Perfect capuccino
Fill a small pot with milk, to about 1/3 capacity.
Pressurize the coffee machine to produce steam.
Place the steam spigot in the milk and activate the command for making steam, only when the machine reaches the right temperature...
Place the pot with the milk under the steam spigot: then raise and lower the pot for several seconds, frothing and steaming the milk.
Cool the system, and prepare the espresso
Pour the espresso and milk into a cappuccino cup using these portions:
1/3 frothed milk
1/3 hot milk
1/3 coffee
Coffee by Prime Roast Coffee Co. - Demon Roast is dark roast coffeebeans
Espresso Coffee: The Denver Effect
At high altitude, it may not be possible to produce decent espresso since the lower air pressure and boiling point causes destruction of the all-important crema...
Alternatively, at altitude, it may be necessary to change the brewing temperature.
Then there's "Kopi Luwak," the world's most expensive "gourmet coffee." It would be easy to believe it to be an urban legend, with the bizarreness of its production method.
The story is that a set of "rats" that look like cats eat up the very freshest Indonesian coffee beans, and then excrete them in their feces.
Finicky American coffee drinkers then purchase those beans, for upwards of $100 per pound, and brew coffee from this.
"It has a little of everything pleasurable in all coffees: earthy, musty tone, the heaviest bodied I've ever tasted. It's almost syrupy, and the aroma is very unique."
I'm sure the aroma is very unique...
Corn Popper Modifications to allow them to be used to roast coffee
I have been using just such a popper to prepare my green beans. It works quite well...
I buy my green coffee beans from Craig Andrews, who is operating a small part time coffee wholesaling business. I have been very happy with the beans I have gotten from him; I haven't gotten any coffee I wasn't thoroughly pleased with.
Well, there was one exception. He was trying out some Yemenese Mocha, and gave me about a pound of it to try out. (Buying large quantities hath its privileges! :-).) It wasn't horrifyingly bad, or anything, but for the price he was paying, it surely ought to have been outstanding coffee, and it was, well, "merely OK". I hadn't paid for it, so this isn't even close to qualifying as a "black mark" on Craig's record. In effect, I provided a "second opinion" that it wasn't a great bean. On the other hand, the (fairly expensive) Kona he got in once was outstanding; I really wish he could get that one in again!
Anyway, he provides excellent green beans at excellent prices in the Toronto area, and I'd very much like to see his business expand.
A Toronto-based vendor of green beans and related paraphernalia.
Quite cool stuff, this is an espresso machine in an SGI case. Excellent for technophiles!
Heritage Coffee Companies: Full Service Coffee Roasters For OCS, Vending, Foodservice & Specialty
CoffeeKid - Exploring the Culture and Artistry of Espresso and Coffee
CoffeeGeek - Bodum Antigua Grinder
What I used to use; it has been retired in favor of a Saeco grinder.
Saeco Aroma Graphite
This "classic" espresso machine is what I use to produce my "morning cup". It's a nice little step up from the Starbucks™ Barista I used to use.
A Toronto-based vendor of "fair trade" coffee.