Best Of

I've been down at my mom's house for the last week handling some family business and I decided to bring my Cafelat Robot espresso machine, my old Orphan Espresso Lido 2 hand grinder, and my camping pouring kettle with me, but like a bonehead I forgot to bring all the parts of the Robot with me, forgetting the portafilter, basket, and screen in the dish drying rack and only remembering after several hours on the road. My mom has a single-serve Cuisinart coffee maker that I gave her years ago, works great, instead of using capsules she fills the barista filter with a paper filter and coffee and can make a cup anytime she wants, since my dad passed eight years ago, and my sister doesn't drink coffee, she wasn't interested in making pots anymore. It's very convenient, has worked great all these years, but makes a weak cup of coffee that my mom and Wife enjoy but I usually bring a travel press with me to make stronger coffee.

So, anyway, I post up on Home-Barista asking for a loaner portafilter and basket (forgetting to ask for the screen) and by the next day pick them up from a kind member in Orange County, roughly cut filters in circles to put over the puck, and I've been happily pulling shots every day since then. The Robot makes amazing espresso and my first roast of the Brazil Jag Summer I piked up in a split with another member on Home-Barista is tasting great, the Lido 2 is harder to grind at espresso settings than I remember, but it's almost like it's hard to get a bad shot on this equipment. It's probably the years that I've spent pulling lever shots and probably because I don't get hung up on striving for perfection, rather enjoying the great shots that I get the first time. The shot on the first day ran a bit fast after I guessed the espresso setting I would use, 8 from burr lock from memory from when I last used this grinder years ago, but still a good shot and I tightened the grinder the next time and it's been set ever since.

The grinder had been on loan with my daughter along with my Gaggia Factory lever, she returned it before moving to Japan, apparently getting good at making milk drinks. The drinks I see in her photos from Japan hardly resemble coffee as I know it, more like deserts and the food photos make me wish I was able to make the trip to Japan when she went over there, she's eating good, which isn't hard to do in Japan.

So here's a couple of shots, the first from last week which looks great, right after I got the loaner equipment and then one from this morning where the crema doesn't look as great as I took a sip and took it out to the patio to enjoy with a cigar, but still tasted great and really enhanced the flavor of the cigar.

Ave Maria Excalibur with some Brazil Jag Summer straight espresso to start the day. I see more espresso and cigar pairings in the future.

Liz might not be happy with you sharing her pic...