Can making espresso be simple?

[ckay87]

I got hooked on Americanos from our nearby coffee shop. Since then, all other coffee tastes like flavored water to me. Evidently an Americano is just an espresso shot with hot water. That's simple enough, but how difficult and expensive is it to make espresso? I know nothing about it, but it wouldn't hurt me to maybe give it a try....would save me 2 bucks a day. Is anybody here an expert on this?

 

[legalsea]

I got hooked on Americanos from our nearby coffee shop. Since then, all other coffee tastes like flavored water to me. Evidently an Americano is just an espresso shot with hot water. That's simple enough, but how difficult and expensive is it to make espresso? I know nothing about it, but it wouldn't hurt me to maybe give it a try....would save me 2 bucks a day. Is anybody here an expert on this?

Not an expert. However, I am led to understand that this espresso maker is very simple to use (and Italian to boot). The link is to Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Expr...2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259848710&sr=8-2

 

[lovesmurfs]

Espresso is easy! I bought my husband a relatively inexpensive espresso/cappucino maker about 8 years ago -- It's a great afternoon treat.

I personally find espresso much easier than cappucino, as it just brews -- I hate dealing with the timing and the milk frothing process.

If you don't want to buy a special machine, I think you can buy espresso ground coffee in the store (we grind our own beans, which makes a big difference as well -- if you don't do that, you'll want to). Basically, you use about 2X more coffee to make a stronger coffee.

When I was in Vienna, they would advertise American coffee with a picture of a cup of water, with a single bean dangling from a string over it.

 

[Praying Colonel]

If you read the first review for the coffee maker #2 linked to on Amazon, you see that it is not a true espresso maker. A real espresso is made by forcing (a) very hot water through (b) coffee which is ground for an espresso machine (c) under increased atmospheric pressure. For that you need an espresso machine, and you have to take the time to learn how to use it correctly, tamp down the espresso grounds just so, etc. It's not simple, but it can be mastered and it can save $ in the long run.

You have to decide if the extra trouble is worth the extra work it takes to make an authentic espresso (not the coffeish drink some companies market as espresso or capuccino). DW loves espresso and a couple of years ago she bought this machine, which has worked really well. We also have a regular coffee pot. Some mornings she wants a real latte and cranks up the machine, others we just have regular coffee.

Me, I love coffee made from a press pot like this one--but again, that's not espresso. YMMV.

 

[legalsea]

Well, didn't espresso exist prior to development of machines? Mark Twain talked about it in Innocents Abroad, and that was certainly prior to electricity.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Etymology and usage of the term
The origin of the term "espresso" is the subject of considerable debate.[citation needed] Although some Anglo-American dictionaries simply refer to "pressed-out",[4] "espresso," much like the English word "express," also conveys the sense of "just for you" and "quickly," both of which can be related to the method of espresso preparation.

The words express, expres and espresso each have several meanings in English, French and Italian. The first meaning is to do with the idea of 'expressing' or squeezing the flavour from the coffee using the pressure of the steam. The second meaning is to do with speed, as in a train. Finally there is the notion of doing something 'expressly' for a person... The first Bezzera and Pavoni espresso machines in 1906 took forty-five seconds to make a cup of coffee, one at a time, expressly for you. (Bersten (cited below) p. 99) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso_Coffee

 

[Sleepy]

You gotta mash the grounds into the holder like you are trying to shove 10 pounds of laundry into a bag only large enough for 5 pounds. Yes, they made espresso before machines. Just buy a stovetop pot specially made for making it. Some of the coffee favorites around here are Illy and Kimbo.

I like the coffee bean dangling over the cup of hot water visual There are commercials here that laugh at American coffee. They say it has "water, water, water".

 

[ericamanda01]

If your looking for a good espresso maker we bought the Nespresso a few years ago and love it. The only draw back is having to order the pods online. But the flavor is wonderful. The machines can be bought at Macy's and I believe William Sonoma.

https://secure1.nespresso.com/precom/sima/selector.php?pays=us&lang=en

 

[monkeybug]

We bought an expensive espresso machine from Williams Sonoma. My cousin was the first to buy one and we teased him SO much for it!! Over a $1,000 for a coffee pot Crazy!!! And then...we tasted it...and then.... we added up our monthly latte expenses ...and then we went to Williams Sonoma and spent an ungodly amount of money on a coffee pot!! (a jura compresso) That sucker has more than paid for itself!!! I can make a coffee better than starbucks for a LOT less than $4.00 a cup!! (you can buy the full size syrup bottles from starbucks for $6.95) It grinds, filters water, steams the milk and pulls the espresso shot at 9bars of pressure in under 24 seconds (this is the key to yummy espresso) It also has a place for good ol' Folgers for when Grandma visits. Now that they sell those coffee cups with lids in grocery stores, I can even put it in a cute Starbucks like cup!
Jura is an Awesome company to work with! Our machine came up with an error code about 6 months after we purchased it. The customer service rep asked how many drinks we had made to date (it keeps track) and sent us a brand new machine!! We got the new one the next day, before we had even boxed up the old one. A few months later my husband dropped the steamer attachment into a running garbage disposal and called to find out where to get a replacement. They sent a new one at no charge!!!
We will never go back to a cheap espresso machine again, this was WELL worth the money!!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I bought a $40 espresso maker from Walmart, Mr. Coffee might be the brand. It uses forced water like a PP mentioned. It is very simple to make, and the espresso is great! The milk frothing takes a little practice. Pressing a couple of scoops of espresso grounds into a small container is NOT difficult. I believe that the quality of the coffee makes all the difference.

