Posts Tagged ‘espresso machine’
Hawaii: Coffees from Hawaii have a solid reputation, but when most people talk about coffee from the Islands, they’re referring to Kona Coffee. These beans are grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa on the Big Island, where the climate is ideal for coffee cultivation. When you use Kona Coffee in your Solis espresso machine, you’ll experience a rich cup of 
coffee with medium body.
Mexico: Most coffee from Mexico comes from small, independent farms as opposed to large plantations. Mexican coffee typically comes from the southern regions and features an incredible depth of flavor, which makes it ideal for dark roasts.
Puerto Rico: Although coffee production was hampered by natural disasters and competition for many years, it has seen a revival as of late. Puerto Rico is renowned for its Arabica beans, which feature a balanced body and acidity with a distinctive fruity aroma.
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Morning Coffee
Brewing coffee can often seem like a convoluted process, but it really is not that complicated, especially with the high-tech automatic espresso machines on the market today. Making delicious coffee is really just a matter of concentrating on a few choice variables and maximizing their quality. And, of course, it all starts with the beans.
If you care about the quality of your coffee—and you presumably do if you’re reading this blog—you’ll always want to go with , as opposed to Robustas. Robusta beans have a strong acidic flavor and are commonly used in pre-ground coffees as a filler. Arabicas boast a rich, smooth flavor and vary in taste depending on where they were harvested.
With three children between the ages of 3 and 8, it seems like I only have about 3-4 hours of free time each week. On Thursday afternoons the kids go to visit their grandparents across town, and every week I consider it a personal challenge to see how much I can get done in that time. This is usually my only opportunity to relax and unwind so instead of doing chores or running errands, I dedicate the afternoon to pampering myself.
As I mentioned, time is always of the essence. I begin my flipping on my automatic espresso machine and then drawing myself a nice bath and lighting some aromatherapy candles. Then I run back to the kitchen, fix myself a cup of coffee, locate my book and crossword puzzle and head back to the tub. After a good soak, I usually head into town to have lunch with some of my girlfriends. And, if I’m lucky, I may be able to squeeze in a quick nap before my in-laws sic my children on me again.
Drinking piping hot coffee in the dead of summer is an unattractive proposition even for us coffee addicts up here in Seattle. But when I was looking for iced coffee recipes recently, I found that many of them called for dehydrated coffee crystals…what is this nonsense? Just because you’re drinking an iced coffee beverage doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality and flavor. For my fellow coffee connoisseurs out there, here’s a delicious iced cappuccino recipe from The Food Network that’s sure to please:
Begin by brewing three ounces of espresso in your cappuccino maker. Fill a fixing glass with ice cubes and pour in the espresso. Once the coffee has cooled, strain out the ice cubes and add 3 to 4 ounces of cold milk to the espresso. Use the steam wand on your machine to create a tight microfoam; add to the beverage. You can enhance the drink your own garnishes or extra flavoring—I prefer some vanilla and almond extracts.
For many people the summer symbolizes a time of leisure, when you can spend long evenings chatting with friends beside a bonfire, enjoying outdoor barbecues and spending time by the lake. I certainly enjoy these pastimes, but I hardly consider summer a time for leisure. For a stay-at-home mom, summer certainly isn’t the offseason. In fact, by the time August rolls around I’m more than ready for the kids to start school so I can enjoy a nice respite from the constant fracas that ensues when they are home for three months on end.
There are, of course, a few perks that the summer season brings. For starters, I am able to turn off my alarm clock and set back the timer on my automatic espresso machine, as my kids enjoy sleeping in as much as I do. And although I enjoy having my free time while the children are in school, I take pleasure in taking them to the zoo, going to the park and going on other daytrips I would never embark on with children.
My sister is getting married in a month, and I want to get her something special to commemorate this momentous occasion. She and her fiancé are registered at several locations around town and online, but instead of selecting some run-of-the-mill product, I decided to find something with a more personal touch. Of course, since it is a wedding gift, it should also have pragmatic uses around the house.
I know, an automatic espresso machine doesn’t sound like a personal gift, but you don’t know my sister. She literally drinks over six cups of coffee each day, and she is always complaining about the exorbitant prices at coffeehouses. I didn’t buy her just any mundane machine; it has all the bells and whistles, allowing her to prepare a variety of premium beverages with ease.
When you’re pregnant, sometimes it can feel like you can’t do any of the things you like anymore. After all, all sorts of things are off limits for you. You can’t drink. You can’t smoke. If you’re far enough along, you can’t even fly. Depending on the advice of your doctor and the beliefs of the mother, some women even cut out their daily fix of caffeine. This means that for nine months, they go without any coffee. For true java addicts, that’s quite a feat.
If you find that after you have the kid, and you no longer miss coffee, that’s great. You can live free of your morning cup. But there are just as many people that get through the pregnancy fantasizing about that first latte they’re going to have once they get home from the hospital. If you know somebody like this, consider getting them an espresso coffee maker as a “welcome home” present from the hospital.
Admittedly, I used to be one of those people who thought that you had to pay $4 for a decent tasting cup of coffee. This belief was cultivated in part by the ubiquity of pricey coffeehouses and partially from the fact that I have an extreme disdain for any task in the kitchen. However, for my birthday this year my husband purchased me a Solis espresso machine, so naturally I felt obligated to use it.
At first, I planned on using the machine for a few weeks and then relegating it to the area underneath the sink to join the ranks of other superfluous kitchen appliances we’ve purchased in the past. After using the machine a few times though, I absolutely fell in love with it. With no effort, I was able to create delicious coffee beverages and eliminate my ritualistic trip to the coffee shop on my way to work.
Virtually every couple signs up at several registries in anticipation of their nuptial ceremony, and while buying something off these lists is certainly a safe bet, I feel that it is rather impersonal. When I attend weddings of close friends and relations, I like to go it on my own and select a more personalized gift. My college roommate got married last weekend, and as an avid coffee drinker, I decided to get him a Solis espresso machine.
He and his wife had a cheaper model on their registry, but I know that they will both appreciate the premium beverages that the machine can churn out. They didn’t open any of the gifts at the reception, and since they will be spending 10 days is Chile on their honeymoon, I am sure that I won’t get any feedback on the gift anytime soon. However, I am confident that my gift will be much appreciated and won’t be a candidate for re-gifting.
It used to be that a coffee machine had to be a sizeable investment. However, there are now economical options that you can often find for around $20. With affordable options like this available, it begs the question why anyone would venture to spend hundreds of dollars on a premium model like a Saeco espresso machine. While to the uninitiated the difference in machines may seem trivial relative to the price, there is good reason for the coffee connoisseur to spend the extra cash.
When it comes to coffee machines, you tend to get what you pay for. A basic drip coffee machine will brew a cup of coffee; a top grade espresso machine has a myriad of peripheral features that allows you to brews gourmet concoctions. Some of the features that you can expect on a Saeco machine include a digital control panel, easy-to-use configurations, milk frothing and several other coffeehouse luxuries.