Coffee

On the face of it coffee is coffee, right ?  Well... not exactly.

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For starters there is instant coffee. Yes, I know... is that really coffee ?

Then there are the little pods of coffee, which can be quite good.

Then there is filtered coffee, which comes in a variety of formats.

And lastly there is espresso coffee...   Mmmmmm

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So, I have been through the lot, starting with the instant variety at home when I was a lot younger, and also of course the workplace coffee vending machines, which (back in the day) were all of the instant coffee variety.  It did the job.

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In parallel with much of this early instant coffee phase, my Dad would also make filtered coffee. This was the simple glass pot, plastic filter holder, paper filter and ground coffee approach.  And I think that was quite nice.  I have used that method frequently on and off since then too.  It's very easy and tastes good, especially when compared to the instant alternative.

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A few years ago my mother-in-law bought us a Keurig coffee pod machine.
What a change to my life.  I bought the reusable plastic pods and used the precise coffee I wanted in them, and they were a great improvement.  Loved them.  And sooo easy.

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However, on a recent trip to see the Autumn leaves, we ended up at a lovely coffee shop at tea time.  Yes... I know... Tea Time is for Tea, but...
We tried the house brand of beans, which had been aged in bourbon barrels, and we almost fell off the comfy sofas there.
What a glorious taste.
It was at this point that a decision was made to procure a proper espresso machine and try to replicate the enhanced flavour and general coffee experience from the comfort of home.

And so the journey into the unknown started.  2 weeks of reading reviews, watching videos,  checking inventory at various stores, and finally I reached a decision on which espresso machine to buy.

To be honest, the price range for espresso machines is huge, ranging from $50 to thousands.  I ended up shelling out 2.5 times what my initial budget was, but the results spoke for themselves.  The espresso coffee that dribbled into the glass cups had a glorious smell, and the flavour was divine.

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So the Keurig is still there on the table, next to the new DeLonghi espresso machine.  I feel it has a place, and the coffee is not bad and is very fast to prepare if you need to rush.  But to be honest, it's really nice to have everything ready to go, and prepare an espresso.  It doesn't take that much time really... just a bit of washing up to do afterwards.