Hello Espresso!

I might have gone a little bat sh!t crazy and bought an espresso machine. Once you get yourself hooked on $5 dirty soy chai lattes from the local coffee shop your wallet weeps a little on a daily basis.  Here she is in all her glory:

I did my research and ended up with a De'Longhi EC702. It's semi-automatic, which means it requires a live being to do a little bit of work, which I enjoy.  They have others that will grind the beans, tamp the grounds and pull the shot for you but these tend to run in the $1000 and up price range. I'm pretty sure I even saw one that wipes your ass. I digress.

Many YouTube videos, including Alton Brown, random baristas, and some European dude filming himself with his camera phone, later I have managed to pull a few decent shots of espresso.  Jeremy is enjoying my new skill set especially since he does not have permission to touch my machine (which he doesn't have a problem with as long as I continue to make his lattes).

This purchase was in part to thwart some of the overhead on our morning cup of joe expenses. However, I failed to take into consideration that consumption has gone up do to the accessibility and perceived savings. Oh well, it still has it's entertainment value as I continue my quest to perfect my barista skill set. I see a mean neighborhood brunch at our place in the near future!