The UPS man arrived today and was all excited that I was getting a new 32″ flat panel TV. I was all excited knowing it was really a coffee grinder.

And now, the rest of the story …

I learned early on that a good espresso or Turkish grind required a burr grinder and a good burr grinder was going to be costly. I have the philosophy of “buy good quality and you only buy it once”. At the same time, I’m not shaker buying used equipment. So I started the search for a grinder.

It took longer that expected and a few more dollars than expected but the search and wait are over.

This is a Grindmaster 875. To be honest, the name sounds like something out of a Jetsons cartoon episode but no bother. This will grind coffee for as long as I am standing upright and buying my coffee in bulk. When that is no longer the case, I’m sure it will grind coffee for someone else

“My name is Glen and I am an Espresso-holic.” There, I said it.

I recently added an AeroPress to my coffee making paraphernalia. The primary reason was so I could have my morning fix while traveling. At the same time, if it worked as well as advertised, I might use it on a regular basis. My opinion is that “it’s good, but not quite perfect” !

The filmstrip for this post contains a number of images. To simplify my review, I will reference the frame numbers.

The instructions (frame 101) seem overly detailed but it turns out they are clear an every step is needed – with one exception which I’ll get to.

The AeroPress works with the typical coffee mug but I would not try it with a real coffee cup. Nor does it work with my wide mouth coffee mug (frame 102), a demitasse, nor would I get it near my Bodum glasses.

The process is strait forward – screw on the bottom with a clean filter disk in it (frame 103); add two scoops of espresso (frame 105); add boiled water up to the instructed marker (frame 106); let it steep (frame 107); insert and press down on the plunger (frame 108); and then do any post brewing prep – which in my case was to add a shot of chocolate syrup (frame 109). That’s it. But …

When you add the water, the espresso will clump up and the bottom grind will be dry so you must stir it a bit (frame 106). However, if you look closely at frames 106 and 107 you will notice the liquid level has dropped.  The filter allows the hot water to drip through so if you let the whole mix steep for 60 seconds, about 1/3rd actually steeped for only 10 seconds and another 1/3rd Espresso grind probably gets about 30 seconds. [See 'update' at the end of this post for a simple solution.]

Note I said “60 seconds – the instructions only steep for the 10 seconds of stir time and then start a slow press. This made for a mellow “espresso” – and I quoted that because I did not find it to be bold and heady enough for me to call real espresso.  However, with a longer steep time, it compensated for the filter dripping. I suspect the actual steep time should be about 30 seconds if it were not for that first 1/3rd getting short changed.

The instructions call for wetting the plunger before pressing but as you can see in frame 107 the inside of the AeroPress steams up a bit so wetting the plunger really is not necessary.

One thing the AeroPress does that baffles most other espresso making options is handle inconsistent grinds. I tried it with a grind a fine as Turkish, my regular espresso grind, and something pretty close to drip coffee. With the drip coffee I had to use more coffee to get a good result but it worked. This will come in handy when traveling because I could use the in-room coffee packets in a pinch- I’d just need to use both of them.

Conclusion: I’ve used the AeroPress for a week now and it is quick and easy. It also cleans up as easy as advertised. Am I happy with the purchase ? Yes. It will definitely travel with me on road trips. Will it be my “daily driver” for mochas? Maybe, if I can find a solution to the premature dripping. Yes !

I’ll still use the la Pavoni for pure Espressos – there is nothing that can touch it when it comes to bringing me back to that Rome cafe’ in 2003

Update: Alan from AeroPress posted a comment explaining how to steep for a longer time with zero drip-through by “brewing upside down. It works great ! (Thanks Alan). The instructions are in the comments section and here is a filmstrip I created of the upside down method. It was very easy and the results were more to my personal taste. It shows how versatile the AeroPress can be (once you learn a few tricks).

If you’re a serious Espresso, Americano, Latte, or Mocha drinker then you probably have an Espresso maker (and if you are headed down that dark path there are some suggestions at the end of this post). But what if you just want that little something special to relax with while you lounge with your Sunday paper? If you have a single serving French Press you can have your cake and eat it too!

You’ll need some Espresso (Pilon is easy and cheap), some chocolate syrup (I’ve tried some expensive stuff but Smuckers Chocolate or Caramel syrup from the ice cream section works great – just don’t get the ‘sugar free’ stuff as it congeals – yuck), some whole or canned milk, and your usual ground coffee.

Place half as much ground coffee as you typically use for a single serving into the French Press. Add double that amount of espresso grind. For a Mocha or Latte add half the usual amount of boiling water (for an Americano, use the full amount of water). Let it steep for about a minute then slowly press.

