Discombobulated is a great word. It's so descriptive and it's what I am this morning.
I put off Safeway yesterday so I had to go today. We needed milk and I had to drop off a prescription. I also needed gas, not for me, I have enough, but for the Plymouth. I didn't want to get interrupted while I was on a writing roll so I went before I started the blog.
The following is an educated guess: The pharmacy manager lives in this time zone. He drives to work so no airport or train station wait. It's not very early, like 6, 7, or 8 he needs to open. It's 9 o'clock in the frigging morning. At 9:10 a.m. the shades were down and the lights were off. Two pharmacy techs were waiting and one offered to take my script. She's been working there for as long as I've been a customer. I trust her and thanked her and went on my milk buying way.
I really dislike and don't understand people who are habitually late. I've been dealing with the place for so many years I don't want to change. Oh, I forgot to get gas.
My espresso/latte this morning was my first attempt with all the new tools in place. The grinder, tamper and brush. I set the grinder at #2 fine, 4 double shots and 35 seconds. I transferred the coffee from the grinder to my 'holding container.' The book says I should have 16 to 20 grams in my brew basket but it's been years since I measured anything in grams. I don't have a triple beam balance scale so I used the 'fill the basket to overflowing' method.
I digress: I just did the math...20 grams=47.32 ml.=3 tbsp. Wish I thought of this earlier. Tomorrow I'll use 3 tbsp.
So, now I had an overflowing brew basket that I leveled off using the finger hook and sweep method. The next step is the tamp and I need the bathroom scale on the kitchen counter. As we keep the scale next to a toilet I put paper (not toilet paper) on the counter and scale. I put the brew basket on the scale and using the tamper I exerted exactly 30 lbs. of pressure on the grinds. I removed the tamper with a twist which levels and smooths the puck. The coffee is now called a puck because it looks just like hockey puck. I think it looks like an air hockey puck but why complicate things?
The next step is milk frothing. I use a 1 1/2 cup capacity straight side metal cup with a thermometer and the skim and sink method. I put the steam wand just under the milk surface and skim to about 90 degrees. Next I sink the wand until the milk is just under 160. This produces a good amount of air bubbles making a nice frothy blend. The milk stays hot longer than the espresso so I set it aside and move to the next step which is the brew, or pour.
The water used to froth the milk is much too hot for the coffee so this is critical. I run hot water from the machine into the brew basket holder. This drops the water temperature and warms the holder so the coffee isn't shocked. I discard the water, place the basket (with the puck) in the holder lock it in place and am ready to brew.
A good espresso shot should take between 20 and 30 seconds, with 27 ideal. A new source says it's not the time but the coloring that makes for a great shot. The pour is first dark brown then light brown and ends with a caramel, or crema, top. This is called the rule of thirds.
With everything in place I use two shot glasses to hold my pour. I'm now ready for the perfect espresso and a great tasting latte.
Bet you're wondering how it's going.
I have all this new fancy equipment so the preparation takes me twice as long. Up to this point everything tastes pretty much the same, but I'm working on it. I've only made two lattes. I expect that before 2015 I should have it down cold, or even better, hot.
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