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One of my connoisseur espresso-making friends here in the States tried shaming me into returning to the old fashioned method. He argued that “real” espresso lovers enjoy the challenge. I replied that the piazzas are filled with real espresso lovers sitting at outdoor cafés doing business while someone else is perfecting their pull and tamp skills. He wasn’t about to back done- nor was I.
Well, I was willing to bet on my Gaggia Academia Espresso Machine, so I suggested we get a group of friends together and have an Espresso Challenge. It was on! We picked a judging panel of nine friends to avoid a tie and set the date for the big competition. He used his great talents making individual espresso, Lungos and Cappuccinos. I watched intently as he heated the milk and frothed the coffee complaining about how one wasn’t quite the way he wanted it. Unfortunately, the “judges” couldn’t be served all at once since each cup had to be made one at a time.
I suggested we get a group of friends together and have an Espresso Challenge. It was on! We picked a judging panel of nine friends to avoid a tie and set the date for the big competition. He used his great talents making individual espresso, Lungos and Cappuccinos. I watched intently as he heated the milk and frothed the coffee complaining about how one wasn’t quite the way he wanted it. Unfortunately, the “judges” couldn’t be served all at once since each cup had to be made one at a time.
Then, it was my turn. I used my Gaggia Academia Espresso Machine and programmed it to make 9 cups of espresso followed by 9 cups of Lungo. I only had to move the cups from one spout to the other for the froth. My froth was the same for every single one and looked perfect to me. The judges were served all at one time with my system.
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I had forgotten how intense the entire process of making one cup of espresso could be until I watched him. Wow! I must have gotten spoiled. He had to clean the hopper and refill it each time he made a cup. Then, he had to grind the beans just right. Then, operate the pull for the exact amount of water he wanted. Then, tamp the grinds and finally a small stream of rich brown coffee oozed its way out. I pushed the “Espresso” button on my Gaggia Academia Espresso Machine and put the cup under the spout. I was done.
My competitor began cleaning his machine while I pushed the “clean” button as we awaited the official ruling on who won. The judging was based on taste, temperature and consistency. I only had to empty the internal and external trays while my challenger had to pull his entire machine apart. I stifled a slight giggle as I watched him. I even had time to refill the water tank and the bean hopper.
I’ll let you guess who won the contest since I seem to be the only one bragging about it. I made him a cup after our friends picked the winner. He agreed that it did make excellent espresso. I went by my friend’s house the other day thinking I would give him a bit of an ego boost and have him make me an espresso. Guess who just bought a Gaggia Academia Espresso Machine!
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