Chocolate Cake is always a popular treat. Flour-less chocolate torte is a sophisticated interpretation of this traditional favorite. When making a dark chocolate torte, using espresso in the batter, cuts the sweetness and lends a depth and richness to the flavor. It is the transformation of a simple chocolate cake into a very grown up dark chocolate torte fit for a chocolate connoisseur.

How about adding espresso to a sauce? Really! Have you not thought about this yourself? Another use for espresso is in beautiful sauces. The addition of powdered espresso in a Beurre Blanc sauce is like adding an exclamation point to the end of a sentence!! The sharpness of the flavor of the espresso is a perfect contrast with the creamy texture of the sauce itself. This sauce is the perfect addition to seared scallops or caramelized onions and shrimp. Espresso adds that extra zest of flavor to create a spectacular seafood course.

Espresso and Italian cooking? Or, how about espresso with Mexican cooking? Let’s try Mexican! Mexican mole’ sauce is a perfect melody of flavors. When espresso is added to that mix it becomes a sublime symphony. Chocolate is a key ingredient of mole sauce. Once again, the intertwining of chocolate and espresso in Mole sauce creates an exciting twist to a traditional dish. An espresso mole sauce is a bright accompaniment to roasted or rotisserie chicken. Homemade espresso mole sauce over a bought rotisserie chicken is an almost effortless dinner that will impress the family and company alike.

The first time one drinks espresso it would be hard to ever think of this drink to be added to food recipes. After all the flavor is very unique and the broth in very dark in color. Yet, there are many ways to use espresso other than just as coffee. The rich flavor matures sweet recipes. The edge of bitter in espresso enhances spicier dishes and tempts the discerning palate. When looking for that “secret ingredient”, consider adding a bit of espresso to that old recipe. It’s adds a spark of surprise to traditional favorites. Not that you would want to add espresso to traditional tomato sauce or soups. Would you? Could you? I bet you could, given you understood the taste you are trying to bring to the sauce and that the espresso flavor compliments the other ingredients. Creative use of espresso wakes up taste buds to a new experience of flavor and stimulates the appetite. I think you already have some ideas for espresso in your next recipe already!

Of course espresso by itself is a very nice drink to enjoy all by its self. Either an Americana or hot Latte are my two favorites when visiting the local coffee shops in my home town. Probably the best coffee I have every had was in Tokyo – as the Japanese seem to do everything very well! This delicious coffee was at a high-end coffee shop at one of the very large train stations found throughout Tokyo. Upon seeing a line of people waiting to get into to shop we decided to see what all the excitement was about. We were not disappointed as the quality and taste of the coffee was far superior to anything I have had back in the U.S. The Japanese seem to do everything very, very well – including making incredible coffee!

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It is important to make fresh espresso. So, its better when it’s close to the roast date which ideally should not be more than three weeks the maximum. It’s best to grind the beans on your own, but this should not be done with an inexpensive coffee grinder with electric blade. Doing this could cause the coffee to burn and makes it harder to get a grind that is consistent.

When grinding your beans, it is best to use a quality espresso grinding machine. There are many brands available you can choose from. A few of them include the Krups, Capresso and Cuisinart range. It really depends on your budget but do some research before choosing one. You can judge the quality of a grind by comparing it with sugar. It should not be too fine or too coarse otherwise the quality of your espresso can be affected. If it is too fine, it will take longer to brew and the espresso will taste bitter.

The next thing to consider is the water quality and the temperature of your brew. Use purified water and is heated to roughly 90 degrees C and 200 degrees F. Boiling water should be avoided because it will hinder the process of making good quality coffee. For a single shot of espresso, use up to 7 grams and 14 grams for double shots.
Pressure is also another thing to consider when making your espresso.

The grind mentioned earlier also affects the quality of your brew. When you are happy with the grind, pack it into the portafilter of the machine with a tamper. If you don’t know what a tamper is try searching for RSVP Terry’s Tamper. It is one of the bestselling tampers currently now. Basically, a tamper is a flat object which is about the size of the interior section of the portafilter. It is used to shrink the grounds to a specific thickness so that the right amount of water resistance is created to push through the grind.

Once you’ve done that, put your cup beneath the brew basket and it should take about five to ten seconds to get the first few drops and twenty to twenty-five seconds to get one or even two ounces. The grinding and tamping will allow you to meet the right time to get all your shots ready. A little too fast will make your brew too bitter while a little too slow will make it too dilute. A great looking espresso will appear hazel brown in colour with a layer of crema on top once it is finished.

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Espresso is defined a concentrated beverage that is brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Compared to other coffee brewing methods, an espresso has thicker consistency and a higher concentration of suspended solids and creme or foam. It was invented in 1884 in Turin, Italy when Angelo Moriondo produced and patented the first ever espresso machine. The espresso coffee machine is the appliance used to produce the traditional Italian coffee we earlier referred to as espresso. This type of machine is usually associated to cafes due to the fact that this equipment along with the skill needed to produce espresso is commonly seen in cafes and practices by barista’s. Also, this equipment was not available for home and domestic use until the 1970’s wherein different companies started producing less expensive and bulkier easy-to-use home espresso makers.

