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Coffee Mystique
those of you who have read my postings about coffee will already know that it ranks as my all time top beverage and that i devote an unusually great proportion of my time to making it, drinking it, and thinking about it.
there is something that coffee, tea, and perhaps wine have in common: even with the same exact ingredients and equipment, they do not taste the same in different locations!
my husband noticed this with tea when he first came from toronto to ny. when i was revising the cake bible for the UK edition i adored the tea in london so much i stopped drinking coffee . i brought the tea back to ny and it just wasn’t the same. my husband even had brought back the water from toronto so though that seems like the obvious common denominator of tea quality failure—it wasn’t.
when it comes to my beloved coffee, i’ve tried many machines plus ny water, and my favorite brands of coffee and it was never the same (i.e. as good) as drinking it in ny.
so the question remains—is it something in the air? can it be that i require a deep inhalation of ny pollution to achieve coffee nirvana?
but i have now come satisfyingly close to the ideal expression of coffee using a new coffee/espresso maker: the nespresso “le cube.” http://www.nespresso.comi still bring water from ny mainly because this way i can avoid descaling the machine from inevitable build-up of minerals in the hard water and i suspect i prefer the flavor offered by my birthplace’s water supplies.
i chose the titanium model of “le cube” and the capsules i favor are the ristretto but the machine comes with a full selection of all 12 of the available blends so you can determine your own preference. thanks to this array i also discovered that i love the arpeggio blend.
i am also delighted by the elegant design of the machine itself. it is attractive but unobtrusive, and the footprint is small. the absence of a steamer makes the design more sleek and compact. i never use steamers as i prefer the nespresso aeroccino or the hand held battery operated aerolatte to foam the milk without interjecting any steam into it. another great and rare design feature is that the height between the tray that holds the cup and the spout is great enough to allow for a tall cappuccino cup so i no longer need to make the espresso in a small cup and then transfer it to the larger cup.
i love that i can set the amount of water i want to use and it keeps the setting so i can walk away from it and foam the milk while the coffee is ‘brewing.’ it uses the nespresso individual metal capsules which provide a fresh coffee flavor with each cup and when the lever is raised, the capsule ejects into the body of the machine which holds so many i often forget that the capsules aren’t just flying out to space and on occasion the capsule holder does need emptying!
my coffee making is now so satisfying and stream-lined i’m drinking double the amount i did prior to the existence of “le cube” in my life. maybe it’s also because it heats up so quickly it is ready almost immediately for impulse espresso/cappuccino, and when i pass it in the kitchen i find myself smiling with pleasure and anticipation of the next cup!
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http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/Hyper/?TSC=EMNL08
Finally, available in the USA. I've seen this new system at several cafes and restaurants in Italy, last November.
Illy is kicking the butt of all other brands with the capsule system. Sure, you are stuck with buying coffee from Illy, but it is still pennies compared to buying a cup of coffee.
The X7 is a beauty to hold and it is now on sale!
Really, don't look any where else. Perhaps except for the Bialetti's: Moka or Moka Express (for espresso), Mukka (for cappuccino), or Cuore di Moka (for espresso). And the Nespresso Aeroccino (for milk frothing).
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | March 25, 2008 1:41 PM #
Betsy, I assure you that if you switch from filter brewing to pressure vapor extraction, you will never go back!
I've had the most wonderful cup of 'brewed coffee' by mixing espresso shots with hot water. It is called cafe americano in Italy, and indeed it is healthier. The long brewing times of filtered coffee extract the bitter compounds and extra caffeine.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | December 5, 2007 7:44 PM #
Ummm, coffee. Been into it a long time and roast my own. And that's tough when you roast outside (the smokey oily residue in the kitchen) in the winter in Idaho! Having a roaster that can't come up to roasting temps at the right time makes for a lousy roast. We have kept the motor area of the roaster covered with towels, or whatever like that is available to help it heat! It gets pretty funny to see what you'll do for a good roast.
The coffee maker I love (not espresso) is the Technivorm. I think it's Dutch...had it for 3 years and it's still as good as day 1. I do take the time to descale every few months. I've had good luck with beans from sweet maria's, in addition to others mentioned.
Oh, LOVE the Cake Bible--it's absolutely the best for making a terrific cake!!
Thanks for the blog(s)!
Reply to this Posted by: Betsy | December 4, 2007 11:00 PM #
My friend Isabella from Bologna gave me the Bialetti Brikka. She used it once and liked it, but it requires a little more care.
