Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Mmmmmm, mocha cappuccino

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My son Steve gave me a Mr. Coffee espresso/cappuccino maker for Christmas in 1998 or 1999.
I used it for awhile, then went back to the simplicity of making coffee.
Maria, who is not a coffee drinker, bought some super dark roasted coffee at Sam’s Club – the kind you grind yourself. I tried a couple of pots of it in theOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         coffee maker and then got to thinking about the fineness of the grind – somewhat finer than normal for a drip coffee maker, closer to the fine grind you’d want for an espresso machine.
So I pulled Steve’s gift down from the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet last week, dusted it off and re-read the owner’s manual.
It’s all perfectly straightforward: fill the coffee strainer, pour a carafe full of water into the boiler, fill the stainless steel steaming cup about a third full of milk, and flip the switch to the “cup” icon. When the espresso reaches the “steam” mark on the carafe, turn the switch past “off” to the “steam” icon and put the nozzle of the steamer just below the surface of the milk. When the froth reaches the top of the steaming cup, switch back to the “cup” icon and let the carafe fill up. When the dripping ceases, turn the switch to “off.”
Rather than sip the espresso from a tiny cup the way proper people do, I prefer to dump it into a big mug, toss in three packets of Sweet & Low and a teaspoon of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, pour in the steamed milk and spoon the froth onto the surface.
I now have the rough equivalent of a vente cappuccino mocha. It is also enough caffeine to carry me through the morning.
Thanks again, Steve!
Checking with Amazon.com, I see the machine's cosmetic appearance has changed a few times over the past decade, but the function remains the same and the price is molto ragionevole (very reasonable).

1 comment:

Rees said...

Yummo. I like to actually make a full cup of hot chocolate, then make a full cup of coffee, then combine the two. I have one of those machines that takes individual coffee "pods", allowing for quick brewing of all sorts of different drinks to be made. Don't know how I ever lived without it.