Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Yeah, it's been a little while since I last posted.
Been lurking and reading, but now I have a "situation".

I like my coffee, you know, the old-school kind. Folgers regular is just fine.
When we go to Starbucks with friends, I ignore the fancy-smancy stuff others are ordering and just get a cup of regular coffee. It's what I'm used to, it's what I enjoy.

So my birthday came and went (Mid-February), the kids got me a coffee maker (of sorts).
BUT, I have a nice Cuisinart "Extreme Brew" machine, so what's this??

I got a Saeco Italia.
I have NO IDEA what this thing does.
It sat in the box for more than a month.
Now it's on the kitchen counter, un-used for 2 weeks at this writing.
Still awating her maiden voyage.

Confession;
I don't know the difference between an espresso and cappuccino. (REALLY!!)
I don't know what a latte is.
I'm afraid to pronounce macchiato!
What kind of beans should I use?
I have this NEAT semi-artistic machine with a "steam wand"??
You know, they have microwaves for heating milk, and they're not nearly as LOUD!!!

At a shopping mall survey a lady asked me if I have a favorite cologne.
"Yes! It's whatever my kids get me for Christmas"
So my kids got me this Espresso machine, and of coarse, it's now my favorite thing in the world (so I tell them).

I need your HELP. Please.
I'm SURE once I head into this direction that another culinary world will open up before me.
Until then, anyone have any guidance?
Like - why the stupid wand and what do I do with it?
Can I prep Ice Cream custard with it instead of a double boiler?
How do I make basic stuff?
Any recommended recipes?

Nice machine and it really depends upon your preferences. If you really prefer regular drip or brewed coffee, don't let your kids herd you into something you don't enjoy. Espresso is a more concentrated coffee, so the flavor is more apparent. Cappuccino and Lattes are made using espresso and milk. The steam wand is for frothing the milk and can be handy for doing a quick impression of having rabies, if you have a tendency toward pranking.

I used to keep a smaller espresso machine in my locker at work (swing shift) and after the bosses left for the day, we'd break it out and enjoy vanilla latte's without having to leave the building. Rough life, heh heh!

Best deal, go to your local Starbucks or coffee shop and have a latte or cappuccino made by someone that is well versed in them. Then you'll know what you are looking to create at home. I think your Saeco is fairly automated, so you don't have to tamp your coffee or pull the shots. But you want to see the crema on top, a medium reddish-brown foam that sits on the top of the shot glass your espresso pours into from the machine.

I am guessing your machine has options of using either pre-ground coffee or coffee beans. Depending on how well it grinds them, coffee beans would be my choice since they store longer (in a closed jar in your fridge is a great place) and retain their flavor. Ground coffee starts to oxidize and lose its flavor over a relatively short period of time, say a week or so.

Try it out, you may learn you like it. You may learn you don't. Life is full of small adventures worth trying. I don't bother with espresso anymore since my wife doesn't enjoy strong coffee, though I may get one again down the road. For me, good arabica coffee beans in a French Press and I'm a happy camper. The French Press (aka Press Pot) is kind of a poor man's drip machine but with happier results in terms of the end product.

Edit- Note: And yeah, they can be handy if you need some strong coffee for a recipe. Mocha chocolate *anything* from ice cream to cheese cake or tiramisu. For alternative uses for the steam wand portion, take a peek here

It's a horrible machine and you should send it to me immediately and tell your kids that it broke.

I'm no expert, but here's what I know: The steam not only heats the milk but also, if you do it properly, froths the milk into a lovely dense foam with excellent mouthfeel.

From Wikipedia:

Latte is a portion of espresso and steamed milk, generally in a 1:3 to 1:5 ratio of espresso to milk, with a little foam on top.

Cappuccino is a coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte in that it is prepared with much less steamed or textured milk than the caffè latte with the total of espresso and milk/foam making up between approximately 150 and 180 millilitres (5 and 6 US fluid ounces). A cappuccino usually exceeds the height of the cup, making the foam visible above the side of the cup. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a porcelain cup, which has far better heat retention characteristics than glass or paper. The foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid, allowing it to stay hotter longer.

Macchiato (per Wikipedia) Macchiato, meaning 'stained', is an Espresso with a dash of foamed milk. At first sight it resembles a small Cappuccino but even if the ingredients are the same as those used for Cappuccino a Macchiato has a much stronger and aromatic taste.The milk is foamed directly into the espresso cup, which is then put under the coffee outlet. The espresso is then drawn into the cup. Cocoa is then sprinkled over the drink (optional).[11] Often the process is reversed and milk foam is floated on top of extracted coffee. A long Macchiato will have two shots of espresso and a small amount of hot water (as per long black). A short Macchiato will usually have one shot of coffee and less water (as per short black).