This is the model that can explode if you don't follow ALL the instructions. It builds higher pressure than the standard Moka. It has a lower filling line on the water reservoir so the air space is greater thus more pressure. And on the top funnel it has a pressure valve which retains the pressure so it can shoot crema; this valve looks similar to a pressure cooker valve.
I've asked a lot of people in Italy about the Brikka (home users, friends). It has been around for a long time already. The goods are that IT DOES make crema (I verified this at home), but when you pour it on your cup, the crema melts away (this is inevitable, is like pouring an espresso from its original cup where it was collected to another cup. Also, the coffee flavor is EXCELLENT (verified, too), superior than the Moka! The bads are that you have to worry about the min/max water level, the valve needs to be kept clean, so it can move freely (you need to wiggle the valve daily to verify it is free to move), and the rubber seals need to be periodically replaced (it has an additional rubber seal than the Moka, so the replacement times are not any more often, really).
I got the 2 cup Brikka, which is actually the size of the 3 cup Moka, but because the water line is lower it makes only 2 cup.
2 cup is good for single person use, both for Moka or Brikka. Also, I've seen the Italians have the 3 cup, too, for 2 people use. The 3 cup makes the best flavor, 2 cup is acceptable. 1 cup is a toy, useless.
Oh, the Mukka (the one that makes cappuccino), is very popular now, rather new but well accepted by now. I thought it was the one that can explode, I was wrong. Many Italians now make nice cappuccino at home with the Mukka. I am not sure if it can only make regular espresso (w/o the milk).
I would say every Italian home still has the Moka, in 2 cup and 3 cup, which are the ideal sizes for personal use and for drinking coffee with company. 2 cup for daily personal use. 3 cup when in company of 2-3 people. And using both at the same time, to feed 4-5 people, or running both twice for double the number of people. Perfect numbers for all occasions. They have the Moka, not the Brikka, because the Brikka would be too much to worry when entertaining, specially when your guests help you make the coffee and you have to explain all the complications if they are not used to it.
In addition, they have the Muka, too, mostly for personal use, I've seen it only in 2 cup which looks like a 6 cup Moka due to the added space for the milk. Cappuccino is not often served when entertaining. I've seen it in lovely white/black cow print, pink, and yellow tweety bird, colors, and even in fake-child-toy versions! Lovely!
So right now, I have the 3 cup Moka (but another brand, the green one often in my pictures, a gift from Isabella -I actually stole it from her on her last visit-, works fine, and this is the one I take when I travel). The 3 cup Moka (Bialetti, the dama version with the curved silicone handle). My X5 which is the one I use daily with the Nespressso Aeroccino for cappucino. And I don't know what I am going to do with the 2 cup Brikka yet, maybe just for fun when in company of 2, or alone when I feel I need to taste something a little different which I like doing often because you can get too used to the same coffee taste and ruin your taste buds and become a caffeine drug user. By the way, do you know that the statistics for Starbucks are that many people now order more shots on their coffee or need a larger cup size? Same for Coke, specially the 7-eleven size!
What is next for me? Hopefully not soon due to budget, if I need to replace my X5, I will wait until the capsule models are released. Capsules are the new technology from Illy, over to pods. I will keep my 3 cup Moka for sure, and maybe so the 2 cup Brikka. The Mukka, maybe just for decoration, or I am certain it may come as a gift on my next trip to Italia.
Oh, I also need to share, that since I don't drink decaf often, but I do drink it, the individually wrapped Illy pods are the best! Pricey and luxuriously packaged, it does taste fresh and has a longer shelf life. And I have also found an alternative to decaf, which is orzo (coffee made from rice). Orzo is better made on French press or with longer extraction time in the espresso machine.
Time for coffee?
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | December 4, 2007 1:50 PM #
Wow, we have many water bloggers! Reeni, good to hear from you.
One concern I have re: brita water is that it adds silver to the water, and you drink it! I know silver is used widely nowadays as an antibacterial (even on plastics like those antibacterial computer keyboards), but really, does your body need it?
I de-scale my machine monthly, religiously. The coffee shops in Italy have such huge foot traffic, I always wonder who does their de-scaling! I think their machines comes with a built in de-scaler that runs continuously, thus consistency day to day.
