Coffee---thank God that is something I should be able to
enjoy a few months after my surgery. If I had to choose between coffee and
wine, think it would be the wine that goes. I hear that I shall only be able to
have one ‘standard’ drink (at most) after a few months and then that’s not guaranteed.
I also hear that I ‘will be anyone’s after that drink. I guess it’s going to be
a matter of ‘less is more,’ so I shall only have the best.
Coffee, oh coffee. Am I addicted? Maybe---I don’t care. I
have a nice Italian coffee machine and I reckon I have become damned good at
making a ‘café-quality’ cup and then some. Some may say I am obsessed. Well
that’s OK; I can think of much worse obsessions than coffee. What do I love
about it?
There’s the smell of freshly roasted beans and then there’s
the whole process of making a cup. Yeah I know that you can get a pretty good
cup from those Nespresso machines. Yeah, I admit to having some lovely sups at
my sisters. I think I am in love with the process though; something akin to the
Japanese loving the ‘art of making tea.’
I don’t go quite that far, but anyone visiting (come over if
you are buying a book and I shall make you a freebie) can attest to my love of
the ‘process.’ If my behaviours cause amusement, then at least I have drawn a
smile to what otherwise may have been a boring day for the said visitor.
I search out the best beans and have arrived at the
conclusion that ‘fresh is best.’ Beans that are less than a week old since their
roasting are most definitely able to produce the best results. Supermarket
offerings usually don’t quite match up. I keep going back to a little café on
Manukau Road where they have a nice little number called ‘Mrs White.’ What I
have found for some of the very expensive brands is that they are better suited
to processes other than coffee machines. I think that they are meant for either
black coffee or plungers. For that wonderful ‘flat white,’ I like the afore
mentioned beans, but that’s not to say that there are no other great beans out
there. I will buy from cafes if they make a fine cup and can guarantee ‘fresh beans’
and then it is usually the ‘house brands’ that best suit my machine.
After I have ground my beans in my excellent grinder (don’t use
those cheap ‘cutters’—they are crap) and heated my machine, I let the coffee
extrude into my little clear cup. I love the way the colour changes from a chocolate
colour to deep brown or almost black. Then I ‘do the milk.’ There is an art in
this, if you want that silky smooth look. It can depend on the age and style of
milk.
Then, I sit down and relax, enjoying every last drop. Not
for me, those big cups of ‘flavoured milk’ you sometimes get at cafes in the
mistaken belief that you are getting quantity over quality.
If you have decided that I am a big fat snob when it comes
to coffee---go for it, while I sip on my delectable offering.
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