Give the number of manufacturing brands producing espresso machines, choosing the best one can be very difficult. Below are some of the important points one can consider when choosing an espresso machine.

Three important factors should be considered when choosing an espresso machine. These three points include, the factors needed to have a delightful cup of coffee, the length of time needed to prepare the espresso and finally, the operation and maintenance of the machine. Knowing the different functions and parts of the machine that leads to that cup of espresso is an important consideration when buying.

Finely ground bean and aerated water should always be a must for an espresso machine. Along with the built in filters, these make the water tastes clearer. Time is also an important factor especially to working individuals who rush in the morning to go to work. The espresso machine you should be purchasing should be able to adapt to the time constraint you face each day. Easy cleaning, maintenance and operation is another consideration in order to ensure that coffee grinds and oil will be avoided from sticking from your machine and affecting the taste of the espresso that will be produced.

Other important factor to keep in mind in espresso machine canvassing is the space available for the machine. Make sure that all the equipment that go along the espresso machine will fit in the allotted area. Make sure to also research the different processes involved in espresso making in order to maximize the use of your espresso machine. Most importantly, do not forget to consider the budget you have. Steam driven espresso machine are the perfect choice for those on a tight budget. On the other hand, for those who have a bigger budget, one can always opt for the pump espresso machine which according to reviews are more expensive but produces better espresso.

A wide array of coffee machine brands can be chosen in the market today including those from Delonghi Kaffeevollautomat, Saeco Kaffeevollautomat and many others. However, always remember, that no matter what brand you purchase, the ability to maximize the use of the coffee machine to the best of its functions lies in your hands.

The writer is a barista at a neighborhood coffee shop in Italy. To make sure that they offer the best to their buyers, they use high quality espresso machines. Among what they have are Delonghi Kaffeevollautomat and Saeco Kaffeevollautomat.

The French Press – is a glass jar with a vertical slide and a mesh filter. Place coffee grounds inside the jar and mix with hot (not boiling) water. Let the mixture sit for 3-4 minutes before you press the mesh filter plunger all the way down. This will quickly give you a cup of delicious coffee. The presses force hot water through fine coffee grounds and bring out the coffee oils and flavor. This device is ideal for those in a hurry and who like to drink coffee immediately. Don’t forget to heat the water in a different pot and not in the press itself. Lastly, don’t be surprised if you find coffee grounds in your cup. This is common with the French Press..

The Percolator- works by moving boiling water from the bottom of the percolator, through a tube, to the coffee grounds above. It normally takes longer to make coffee with this method and the results aren’t necessarily good. Critics claim that boiling water actually destroys the coffee and imparts a bad taste the reason why they hate percolators.

The Automatic Coffee Drip is the most recognized coffee maker nowadays and it can create a delicious cup of coffee. This is basically a paper filter and hot water although it can process various kinds of coffee grounds from fine to coarse. Based on the size of the carafe, it can create a pot of coffee in just minutes. Automatic drip makers have different sizes – from small 4-cup makers that are ideal for a small apartment to big 12-cup brewers good for a huge family of coffee lovers.

The Espresso Machine – this machine pumps 1.5 ounces of water through coffee grounds and makes a concentrated cup of coffee that is perfect for a quick coffee high.

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To force the water through the coffee, the steam espresso machine uses steam pressure. These steam espresso machines were the first espresso machines to be invented, and they are still greatly used today. By pumping the lever, pressure is created in the hot water and then pushed through ground coffee. The piston espresso machine can either be a manual piston or a spring piston. To provide the pressure required to brew the espresso, this pump driven uses a pump. While the air pump machine uses compressed air to create pressure for driving the water through the ground coffee.

The automatic types of espresso machines have grinders, pumps, valves and sensors to make the brewing of coffee automatic and they are divided into several categories. The semi-automatic type uses a pump to create pressure, while the automatic espresso machines work by use of a programmed meter, and when the set amount of water passes through the unit meter, the pump automatically turns off. The super automatic type grinds and tamps the coffee automatically. All the operator has to do is to fill in the hopper, connect the machine to a water source and add water to the reservoir.

For commercial work, the semi-automatic is most ideal. This model is larger than the home use model, and fast. Due to a lot of maintenance and the fact that it is not good in handling larger volumes, the super automatic is not the best for commercial use, and this makes it less popular for business. In fact, many trained baristas complain that this model does not produce high quality espressos. On the positive side, the super automatic model can cut your expenses on skilled labor since it can be operated by unskilled persons.

Major modifications have been made to make espresso machines more efficient and provide quality espressos. One main modification of the home use espresso machine is the ability to increase the stability of the temperature in the unit so as to have an extraction quality and consistent espressos.

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