Espresso at home for a good price

Who says you need to spend several hundred dollars to have good espresso at home?

This neat little stovetop gadget can be purchased off of Amazon.com for $20-25 and makes excellent espresso. It might not be a pump machine (so you won't necessarily get the gold "cream" that you get with the industrial pump machines) but it gives the perfect consistency for caffe` e latte. In the US these machines are sold in 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-Italian cups (1 Italian cup = 2 US fl oz). Typically the 1-cup machine serves me well for the one US cup of caffe` e latte that I have in the morning.

The "Moka Express," as it is called in Italy, separates into three parts:

1) The water reservoir

2) The coffee 'portafilter'

3) The spout/top

The water reservoir is filled with water up to the small circular "steam outlet," which you can see both on the outside and on the inside. The portafilter is then placed on top of the water reservoir. If any water comes up through the filter, quickly remove the filter and shake the water out of the funnel. Place the portafilter on the reservoir and continue the previous process until water no longer seeps through.


Fill the portafilter with espresso coffee. Twist the top on tightly and place over a small flame/electric element. Make sure to keep the handle outside of the heat source. I have known too many people who had their handle melt because they put it over the fire!

When you order the Moka Express, make sure you order extra gaskets (of the same size). Gaskets need to be replaced every 6 months or so as they become worn out. The gasket fits between the porta filter and the top section.

My recommendation for coffee is Lavazza Crema e Gusto. It is one of the most flavorful and cheapest coffees available in the US. The Sovrana Store (located in California) provides the best price for a case of 20 "bricks" at $82 ($4.10/brick) not including shipping.


http://sovrana.stores.yahoo.net/lavcremgus.html

 

If you have friends and/or family who either live in Italy or will visit you can ask them to send you/bring you back Lavazza Qualita Oro. This is by far my favorite coffee. I do not recommend buying the Qualita Oro sold here in the US - it is nothing like the one available in Italy.