Rose, did you see the new Francis Francis that uses capsules? Go to the Italy website and it is there. Seems to been hiding for the U.S. I saw it at several restaurants in Italy. Here is a picture I took when in Rome at the Martini Bar on the Spanish Steps. It was my full intention to have lunch there, but they were sold out!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/ItaliaMajare2007/FrancisFrancisCapsule.html
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 21, 2007 4:24 PM #
Isn't NY water supposedly why bagels here taste different from anyplace else? (To the point that New Yorker retirees in Florida have them flown in from Zabar's/Eli's) I am fortunate to live in lower Westchester which gets its water from Hudson Valley. Even as near as Tarrytown (30 minutes up north) has different-tasting water.
I'm a big believer in the Brita water, but I'll take any I can get so as to drink 3 quarts a day! It's better than any diet for less fatigue and headaches, i've found.
Reply to this Posted by: Reeni Espino | November 21, 2007 3:58 PM #
My Saeco espresso machine's instructions say to use filtered water. Partly that's because it will remove some of the scaling minerals, but it really does help with consistency of taste. Not to mention the chlorine. Everytime there is a chlorine spike here in DC, people complain about the taste of their coffee if they're not using filtered water.
Reply to this Posted by: Tom | November 21, 2007 3:36 PM #
water with a higher mineral content makes delicious coffee but wrecks the coffee maker!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 21, 2007 3:16 PM #
I've never been to Paris...it's definitely on my to do list...but need to finish building my new office first...then I can take an extravagant vacation. Paris is a place I've always wanted to see.
Reply to this Posted by: Bill | November 21, 2007 2:51 PM #
Rose, you rock!
lots of dog poop in Florence and Rome! and the poor things don't even have a little grassy area on the sidewalks. For the most part.
my britta idea came up after looking up britta's website, they sell cartridges for certain brand of espresso machines with britta filtration built in. If I had the means, I would use bottle water (but only low mineral content aqua pana bottled at the source: Italy).
Recycling is good! The first picture I took on my last trip to Italy was a picture of the airport trash can, it is like 3 to 5 compartments one for each recyclable. I still don't know how to use it well.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 21, 2007 2:51 PM #
this is such a good point!
interestingly, ny water is excellent except you have to let it sit for many hours to get rid of the cholorine. but based on your comment i thought i'd do a taste comparison of brita'd ny water vs. tap that sits and your won't believe it: when i went to the incinerator room there was a discarded brita in the recycle bin! so i rescued it and now need only to get the filter insert.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 21, 2007 1:42 PM #
o.k. i hate to say it about my most beloved city but paris often smells like chien if you know what i mean. if you don't--realize that that they don't have a pooper scooper law in place yet!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 21, 2007 1:39 PM #
Bill, thanks for sharing. Some parts of Italy smell like cheese, prosciutto, or white truffle!
The smell of garbage in food, I have it closest to the smell of the durian fruit. I do love the taste of the fruit (not like garbage), but the smell is one of those things.....
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 21, 2007 1:31 PM #
Speaking of aromas on the street...I have a friend who has lived and traveled all over the world. He always says: "Every city has a smell...Paris smells like tobacco and New York smells like garbage"...Alas I have lived in NY all my life...and yes...it often smells like garbage
Reply to this Posted by: Bill | November 21, 2007 12:58 PM #
Need to report something more! This week, my capuccino started to taste bitter, more than usual. It was because I was filling my espresso machine water tank with regular tap water and not britta pitcher water!
People from Naples say the best espresso is done in Naples because of their water. My taste buds must have polished a little from drinking so much of it, during my trip.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 21, 2007 2:12 AM #
i'm constantly on the prowl for aromas--as i walk through ny every block or half block offers up different ones--some good, some not so good and others just plain aweful!
i want to write a book someday called rose nose with tips from my fav. chefs and friends and caricatures of their noses!!!
i'll forward your idea to nespresso.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 6, 2007 8:20 AM #
Air quality has a lot to do with how things taste -- have you noticed sometimes that car exhaust can smell like roasted meat? (of course, diesel particulates are the largest contributor to cancer risk from poor air quality, so there is a trade-off here). Certain aromas seem to enhance the taste of unrelated foods as well.
It would be nice if the pod manufacturers would take their pods back for proper recycling/reuse, it really is a huge waste of resources. One of the Nespresso stores in Geneva had a small sign advertising take-backs, but the new store here in DC doesn't seem to do that.
