Source: http://healthyfoods.fivestarwayofliving.com/espresso-bars-for-home-enjoyment/

Are you getting ready to treat yourself to a home espresso machine? Here is a list of common accessories that will improve your home espresso brewing experience.

Priority number one is to get a good coffee grinder. There are two basic types: the blade grinder and the burr grinder. The burr grinder does a better job of grinding the beams to a fine grind. The blade grinders are less expensive and can do a find job when all you need is a course grind for drip coffee. You get what you pay for and a bur grinder is a good upgrade.

The second add-on is an espresso tamper. An espresso tamper isn’t a requirement but the ones that come with espresso machines are almost universally poor. Espresso tampers come in a wide variety and costs. The main features to evaluate are fit, ergonomics (does it feel good in your hand?) and materials.

A steaming and frothing pitcher rounds out your arsenal of espresso making tools. Many espresso drinks call for steamed milk or frothed milk or both. For example a Cappuccino is made with roughly equal portions of espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. A 12 oz. pitcher is appropriate for home use but you can also get them twice as large if needed.

Espresso Cups and Espresso Cup Sets – This is one of the best places to insert some personality into your espresso bar. There are many types of espresso cups that range from simple porcelain cups to ones with name brand designer patterns. Espresso cups also come in glass and stainless steel. Once you find an espresso cup set that you enjoy for a while, you may just find yourself looking for another set because collecting them is a ton of fun. Your first set of espresso cups don’t have to be expensive and you will enjoy using them. If you enjoy larger drinks like lattes and cappuccinos then you will also want to get a set of cappuccinos cups for those drinks.

To go along with your espresso cups you will want a set of espresso spoons. Espresso spoons are also known as demitasse spoons and they add a nice touch of class to your espresso cups. Latte spoons are larger and match your latte cups for your larger espresso drinks.

An espresso recipe book will keep you brewing for a long time. Some of the more popular recipe books have over 200 coffee recipes! Here are a couple of recipes to get you started. A latte is espresso with steamed milk. A mocha is a latte with chocolate syrup and a cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk.

Flavors come next and there are LOTs to choose from. Although there are flavored powders (ex: chocolate, mocha, etc) most flavors are added as syrup. There are dozens of flavors of syrup and they range from the perennial favorite of chocolate to seasonal flavors such as pumpkin.

With some many options it is sometimes hard to know where to start. The best place to begin is with the basics (coffee grinder, espresso cups) and move on to the next options when you need them. Espresso brewing is a surprisingly deep hobby and with a few of the right add-ons you will have fun learning new recipes and improving your skill for a long time to come.

Espresso coffee cups are made of a few different types of materials. From stainless steel to espresso glass, there are some unique differences between each kind.

Source: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/12/01/la-macchina-with-the-coffeemeister/
by Erin Meister

In the Italian tradition, espresso is impossible without the “four M’s,” or the elements necessary to craft the tiny, potent elixir we know and love. Over the next four weeks, the CoffeeMeister will delve into the four elements that make possible our favorite little jolt: the caffè espresso.

Of course, anybody who’s ever desperately craved a latte at 3 p.m. knows that people generally work better and are more focused after a coffee. The same held true during Europe’s Industrial Revolution, and before long, bosses started getting tired of watching the minutes tick by as factory workers slowly got caffeinated. That all changed in 1901, when an enterprising gentleman named Luigi Bezzera built a contraption that allowed captured steam pressure to force very hot water through very finely ground coffee, creating a kind of quick coffee concentrate meant to be slugged faster than you can say “coffee break.”

And presto! La macchina was born.

A barista and his machine. Photo: Erin Meister.

Since Bezzera’s invention, which was little more than a metal tank that heated water over an open flame, espresso-machine technology has come a long way. So long, in fact, that there are machines on the market now that render a barista practically disposable, as everything from grinding, tamping, extracting and dispensing is handled by the machine. But let’s not speak of those. Ever.

Major innovations by the world’s espresso engineers since the 1940s include introducing a pump to ramp up the machine’s extraction pressure (increasing it from roughly 22 lbs. to the modern 130 lbs. that push through that finely ground coffee); lowering the average machine’s brewing temperature to something closer to 200°F; and adding various stability improvements, water softening and electronic bells and whistles.

I know what you’re thinking: “Why didn’t I think of all that?” Yeah, me too. But thankfully we can at least enjoy the fruits of the labor of others! And what delicious fruits they are…

Both filters and the holders for filters should be as hot as possible when you’re preparing coffee. For this reason they should always be interested into the group; this way the stable temperature required for preparing espresso can be reached. When the barista loads up another portion of coffee, the filter should be clean and dry.

Other things to keep in mind include:

*Before inserting the holder into the group, it’s necessary to carefully remove ground coffee from the filter edges.

*After the holder is inserted into the group, it needs to be turned with the appropriate force (it’s necessary for achieving the ideal tightness in the group)

*The best time to prepare espresso is immediately after inserting the holder. In the filters and holders, coffee oils accumulate, so they require regular cleaning.