Most people are familiar with macchiato as Starbucks makes it (caramel macchiato) - badly roasted coffee, a ton of fake caramel syrup, and a lot of milk.

Plus what Tatoosh said.

I have a Jura, which is similar, and would not want to be without it. You can also make bigger ups of coffee. Mine has settings for both coffee and espresso. If I make 2 coffees (it will make 2 at the same time), you have a mug. The spout takes a bit of practice, but hot foamy milk is great. Also good for hot chocolate and chai lattes. It should adjust to the strength you like and the grind should be adjustable as well so you can get the coffee you like. The up side is, you always have a fresh cup of coffee with freshly ground beans. No downside, because someone else shelled out the money for it.

Or just pack it up and send it to Darcie so she can make hot, foamy cocktails.

Mary

Tunaroue:

First, I am highly entertained by your plea for help in blank verse.

FWIW, the Saeco Italia is one of the best super-automatic espresso machines out there; your kids went all the way. I kinda suspect that a couple of your kids are espresso drinkers and they visit you a lot, so the gift may have had an element of self-catering in it

Anyway, the Saeco is an excellent machine. By "super-automatic" they mean all you need to do is put whole coffee beans in one side, water in the other, and push some buttons. Periodically, you empty out the coffee grounds hopper. I imagine your kids thought that this would make it easy/simple for you to operate (hint: they're wrong).

Lemme give the short rephrase of Wikipedia:

Espresso (ess-PRESS-soh): really strong coffee made by forcing very hot water, under pressure, through finely ground coffee grounds. Not for most people, or for most coffee beans, for that matter. Often made more palatable with the addition of sugar or chocolate. Espressos can be made with 1/2-1oz of water ("corto" or "short"), or with 1 1/2-2oz of water ("lungo" or "long").

Macchiato (mock-kee-AH-toh): "marked": espresso with a couple teaspoons of milk foam on top. Yes, Wikipedia's pronunciation is wrong. At Starbucks, a warm milkshake which sometimes contains coffee.

Cappucino (cap-poo-CHEE-noh): in Italy, a double espresso with a "cap" of steamed milk foam, about equal quantities foam and coffee. Named after the Capucin monks, who wore brown robes with white hats. In America, a drink with 1 part espresso, 1 part warm steamed milk, and 2 parts milk foam. Sometimes topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon or ground chocolate.

Latte (LAHT-tay): in Italy, the same as an American cappucino, and drunk only with breakfast. In America, 3-8oz of warm steamed milk, another 4oz of milk foam, and 1-2 shots of espresso, and drunk anytime by office workers who are kidding themselves about being on a diet.

Mocha (MO-kah): American. A latte with 1oz of chocolate syrup mixed in.

Americano (a-MAYR-ih-CAH-no): two shots of espresso in 4-6oz of hot water. Meant to imitate drip coffee in flavor and texture. Primarily useful when getting coffee at cafes where you suspect that the drip coffee has been sitting in the pot for several hours.

Continued in a moment ...

Instructions on getting started with the Saeco:

1) Buy some milk (whole or 2%; nonfat is in the Intemediate instructions).

2) Buy some coffee beans. Light to medium roasts are preferable (dark oily roasts will gum up the machine), and freshness matters a lot with coffee beans. Ideally, have the child whose idea the Saeco was buy the beans. Store leftover beans in a sealed container in the fridge.

3) Fill the coffee bean hopper with coffee beans, and close the lid.

4) Realize that was actually the water tank, and spend 20 minutes with an iced tea spoon digging out all the coffee beans.

5) Fill the actual coffee hopper. Notice the little knobs for adjusting the grind. Ignore these, unless the coffee-fiend child is present, in which case have him/her adjust them.

6) Fill the water tank with water. If you live somewhere with hard or heavily chlorinated water, use filtered/bottled water.

7) Go to plug in the Saeco. Realize that the cord doesn't quite reach. Get a stronger spouse/child to help you move the now full and very heavy Saeco so that the cord will reach. Plug in the Saeco.

8) Turn it on (there's a power switch on the back or the side). Wait 10 minutes or so, both for the boiler to heat up, and to see if you're going to trip any circuit breakers.

