Enzo came back on Tuesday evening---he seems to be back in great form and we're very happy to have him back. (Enzo being our La Marzocco FB/70 Espresso Machine.)

I had some free time to actually learn how to make my first Espresso. Lucy's a fantastic barista and instructor, and I learned there are a litany of factors that affect every great shot, from the way the coffee is ground, to how it is tamped into the grouphead, the concept of preinfusion, and looking for when the crema reaches a certain colour to know when the shot is finished (did I mention coffee ground size, water temperature and filtration, quality of coffee, the ethereal nature of coffee oils, etc.?)

So how did my shot turn out? It was a lovely syrupy consistency, similar to a fine lemon glaze, with a lovely thick brown crema that remained even after two minutes. Our single origin Peruvian coffee is organic and fairtrade, but better yet, it's yummy.

And yes, it takes longer to make a proper coffee this way than the simple one-button method over at Caffe Nero, but trust me, it's worth the wait.

-b