Reply to this Posted by: Tom | September 6, 2007 8:14 AM #
wow, so that is what you were refering to on the recipe that this cake was inspired from a cookie that you only heard about.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 22, 2007 2:08 PM #
wonderful photos. you have a great eye for design hector.
no--they don't ever kill these chickens which is sort of nice isn't it!
and isn't it funny that one of my best cakes was created bc my ex sister-in-law never gave me the recipe for the copper topper cookies she told me about that she made with her mother as a child. it was the spell-binding name that inspired me to "rise to my greatest height"!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 22, 2007 8:50 AM #
Off topic, here…
I do appreciate REAL "eggs," too. Turn it in to a pasta carbonara or into cake. I think cakes taste better with "eggs," but it will be a logistic and economic nightmare for me when I am using a 5 dozen box a week!
I do fantasize these “eggs” for a Caramel Crème Anglaise for Silk Meringue Buttercream on the Copper Topper Mountain Cake. And that will go well with a cup of espresso (back to the topic). In my opinion, this is one of Rose’s most extraordinary cakes, that when I make it again, I will photograph it professionally and share the picture with my local newspaper.
Have you tried the meat from these "real hens?" I can’t help but share this photo of my dear classmate and prom date Karina with her proud children!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/BakersCarbonara.htm
Reply to this Posted by: Anonymous | July 21, 2007 9:03 PM #
Completely off topic but I agree about the eggs. Just recently ate a poached egg at Blue Hill at Stone Barns where they let the chickens roam and eat real chicken food -- the chickens are happy, the egg was beautiful and my tastebuds were joyful as well. That the egg was sitting on a salad made from greens I could see growing out the window was gravy.
Reply to this Posted by: Reeni Espino | July 21, 2007 6:28 PM #
forgot to mention another strange and mysterious thing: i need to add more sugar to my coffee in hope!
by the way, i didn't mean to say that pod coffee is the absolute ultimate best--just that it is the best for home brewing. here's my penultimate vision of perfection: columbia supremo beans, roasted one hour before grinding, then immediately brewed, then drinking it in a room filled with freshly roasted and just ground coffee beans so that i could inhale this while drinking my coffee--and horrors to the purists--with refined sugar and half and half with a touch of heavy cream--of course unpasteurized. i'd like to experience this just once. but for now i'm content with my pods and still glowing from having another taste fantasy fullfilled--the availability of super fresh eggs from chickens that have been fed organically. some dreams do come true!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 20, 2007 11:28 AM #
Mmm... just to say the comments here and highlighted sites were really insightful! Over here, we are used to the locally roasted coffee (there's even a variation called 'white coffee'!). It is what we grew up with and we do like the taste! Then, of course, there's Nescafe that EVERYBODY drinks! It really is a matter of personal taste!
Reply to this Posted by: Elicia | July 20, 2007 11:02 AM #
OK, coffee (and tea, I drink that too) is an emotive topic. I did my phd research in Italy, and once drank so much espresso that I started seeing double. Pod coffee has one aspect which I am not fond of, it is pretty wasteful in the recycling/unnecessary waste department. The good old machinetta which sits on the hob and uses grounds has a good foot print, no filters, and the grounds go directly onto the compost (OK city dwellers, I realise that is a little unlikely). Ditto with tea. The best coffee I have ever had has been in Bars in Italy, where they have such a high turnover, that the coffee is always fresh. Pod coffee, I guess, is trying to emulate that freshness. I could just do without the waste.
Sorry, being very puritan this morning. Need to brew more coffee.
Cheers
Reply to this Posted by: Helen | July 19, 2007 12:50 AM #
alright--one more word from me on the subject. i used to roast my beans every three days, and grind them right before brewing the coffee. it was marvelous but there were many problems such as no decent roaster so it had to be monitored by color and time. next it had to be a burr grinder PLUS it had to be the sort that could be taken apart completely or the oils of the bean eventually would get rancid. cleaning it was a long ordeal. so the option to have freshly ground coffee in a pod that has been vacuum-sealed seemed a viable alternative.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 18, 2007 2:18 PM #
Luca just read this entry, and I can't resist to post his reply:
"Coffee is indeed a matter of taste, but I believe that there are some gold standards.
Think of swiss cheese, or french pate' or wine, or english tea, and so on.
Why is it so difficult to recognize that there are places in the world where people have perfected a specific product?
For italy, there are many choices but one is undoubtedly coffee. I believe that nowhere else in the world such a big amount of care is devoted to a cup a coffee.