9) When it's ready to go, the buttons for short and long espresso buttons will light up.

10) Find a small cup which will fit under the coffee spout, which is the thing which looks vaguely like the head of a Star Wars droid, protruding from the front of the machine. This thing has two spouts, which can either go into separate cups, or into one cup. Anyway, search around in your cabinets until you find an old teacup which approximately fits. Resign yourself to the idea that next years' present is liable to be a set of espresso cups.

11) Press the "long" espresso button, on the right. The Saeco will think for a while, and then make a noise like an angry wasp's nest while it grinds coffee, and then some gurgling and wooshing noises as it pumps water around. The teacup will fill up with what looks like dirty pond water. Throw this away.

12) Now we're going to make an Americano. By now the steam wand button (looks like a small cloud) should have lighted up. Get a new cup and put it under the steam wand. Turn the little steam wand knob on the right side of the machine, and watch ... nothing as your glasses become entirely steamed up. Clean your glasses and notice that the cup is already more than half-full of very hot water. Hastily turn the knob off.

13) Get a hot pad or tea towel and carefully move the cup of very hot water under the coffee spouts. Spill some of it on the counter; resolve to clean it up later.

14) Press the "long" espresso button and coffee will dispense into your hot water.

15) Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the coffee to cool enough to be picked up, and tentatively sipped. Notice that it tastes a lot like a very hot cup of drip coffee. And only 500% of the work as operating the drip coffee machine!

16) Put away the Saeco, and resolve to try making a latte next month.

17) Never, under any circumstances, permit your infant to operate the Saeco. Yes, this is in the actual instructions. http://www.cerinicoffee.com/Manuals/Sae ... Manual.pdf

Fuzzy, I love your insightfulness.

Late last year me an my son helped a French lady pack up her things as she was preparing to move.
He had an espresso machine and gave us some as refreshments.
Straight espresso was strong, but complex.
With hot milk and flavors it was tamed down and fun.
My son and I really enjoyed it.
THAT'S where the idea of getting dad the gift got started.
Neither of my kids are coffee drinkers, nor is my wife.

So I am still intimidated by this thing, so I started reading the manual.
The manual is about 20 pages, the first 6 pages are warnings and stupid safety crap by lawyers that is obvious and repetitive so that by the time I get to the functional directions that I'm so annoyed I just don't care to read any more. I did get through it and it seems simple enough to make a shot or two of espresso with just a touch of a button (after filling the water tank and loading the hopper with beans).
But that was it, just espresso?
For as pricy as this monster is, it just makes espresso?

Now I'm beginning to get it.
Espresso is the base building block for all the other stuff -- aahhhh!!! the LIGHT is ON.

Tuna,

On a serious basis, I'm a big fan of espresso. Generally the coffee I drink is either moka (which is kinda like stovetop espresso) or espresso shots. Except on weekends, I like to do Creole Coffee.

Anyway ... no help from relatives, eh?

Well, first hard part is gonna be coffee beans. Like I said, you want fresh, and not too dark and not oily. This means the supermarket is pretty useless. If you're willing to splurge a little, I recommend ordering/buying Blue Bottle from SF since all of their blends are suitable for espresso; you should be able to find it in some store down by you. Helpfully, the bags come with dates on them, so you know how fresh it is. More than 2 weeks old is bad.

If you're willing to drive around a bit, Barefoot Coffee, Crema Coffee and Willow Glen Coffee are all located in San Jose. Barefoot is the most hard-core, but they should all be pretty good coffee. And if you're there in person, you can ask them for a "medium roast, suitable for a super-automatic espresso machine." And, of course, when the coffee was roasted.

Stabucks' beans are generally pretty mediocre (ironic for the company started by Peet's coffee taster). Peet's are good, but are almost exclusively very dark roasts, unsuitable for your machine.

In our house, the best espresso is Lavazza. Hands down. Cheaper in Canada for some reason, we bring a case to Boston every year.
I too use a moka for stovetop. We've never been able to justify purchasing a quality automated version, although it's on the short list. The pressure on the (good) automated machines make that distinctive espresso froth (scuma) that can't be made with the stovetop caffetierre.

Great instructions Fuzzy! I'll disagree with the dark roast part of his illuminated post. The reason for doing all this is the flavor. Some beans are simply better dark roasted. Light roast is for, hmmm, my mom would have called it "branch water". Medium roast if you are worried about gumming the machine up, though I find it odd that an espresso machine can't handle espresso roast (aka darker roast).