For the love of Espresso
Originally published at synaesthesiaJP. You can comment here or there.
Delonghi EC200N-R Espresso Machine
Mai got me an espresso machine for my birthday, and it has been an absolute joy to use. Instead of dropping 400+ yen a day at Tully’s, I can make a mean mocha in about 2 minutes on the new Delonghi. It is pump driven, so the espresso comes out smooth and fast, with a nice crema. I agree with some reviews that drawing a good double shot is much harder than a single shot, but the machine is so fast I don’t mind drawing a couple of singles instead.
One of my previous coffee deficiencies was using a blade-based coffee grinder for my beans. You can’t control the grain and you also get heat transfer from the blades that gives the coffee a burnt taste that a refined palate will pick up immediately. I rectified this by purchasing a ceramic conical burr grinder. At 10,000 yen, it was well suited for home use, but it hasn’t stopped me from lusting after some of the pricier burr grinders like the Mazzers.
I’m still experimenting with milk fat percentage for my latte, but I’m pretty happy with 2.5% milk so far. I might try something a bit heavier and see how it tastes, but I don’t think I will go all the way down to skim.
BTW - All Starbucks in the US use automatic espresso machines now!? A travesty. One of the best ways to control the potency of a shot is via proper use of the tamper (the Delonghi has a build in tamper), and I can’t believe Starbucks has taken away customer choice in lieu of chain consistency. I now understand the various problems they’ve been having lately.
I don’t go to Starbucks in Japan (a Tully’s man myself - Takatsuki branch uses a lovely machine, and each barista has a particular taste to their espresso shot that I find wonderful) but I think they still use Grimacs here. Thank god.