The new coffee pot

i learned to drink Italian style coffee while living in Rome

Italian style is espresso (demitasse cups of strong black liquid with a twist of lemon) or cappuccino (espresso with equal amount of steamed and foamy milk) or maybe a cafe latte (coffee with milk) or a cafe machiado (coffee "stained" with a little milk) or latte machiado (milk "stained" with a little coffee)

you can have your coffee in a cup or in a glass / i quite favored "in bicchiere, por favore" / (in a glass) although at home i seldom do this

beans are always freshly ground / just enough coffee is made that will be drunk immediately / there are no pots of coffee simmering on the burner waiting to be drunk / there is an immediacy to eating and drinking in Italy / life is lived very much "in the moment"

now is now / later will be the "new" now

the coffee pot i use is a Bialetti Moka Express / it comes in different sizes / the most common sizes are 3 / 6 / 9

so you can make coffee for 3 or 6 or 9 and it will be fresh with none left over

i have a 1 cup (looks like a child-size) and a 2 cup as well as a 3 and 6 cup Bialetti (there are other brands as well)

the 2 cup is my favorite / it makes just the right amount for my Moab Valley Humane Society hand made cup / then i add a cup of hot milk / perfetto !

it soon will need a new gasket / i hop onto the internet / shucks / turns out the 2 cup size is quite rare and uncommon (Italians tend to favor odd numbers over even) / no 2 cup gaskets anywhere / spare gaskets (which need to be replaced else the coffee doesnt rise, just leaks out the side) are readily available in all the other sizes

i discover a new 2 cup coffee pot / also made by Bialetti with a different style name / comes with a spare gasket / price is considerably higher which is a puzzle / i order one anyway

well fooey man chooey

first of all the beans must not be espresso grind / there is a measure for the water so that although the pot looks a lot bigger than my ordinary 2 cup it holds less water

the valve through which the coffee emerges from the bottom part has an additional gadget called the "frother" / apparently this is designed to give a creaminess to the coffee and Oh / it takes at least three times to break it in before you get a good cup of coffee / put it on a small burner on high with the lid open / watch closely as it only takes 2-3 minutes for the coffee to literally burst through the frother

i tried it this morning / it is more like "regular" coffee than espresso / rather disappointing / poo poo na na / back in the box you go

ps / maybe i will give it two more tries / meanwhile i save the coffee it is making and will use it to make coffee ice cream / um yum

happy holidaze, everyone