Creator1

Ah Espresso! Bringer of mornings more often than the sun. I got hooked on the stuff when I worked at Starbucks – go figure!

Shortly after getting hooked I stopped buying espresso, or anything from Starbucks. Aside from my personal feelings about Starbucks, their coffee is usually bad – so sue me, the company might. Within a week, I had my first espresso machine that our dog knocked off the counter on the third day.

I’m about ten days into being hooked on espresso when I moved onto my second espresso machine, having zero chance to use my first one (the cheapest option), I opted for the cheapest modestly priced machine, a De’Longhi. The model is probably out of production now. I used this for almost 3 years and it made it through 3 moves to different states during that time.

But all good things must come to an end, at least for my espresso machine and I. The machine works great still and was given to a family friend of ours, but it gave me the nudge of convincing I didn’t need to buy a new one! I was delighted when the De’longhi – Digital All-In-One Combo espresso/coffee machine made it’s trip from Amazon to my doorstep!

The exterior is a sleek black and stainless steel, it has a smooth digital display. Compact and efficient, it boasts a 10 cup pot of coffee, a portafilter (the espresso handle), and a milk frother on the left. There is also a knob above that used to control the frother.

Making espresso is easy and aromatically rewarding. Make sure the reservoir, located in the back of the machine, is full. All you have to do is insert grounds into the portafilter (handle thing). Next you press 2 buttons (the on/off button, and the middle button which just has a coffee cup). This espresso machine will hold a double shot of espresso and you can use espresso pods if you’d like. Keep in mind that for espresso, you’ll want to have fine grains as to not clog it.

For drip coffee it’s just as simple. The De’Longhi coffee pot comes with a metal coffee filter, which I use exclusively, but it also fits #4 filters. Like the espresso machine, you fill the reservoir, this time, located in the section above the coffee pot. Next you place you grounds in the filter and press the digital display button that says ‘Coffee ON/OFF’ and wait about 10 minutes. Unlike espresso, you will want to make sure your grounds are medium as espresso grounds would be too thin.

This has created the best affordable, reliable espresso I can make in my house. Well worth the investment, and is perfect for home or small office use. It is my staple for making rich and delicious lattes on chilly winter morning, or a large pot of coffee you put on while you write blog posts late at night. It’s more than just a machine, it’s a bringer of temporary morning happiness, one tasty, piping hot sip at a time.

If anyone was curious; this is how I make my latte in the morning;

Latte

• double shot of espresso (local roaster’s batch)
• Ghirardelli Caramel sauce (1 pump)
• Torani white chocolate sauce (1 pump)
• FairLife milk, about 1/2 cup heated up
• all put in a single cup, stirred, and sipped