Best One Click Espresso/Cappuccino/Latte Maker Yet...

I just got back from a trip to Hawaii and wow, my love for coffee is as strong as ever. The coffee shops littering the highway all serve fresh roasted Kona and it’s GOOD. There is nothing better than a fresh shot of espresso with a steaming crema, or a made-to-order cappuccino. I’ve held out purchasing a home espresso machine because, frankly, the home machines mostly suck – or the good ones are up around $1000, I’ll stick to having them made for me at $4 a pop.

The new Nespresso Lattissima Plus delivers. With 19 bars of pressure (8 bars is minimum to get the crema…and pressure is usually the limiting factor in home espresso makers), this one delivers. Plus, it steams the milk accurately with it’s special container. I should mention this does it all with one click, so you don’t need to go through barista training. Click and ahhh.

Earlier editions of this machine retailed for more than double the price…we love when coffee technology comes down in price.

On sale now for just $360 including free shipping and $75 of coffee…

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mmm...espresso on the go...

Now this is cool: the Mypressi Twist Portable Espresso Maker. How it works: hot water + espresso grounds + pressure from CO2 cartridge = your own espresso maker…anywhere. The problem with homemade espresso is almost always lack of pressure because, frankly, it’s hard to build it up without some serious tubes and whatnot.

But some genius has figured it out: use the pre-pressurized cartridges. Each cartridge will make 8 shots (or 4 double shots) of espresso. This little device is also really portable and really sturdy so you can take it with on trips if you need (which I do) a decent shot to keep you going. Think how much better you’ll be able to make those portages in the BWCA – you’ll be running through the woods with 2 packs and a canoe on your shoulders.

Or work? Your ass may be glued to that seat, but your face will be holding back 1000hp of pure brainpower.

Or maybe not. But people do love this thing – it’s almost universally well-regarded. We’ve reviewed lots of coffee makers and it’s topping the list, especially of portables.

Happy drinking.

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Yama Syphon Coffee Maker

The Yama Syphon Coffee Brewer puts a new twist on the brewing process. It uses the vacuum process to brew coffee.  At first we kind of thought that it was similar to those “espresso” pots that look great but never seemed to make a great pot of espresso, have filter problems and are a pain to clean. But we found that the Yama will brew coffee similar to a decent French press, but without the residue.

It works like this: you heat up the water, this will cause evaporation and at a certain point, the top chamber (where the grounds are) will create a vacuum that sucks up all the hot water when it is at an ideal temperature. Then, when you remove it from the heat source, the infused water filters back through the coffee grounds (the cloth filter is the key to it’s success) and settles into the bottom pot where it can be drunk, drank, drinked and savored.

A reasonably inexpensive way to make great coffee…and it looks cool, too.

Good video on the why and the how of siphon brewing.

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Delicious Chemistry @ Home

We have a bit of a problem, or more technically speaking, the author does. I break glass. The nicer it is, the more likely it is to shatter once I get my hands on it. I’ve had the great wine glasses – you know the ones, giant bulbous crystal Riedel jobs made for one specific varietal in one specific region…but I digress.

The reason I bring up my problem is because I broke one (or maybe 2) of these coffee makers. And it sucked. Yeah, it sucked picking up all the shards from the kitchen floor, but what really sucked was that we ultimately ended up replacing it (due to my little “issue”) with a “real” coffee maker. So now I don’t get the delicious, nutty brew that looks oh-so-damn good when it drips down into that beautiful chem-lab-come-home glass pot. There was something so satisfying about seeing the slightly brown bubbles floating in it, having to pour the hot water in oneself, filterfull by filterfull.

But here’s the deal: three strikes and you’re out. And yup, I broke three of these suckers. So from here out it’s stainless carafe for me.

For you?

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(note: the link goes to 1-3 cup maker…it’s also available in a 6 cup size…)