The science is that the regular coffee grounds float to the top in the press and act as an ultra fine filter which traps the Espresso grinds from passing through the press’s mesh filter.

You’re Americano is ready to enjoy. You’re Latte or Mocha needs a little more work. For the Mocha, now is the time to add the syrup.

The final step is the frothed milk. And here again you’ll use the French Press. Clean out the French Press and pour in about 3 ounces of milk. Pump the handle quickly for about 15-20 seconds. You’ll know to stop when the milk stops splashing inside the Press. (The sound will change too.). For a Latte just spoon off the top. For a Mocha, you may need to microwave it for a few seconds. (My little French Press is glass and plastic so I just remove the plunger and pop it in for 10-15 seconds.)

It may sound like too much work but it all takes less than 5 minutes. If you have the large French Press, you can do Lattes and Mochas for a brunch!

As for recommendations on Espresso makers, a few have been mentioned in the past. Here are those from me and from commenters …

• a moka pot – the Bialetti is commonly available
• an espresso press – these are gaining in popularity with the introduction of the AeroPress (which I broke down and ordered and will let you know how I like it)
• a semi automatic Espresso machine – I have an old Starbucks Barista that has served me well and the DeLonghi is popular and less expensive
• a high end manual espresso machine – I was lucky enough to receive a La Pavoni Europiccola which, while a bit more labor, makes a stunning and very authentic Espresso (when I want an Espresso and nothing else, this is my choice)
• a fully automatic espresso machine – I don’t have one but one of the small local coffee shop uses something similar to a Bosch Benventuto.

Living in rural America you are not likely to find a Starbucks, Target, Cosco, movie multiplex, Home Depot, Trader Joes, commercial airport, or a wide range of fine dining and entertainment hotspots “just around the corner”. More likely they are 90 miles in one direction or another. What you will find is a collection of family owned and operated small businesses serving an eclectic range of needs. One example is the Machipongo Trading Company with their local coffees from Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Co.

The owners of Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Co. have a solid range of coffees they have blended and roasted themselves and are not just some repackaged bulk purchase from “elsewhere”. What’s even better is they love to hear what people think and want. Kristen and James use treat their coffee just like a microbrewery treats their beer. You might even call them a “micro-roaster”. What is so great is that a micro-roaster can do small batches – all the way down to 7lbs. With this little tidbit, I contacted Kristen and setup an appointment to visit and talk about coffee !

Coffee has more distinct flavors than wines – most quote, “more than 700 flavor constituents”. Knowing what you like is one thing. Describing it is much harder.

Anyway, Kristen first had me try each of the blends they had available (over a period of weeks – not all in one day). Then I cam back with my comments. From that information, she selected and roasted three single-origin beans – Guatemalan, Sumatra Mandheling, and El Salvador Peaberry – as well as their house blend. They ground all to the same consistency and it was back to taste testing at home.

The first few days were tough.

• Day 1 – make a single espresso shot of each and taste side by side “strait up”. Serious buzzing ensured.
• Day 2 – make a single espresso shot of each with a measured amount of whole milk and taste side by side “strait up”. Again, serious buzzing ensured.
• Day 3 – repeat Day 1 with a 1/2oz of chocolate syrup in each (this is what I enjoyed while in Rome a few years back). Sadly, less buzzing ensured which meant I was adjusting to the mega dosage.
• Day 4 – blend 50/50 of Guatemalan and Sumatra Mandheling and add milk. Fortunately the withdrawal was not as bad as expected but I definitely did not want to escalate back to 4 shots before 8AM.
• Day 5 – blend 50/50 of Guatemalan and El Salvador Peaberry and add milk.
• Day 6 – blend 50/50 of Sumatra Mandheling and El Salvador Peaberry and add milk.
• Day 7..10 – I was traveling
• Day 11 – blend 1/3 each and add milk.
• Day 12 – make a mocha from the Day 4 blend.
• Day 13 – make a mocha from the Day 4 blend using a different espresso machine
• Day 14 – make a mocha from the house blend

So, now I have my notes from all of the above (along with a serious caffeine addiction). It’s time to return the Machipongo Trading Company for a tasty breakfast and a conversation with Kristen. Soon, theSalmonFarm may have it’s own signature coffee !

If you like coffee ice cream but are finding it increasingly difficult to find or wished there was some creativity involved, you might like to try this alternative …

Take 1oz of warm water and add 8-10 tablespoons of instant coffee. Let it chill in the refrigerator. When ready, get yourself a bowl of good ice cream and drizzle a little of the coffee syrup on top. Warning – if you don’t plan to mix it in, be sparing. If you’re inclined to swirl it all together, you can add considerably more syrup with out it being bitter!