Back when I was a child, I watched my parents every day drink their one or two cups of coffee in the morning. I could not figure out what the attraction was, as I would take a sip now and again, and detested it! Truth in lending, they also drank it black and no sugar which probably didn’t help my opinion of it.
Jump ahead 20 years or so later, during my Army days, I had no other choice but to learn to like it. There were too many long days and longer nights not to be aided with some sort of caffeine boost, and this was before the days Red Bull took hold. And to learn to like Army coffee, is no simple task. It is HORRIBLE! I can’t even recall what the name of it was, but they had a little bottle (about the size of a 5-hour energy bottle) filled with what we called liquid sludge. They would add that to a 5 gallon percolator with water, and voila, there’s your coffee. Imagine the level of concentration in that little bottle!
Jump ahead again a few more years to today, and I can’t imagine a day without caffeine. I start in the AM with coffee, and at some point during the day, switch to cokes. Of course, I do throw in some water throughout the day. Then a few times a week, I throw in espresso (see below) to the mix in the late afternoon or evening time.
So as a self-admitted caffeine junkie, I was thrilled me meet homebrewed espresso. My brother-in-law’s Italian Grandmother introduced me to this a number of years ago. This was right around the time I believe Starbucks was becoming a household name. Well as soon as I could, I went out and bought a stovetop espresso maker. I think it costs me around $10, and it is still going strong today. There is really not much to them, and I trust you can still get them for cheap.
These are my essential tools for homemade espresso. 1) Ground espresso beans, 2) espresso cups (I love my tower set!), and 3) Stovetop espresso maker.
I paired mine today with some of the biscotti I just made. Excellent combination!! (note: there is no coffee in the bigger mug. Just needed something to hold my biscotti!)
Now, I am also a self-admitted wimp, so I through in some sugar and cream in mine. I use whip cream (out of the can) and stir it in.
There is really no recipe here. If you like coffee and espresso, I highly recommend you buy a stovetop maker. They are CHEAP! Then, find yourself some ground espresso beans, and follow your makers instructions. It might take 2-3 attempts on the amount of grounds to use before you come up with your preferred strength. If you don’t have small cups like the ones shown, just use a regular coffee mug.
anticsincooking 