Do You Love Espresso Coffee?
One of the many
things that I love about Italy is the espresso coffee. Now it is part of
my day-to-day life. There is no way I start my day without it, and
another one after lunch is mandatory!
Of course, not everybody
likes espresso; Two days ago I was in Paris with one french colleague,
and he told me: "when I pay for coffee, I expect to receive a big
coffee, not that espresso!". It is like the size of the little cup is
not worth what he paid for.
So this article is for real espresso
lovers... if you do not love espresso, stop reading right now, because I
am showing you how to make the best espresso coffee Italian style!
Choose Your Coffee Wisely!
The
most important thing is to choose a good coffee; I have tried many of
them, and I have found that the one I like the most (and also many of my
friends) is this one: Kimbo Espresso Napoletano. If you can not find it
in your supermarket, you can find it in Amazon.
Other valid choices are: Illy and Pellini Top
Let the Ritual begin... and be precise on the water quantity
For
me is pretty much a ritual now. I have gathered different techniques
from many of my Italian friends, and have applied them to my coffee
making process. The result? Many of them after drinking coffee at my
house say: "Wow Luis! this is truly a great coffee!"
First, take
your well trained Italian espresso coffee maker and add some water
inside. It is very important that you do not use hot water. I use water
from the faucet, as cool as it comes out. Hard water is not good for
espresso coffee, so do not use it. There is a valve inside, fill it up
until the water level is right below that little hole.
Let's Add Some Coffee!
I
like my coffee to have a strong flavor. So, I take the funnel on my
Italian moka and fill it up creating a "little mountain" on it. Do not
press it, just leave it that way.
Also, make sure that the coffee you are putting on the coffee maker is finely ground.
Flames On!
Screw
tight your Italian coffee pot and put it on the kitchen burner. Keep
the flame to a normal level, because if it is high, your coffee will
come out before its time, and it will probably will have this burned
taste. Our coffee needs its own time!
Also, keep the lid of the
coffee maker up: it will prevent that the condensed vapor going back to
our ground coffee, which may variate its flavor.
Take it out as soon as it brews (actually... before it does!)
Do not leave the coffee on the burner. A second before it comes up completely, take it away from the burner.
If you are using a 1-cup coffee maker, just pour it to your Italian coffee cup, and enjoy!
Instead,
if you have a bigger espresso coffee maker and you are sharing it with
more people, take a teaspoon and stir it a little bit (5 times will
suffice).
There you are: you have prepared your own espresso coffee Italian style!
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