Think of coffee places roasting their own beans, opening the shop 30 minutes before an throwing away the first 20 coffee just to warm up the machine, and warming up the cups, and using only fresh milk, The moment you try a cappuccino from the busy coffee shop at a railway station, you know you are in the right country.
Now.. how to do it at home... that might be more of a matter of taste, but for my "trained" taste buds, nothing can beat a semi-professional expresso machine, steam-frothed whole milk (we do NOT have fresh milk in the US), and freshly ground Illy beans."
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 18, 2007 2:14 PM #
Jason, may I defend Rose? I must agree that coffee culture is LARGE and it has a lot of followers. Coffee is a matter of personal taste and choice, and no-one is wrong.
In my experience and education (and of many Italian natives I hang out with), there are many different types of coffee and many different types of coffee making methods. Regarding coffee, there are many growing locations, and many types of roast (French, American, Italian roasts, etc). Regarding coffee making methods, as well, many methods, like drip brewing, French press, stovetop pressure, espresso machines, etc.
There is a difference, day and night, between French and Italian roasts, as well as medium and dark roasts. There is a difference, day and night, too, between drip brewing, French press, and espresso machines. I love the taste of either choice, but personally I have opted to stick with Italian medium roast done on espresso machines. The grind is also critical.
The Nespresso Aerocino uses heat and agitation to froth milk. It is the closest thing you can achieve at home for good consistent frothed milk. You can have a professional espresso machine froth milk at home, but there are many factors and techniques to do it, one can hardly perfect this profession at home even with a professional espresso machine.
I have taken many many Italian natives to very fine coffee palaces in the U.S. and order a capuccino or a espresso, the complain I hear is that the coffee is bitter and over extracted. The same gang has tested the Nespresso capsule... machine loving it, as well as the Francis Francis X5 I use at home together with the Aeroccino.
Be aware that the Nespresso capsule machine uses “special pods,” these are not the regular pods you find in inexpensive machines.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 18, 2007 1:51 PM #
jason--you aren't being rude or snobbish. you are being opinionated which is a good thing. but a little humility is in order here as taste is a matter of taste and i have the right to express mine just as you do yours. you seem to be implying that i'm wrong. wrong is not an appropriate word when it comes to taste. neither is mistaken. think about it.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | July 18, 2007 12:40 PM #
Anna, the answers to your questions are in:
http://www.nespresso.com
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 17, 2007 4:05 PM #
So,let me get this straight. You have to buy capsules for the machine, which is the actual coffee? Does the machine hold lots of water as well as capsules? I'm wondering basically if it makes coffee on demand. How much do the capsules cost and what's the quantity? I'm in the market for a machine - that's why I'm asking.
Reply to this Posted by: Anna | July 17, 2007 3:26 PM #
This is the first coffee-related posting of yours that I have read but I'm pretty surprised in your choice of equipment considering you claim to spend lots of time making/drinking/thinking about coffee.
I find it hard to believe that you "have now come satisfyingly close to the ideal expression of coffee using a new coffee/espresso maker" using pod coffee in a pod coffee machine both from Nestle.
I've read your Bread Bible and the amount of attention you pay to detail in that wonderful book on breadmaking I would implore you to spend on your coffee. I drink coffee/cappuccino daily at one of the best cafes/roasters in the US ( http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com ) and buy from others as well ( http://www.metropoliscoffee.com and http://www.counterculturecoffee.com ) and I can tell you those types of companies are where you are going to find coffee nirvana along with a good espresso machine/coffee brewer (better yet a French press or vacuum brewer)/grinder. They all ship their coffees quickly after roasting...you simply won't come close to those using a pod coffee. (Incidentally cappuccino needs steamed milk...frothing isn't the same thing. Frothing is part of it but part of the making of a proper cappuccino is the interactive of the heat of the steam and the milk and the sugars in it. Steaming milk for a proper cappuccino actually needs pretty good equipment...the stuff that comes on cheap espresso machines doesn't do it properly).
Forgive me if I am coming off as snobbish or rude/insulting as that is not my intent but I take my coffee pretty seriously. I can never keep myself from responding to postings such as this. "Streamlined" coffee is not nirvana nor will it ever be....just as the best bread will never come from a bread machine.
Check out http://www.coffeegeek.com if you haven't seen it. Mark Prince, who runs the site, also has a great podcast. Lots of scary-serious coffee folks there with great forums and equipment reviews.
Reply to this Posted by: Jason Kratz | July 16, 2007 9:31 AM #