the states... it was on sale but still pricey... when I got home, I thought that we should just "go for it" and discovered that the same machine was almost "double" the price. So I looked on Ebay and found a New/In Box/Never Opened J5 and got it for less than the price I initially saw in the States, from a seller with lots of positive feedback. It keeps count... 1059 coffees so far (since December) and I've never looked back. Slurp!

[Richard Penney]

A little late to reply, I started collecting pretty coffee makers some years back. I then started upon the steepening path to perdition when I found that coffee was purveyed in an infinite combination of methods and processes. So, yes, I do have an espresso machine! The attached photo gives a glimpse of the counter. That changes month by month. I do trade and buy machines to try whatever may suit my fancy.
Coffee at home in the case of espresso can be a significant level of delight over that sold as espresso in the average shop on the Starbucks model. They seem to think that because they make a bitter brew, that is what is meant by espresso. I have found the coffee bean to be a carrier of extremely complex aromas and flavors. They may range from a fruit, to milk, to chocolate, to tobacco, to clove, to butterscotch, to cranberry, to almost any flavor or smell or combination imaginable. They all can be enhanced or ruined during the roasting or preparation process.

Most any good machine may produce good espresso but cleanliness is next to a godshot. Super automatics like the Jura are good but only if fed a good fresh roasted bean. That holds true for any machine. Follow the manufacturers' instructions often and don't miss a maintenance cycle. More coffee is ruined by dirty or scaled up machines than one could believe. Coffee is at its best between 4-14 days after roasting and preground may lose its flavor within a couple days after opening. There are many custom roasters and they ship on the day of roasting. In Canada, look for a local roaster in the Provinces. Canadian customs and mail can and will destroy or delay anything from the States.

To get an idea of the effort put into the processing and preparation; I might suggest a tour of Home-Barista .com. Go to FAQ and find what may interest you! http://www.home-barista.com/

[Peter]

Ever since my trip to Europe, I've come to love strong but fresh coffee. My staff cringe some when I am making the pot in our staffroom. I use only expresso beans whether or not I am making expresso. Usually for breakfast I have a little cream, or later in the day I make myself a capp with a bit of froth, and cinnamon. Ummm.