Roxilla

I can thank my bosses for my espresso appreciation. Before I started working here, I hadn’t really ever been that into espresso and would only drink black coffee if I had no other choice. I’d long been a caffeine lover however, and my penchant for a decent cappuccino was well installed. Then I had my first espresso – with sugar nogal… and instantly, I was hooked.

a perfect espresso!

My co-worker has fine-tuned his espresso making skills to perfection, and manages to get the foam to that perfect thickness, and the coffee without the bitterness. Of course, they are also strong enough to put hair on your chest, but that is what makes espresso the ultimate caffeine kick. As for what makes an espresso kick serious ass, it comes down to two things mostly:

1. The Beans

2. The Machine

You just cannot expect a decent espresso with crappy ground coffee. Good quality beans are essential, and they need to be freshly ground. Then there is the machine. The KitchenAid Artisan Espresso Machine is extremely lust-worthy but also ridiculously expensive at over R9k but that is along the lines of a proper machine to do the job. Sadly, the combo ones like my Russell Hobbes coffee/espresso/cappuccino one are just never going to do as good a job.

Of course, it also comes down to how you make them too – using the right temperature water, and getting the foam just right and the balance right too is not as easy as it seems. I can barely make filter coffee that anyone other than myself can tolerate, and I stand in awe of the espresso machine at this point so am a little wary of trying to get that particular skill right… but I think I may just have to start learning.

Because quite honestly, a day without espresso just isn’t quite the same anymore. *sigh*