I think Matt has always had a love of good coffee, and over these past two years together, he’s taught me to appreciate the fine art of crafting an espresso (not by us, usually a talented barista), and of enjoying a coffee for its taste, not just its caffeine. It’s no surprise, then, that plain old regular coffee (aka Tim Horton’s) just doesn’t cut it for us any longer.
There also seems to be a revolution towards better tasting and better made coffee, especially in bigger cities. New coffee bars are popping up around town and, just like new restaurants to try, our list is rapidly growing. We already have a few favourites, but we love seeing what else is out there. Very timely, an article published in Eye Weekly narrows down the java joints in Toronto to check out to the Top 10. An interesting read of you also enjoy your coffee…
We’re also experimenting with making our own coffee and espressos at home. We invested in a French press to make freshly brewed coffee, and the difference from machine drip coffee in taste and quality is quite remarkable. We also upgraded our beans, getting freshly ground beans of our favourite Starbucks blend. And next, we’ve moved on to espressos, thanks to a tiny and wonderful little item we picked up in Italy.
I saw this in several store windows on our trip and was first drawn to it because, frankly, it’s so darn cute! It even has small espresso cups in various colours to go with it. I didn’t think Matt would go for bringing one home, but he surprised me and also suggested we get 4 cups to go along with it. This little contraption works by boiling the water in the bottom container through a filter with the ground beans, and out through each of the two pipes into the cups… brilliant!
Add a dollop of steamed milk (and sugar for us sweeter types), and you’ve got yourself a macchiato. We often drank this type of espresso in Italy, so each time we brew up a batch, it instantly takes me back to the numerous piazzas where we spent sipping coffee and people watching. When we have a bigger place with more counter space, we’re definitely going to invest in an espresso machine, full with milk steamer and everything. But until then, this little guy will do the trick.
Hi Beth,
ReplyDeleteI've recently given up sugar in my coffee and tea (I'd given up milk a while ago). I won a French press, just a small one, at work a couple of months ago and I must admit the coffee definitely reminds me of Paris!
We buy whole beans and grind them at home just when we put the kettle on so it's really fresh. We've been doing that for about 5 years now and it has spoiled me for coffee just about anywhere else! We just use a small grinder we picked up at one of those appliance stores in the mall.
The other nice thing: we can mix and match the beans and get a different coffee every time!
Have fun with your new appliance. Good coffee is wonderful when you find it!
Thanks for the great comment, Marg. I just think European coffee tastes better in general...especially since we can't enjoy it all that often.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a grinder at home, too, so maybe we need to start making our coffee even fresher. I really like the idea of mixing beans, too. Nice tip!