Coffee Mystery Solved

For months I have been pondering the issue of why coffee I make in my little imported Italian espresso machine tastes vaguely burnt. It’s not bad, just a little off. I even asked my zia Lelia in Italy to see if she had any suggestions, which she did, but I had already tried those, to  no avail.

Last week there was some Kicking Horse coffee on sale at the grocery store, and feeling in a “fair trade” kind of mood, I bought it.  I had rescued my dad’s old coffee grinder when we closed the house all those years ago, so I pulled it out and tried grinding the coffee. Except the blades had gotten dull over the years, and so it was just ‘chunking’ the coffee as opposed to grinding it. Being in a frugal mode, I wanted to purchase a new grinder, but didn’t want to spend more than $20, since I can squeeze that into my budget ($40 for a swanky Krupps one, not so much.)

Yesterday I ran across a nice Black & Decker one for $14.95 at Canadian Tire, which was just the price point I was looking for, so I snagged it immediately.

This morning I pulled out the Kootenay Crossing beans, which is a medium roast, and the coffee grinder, and bizzed up the beans as required. (For an espresso machine, they need a fine grind, so I bizzed them up for about 25 seconds or so.) The smell in my kitchen was just wonderful. I’ve always loved the smell of ground coffee, even when I didn’t drink it. Growing up I would always grab the can of coffee away from my mother when she was making the morning espresso for her & my dad, and just stick my face right in it. Inhaling deeply, I was in heaven. My kitchen now smells like that right now, and it’s just bliss!

I pulled out my Bialetti espresso machine, poured in the water, spooned in the coffee and put it on the stove. And I waited. A few minutes later, the coffee percolated up, and I poured it into a cup. The smell was just wonderful, and I took a sip to know if I had to put any sugar in it (no comments from you coffee purists out there. I know I ruin my coffee with sugar & milk, leave me be.)  It tasted pretty good, but is a tad bitter for my taste, so I tossed in a sugar packet and a dollop of milk. While I always put some sugar and milk/cream in my coffee, I am reducing how much I put in. And I took a sip.

Wow, what a sip! Just fabulous! I think I have finally solved my coffee dilemma. The Kicking Horse Kootenay Crossing was just heavenly. I slowly sipped my double espresso and enjoyed it. (My machine is a two-cupper, but I drink all of the coffee that it brews, unlike my sister, who only drinks the single. When I go out and order coffee in Italy, or even at a cafe here in Canada, I only order a single, but at home, I drink the double. I guess I need all the caffeine I can get at 7:30am. )

So there you have it folks, when making coffee in your espresso machine, make sure the coffee grounds are as fresh as you can possibly get them. Otherwise you’re not enjoying your coffee to its fullest.