I used to be one of those "Gotta have a Starbuck's Coffee" people who made a special stop on my way to work, stood in line for five minutes, paid $4 for a shot of caffeine and then waited another five minutes for it to be made. Then something magical happened!
In 2007 my hubby and I moved from northern California to northern Virginia (I know, we have a thing for the North). As it was going to take 6-8 days for our worldly possessions to make their way across the country, we needed something to do and a place to stay for a week. This is where it gets good! into play.
The people who used to live across the street from us in California had moved to the Florida Keys and invited us to spend the week with them. Let me tell you, it was rough! Falling asleep to lapping waves, sunny days with light breezes, eating fresh seafood almost daily. The only thing that saved us was our introduction to Cuban cafe' con leche. Our host and former neighbor is Cuban and this type of coffee is a staple in her house. We had it every morning we were there.
As soon as we settled in at our new home in Virginia, I went out and bought one of those low tech, stove top espresso makers. Yes, it's ESpresso, not EXpresso! You can get them anywhere from $15-$90, it just depends on where you buy it.
Morning lattes and mochas became a ritual in our house from that point on. We discovered some unexpected benefits and savings in the process. My hubby could linger at home 10 minutes longer because there was no longer a need to wait in line at a coffee shop. I always have coffee and milk in the house so special ingredients weren't an issue either. One $3.59 / 10 oz can of Bustelo Cuban Espresso will net you 10-20 cups of your favorite latte or mocha! It takes about one minute to get the coffee going and you can be reading the newspaper or throw a load in the washer while it does it's thing. When it's done it whistles and you know its time for a little caffeine heaven.
The stove top espresso maker has three parts: The base water receptacle, the coffee holder and the top. Unscrew the top from the bottom, remove the coffee holder and fill the base up to but not over the air hole. Place the coffee holder back into the base. Fill the coffee holder with two tablespoons of espresso, do not pack. Screw the top back on and put that puppy on the stove on medium high.
It will take 2-3 minutes, then your espresso will magically fill the top portion of the pot. To make your own cup of heaven, simple do the following:
While the coffee cooks, heat up one cup of milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole or soy) either stove top or in the nuker (microwave). When the milk is heated, add sugar to your taste. If you're making a latte add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I guess you could use imitation, but life's to short for me to do so. Pour in the coffee and viola! You have 1 3/4 cups of vanilla latte heaven. If a mocha is more your speed, do the same but skip the vanilla. Use chocolate milk or soy milk and add a dash of ground cinnamon. Play with the vanilla/cinnamon/sugar to suite your individual tastes. I promise you, once you find your perfect amount, you'll never stand in a long line for coffee again!
One more thing, you can find these espresso makers almost anywhere. World Market, Target, Crate & Barrel, BB&B...all over! Questions? Just post 'em! Enjoy!!!
The people who used to live across the street from us in California had moved to the Florida Keys and invited us to spend the week with them. Let me tell you, it was rough! Falling asleep to lapping waves, sunny days with light breezes, eating fresh seafood almost daily. The only thing that saved us was our introduction to Cuban cafe' con leche. Our host and former neighbor is Cuban and this type of coffee is a staple in her house. We had it every morning we were there.
As soon as we settled in at our new home in Virginia, I went out and bought one of those low tech, stove top espresso makers. Yes, it's ESpresso, not EXpresso! You can get them anywhere from $15-$90, it just depends on where you buy it.
Morning lattes and mochas became a ritual in our house from that point on. We discovered some unexpected benefits and savings in the process. My hubby could linger at home 10 minutes longer because there was no longer a need to wait in line at a coffee shop. I always have coffee and milk in the house so special ingredients weren't an issue either. One $3.59 / 10 oz can of Bustelo Cuban Espresso will net you 10-20 cups of your favorite latte or mocha! It takes about one minute to get the coffee going and you can be reading the newspaper or throw a load in the washer while it does it's thing. When it's done it whistles and you know its time for a little caffeine heaven.
The stove top espresso maker has three parts: The base water receptacle, the coffee holder and the top. Unscrew the top from the bottom, remove the coffee holder and fill the base up to but not over the air hole. Place the coffee holder back into the base. Fill the coffee holder with two tablespoons of espresso, do not pack. Screw the top back on and put that puppy on the stove on medium high.
It will take 2-3 minutes, then your espresso will magically fill the top portion of the pot. To make your own cup of heaven, simple do the following:
While the coffee cooks, heat up one cup of milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole or soy) either stove top or in the nuker (microwave). When the milk is heated, add sugar to your taste. If you're making a latte add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I guess you could use imitation, but life's to short for me to do so. Pour in the coffee and viola! You have 1 3/4 cups of vanilla latte heaven. If a mocha is more your speed, do the same but skip the vanilla. Use chocolate milk or soy milk and add a dash of ground cinnamon. Play with the vanilla/cinnamon/sugar to suite your individual tastes. I promise you, once you find your perfect amount, you'll never stand in a long line for coffee again!
One more thing, you can find these espresso makers almost anywhere. World Market, Target, Crate & Barrel, BB&B...all over! Questions? Just post 'em! Enjoy!!!
Now I know why my Starbucks stock has gone down...
ReplyDeleteI love the clarification of EX vs. ES! After reading this I'm on the verge of converting!
ReplyDelete