 

[monkeybug]

If you are not a coffee snob a cheap machine will work, but some cheap machines only really make a strong cup of coffee. (I'm thinking that if you like Americano's you really like the taste of true espresso) To be a true espresso the shot should be pulled with at least 9 bars of pressure in 18-24 seconds. A true espresso shot should have a darkish crema on the top, be slightly viscous, and will contain about half the caffeine a standard cup of coffee will have. Because of the way cheap machines heat the water (therma blocks), most don't come any where near the standard. The other biggy is that the coffee should be ground very, very fine! If your machine doesn't have a burr grinder in it, then to get a true espresso you will either have to buy one, or buy beans from a shop that has a grinder that does this. It should be almost powdery after ground.
Living in the Pacific Northwest turned me into a huge coffee snob, I even took barista classes from a local roaster for fun, and was a part of a "cupping" group. Coffee Nerd!!!

 

[Sleepy]

If your looking for a good espresso maker we bought the Nespresso a few years ago and love it. The only draw back is having to order the pods online. But the flavor is wonderful.
https://secure1.nespresso.com/precom/sima/selector.php?pays=us&lang=en

I don't drink coffee, but my husband drinks many a day in the local bars (coffee shops). We have a Nespresso at home and he says the black pod (strength 10) is extremely close to the flavor and strength found in the local bars. Even the locals who visit our home compliment the coffee and are surprised that it comes from Nespresso. The ordering online thing is a pain and they require a minimum order, so if you want just one tube of pods, you are in trouble.

 

[bicker]

Well, didn't espresso exist prior to development of machines? Mark Twain talked about it in Innocents Abroad, and that was certainly prior to electricity.

Folks have known how to create pressure vessels, relying solely on fire, for centuries.

 

[legalsea]

Folks have known how to create pressure vessels, relying solely on fire, for centuries.

Yes, I believe that is how the espresso maker I linked to works. You set it on the stove and a vacuum is created that pulls the water through the coffee grounds.

 

[minkydog]

Espresso is easy! I bought my husband a relatively inexpensive espresso/cappucino maker about 8 years ago -- It's a great afternoon treat.

I personally find espresso much easier than cappucino, as it just brews -- I hate dealing with the timing and the milk frothing process.

If you don't want to buy a special machine, I think you can buy espresso ground coffee in the store (we grind our own beans, which makes a big difference as well -- if you don't do that, you'll want to). Basically, you use about 2X more coffee to make a stronger coffee.

When I was in Vienna, they would advertise American coffee with a picture of a cup of water, with a single bean dangling from a string over it.

DH started drinking an espresso coffee a few years ago and he won't drink anything else. We don't have an espresso maker. He makes his in a coffee press. He uses La Llave(I think it's Cuban.) It's some strong stuff--when he makes coffee for anyone else he has to double the hot water.

 

[monkeybug]

Yes, I believe that is how the espresso maker I linked to works. You set it on the stove and a vacuum is created that pulls the water through the coffee grounds.

These types of espresso pots aren't all that bad. I would prefer the stove top kind to a cheap "espresso" machine. Their only down side is that often they only make a single cup, and they don't grind the beans. If you just wanted a simple cup of coffee and didn't mind shelling out some money for a burr grinder (still cheaper than a good espresso machine) you could make a pretty dang decent cup of espresso! My grandma is from Italy and the stove top type is all they have ever used in their home. Grandma has mastered the thing, and her coffee rocks!!

 

[suzannen]

My DH and I love, love, love our Nespresso machine because it takes us back to our days of traveling through Italy and, it's so simple to use.

 

[ericamanda01]

I don't drink coffee, but my husband drinks many a day in the local bars (coffee shops). We have a Nespresso at home and he says the black pod (strength 10) is extremely close to the flavor and strength found in the local bars. Even the locals who visit our home compliment the coffee and are surprised that it comes from Nespresso. The ordering online thing is a pain and they require a minimum order, so if you want just one tube of pods, you are in trouble.

My DH loves the black pods, my favorite are the copper ones. Soooo good!

 

[dumboiu]

I got hooked on Americanos from our nearby coffee shop. Since then, all other coffee tastes like flavored water to me. Evidently an Americano is just an espresso shot with hot water. That's simple enough, but how difficult and expensive is it to make espresso? I know nothing about it, but it wouldn't hurt me to maybe give it a try....would save me 2 bucks a day. Is anybody here an expert on this?

One word...........NESPRESSO machine (okay, that was 2 words )

 

[legalsea]

Of course, concerning the comments about how American coffee tastes like dirty water, etc, my response has been for several years: roast your own coffee beans.

I have been roasting my own beans for four years or so, using green coffee beans from Columbia, Kona, etc.

All it takes is a hot-air popcorn popper, some green coffee beans, and a colander.