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Espresso Enthusiasts

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I need help. I need to get my sister a gift for Christmas for a family secret Santa exchange.. Every time we go out to dinner, it seems like she orders an espresso. So what’s a good gift for people who like espresso? Budget is $50, but I could go up to $75 if there’s a good deal on something. She has a Nespresso machine.

I was thinking a nice set of espresso cups. Le Creuset makes some, but they don’t sell them in a multi pack.
 
What type of coffee does she make at home? Does she have an espresso machine?

If so and it takes beans, then beans. If she has a capsule machine, then yeah, cups. Le Creuset are nice ones although many people prefer the traditional thick-porcelain Italian cups. If she has a cafetiere (French Press) then beans but ask them to grind them for a cafetiere.
 
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adrianlondon said:
What type of coffee does she make at home? Does she have an espresso machine?

If so and it takes beans, then beans. If she has a capsule machine, then yeah, cups. Le Creuset are nice ones although many people prefer the traditional thick-porcelain Italian cups. If she has a cafetiere (French Press) then beans but ask them to grind them for a cafetiere.
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She just has a Nespresso machine with the pods I believe. I see Le Creuset also has a 2 pack of Cappuccino cups, so I might consider that. Is that suitable for espresso?
 
adrianlondon said:
If she uses the espresso to add to frothed milk as many people including me do at home, then yes, otherwise they're much too large.
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Ok, thank you.

So would you say the cup in the photo attached is espresso size? My sister sent this a while back.

IMG_0588.jpeg
 
dannyyankou said:
I need help. I need to get my sister a gift for Christmas for a family secret Santa exchange.. Every time we go out to dinner, it seems like she orders an espresso. So what’s a good gift for people who like espresso? Budget is $50, but I could go up to $75 if there’s a good deal on something. She has a Nespresso machine.

I was thinking a nice set of espresso cups. Le Creuset makes some, but they don’t sell them in a multi pack.
Click to expand...

I am a fan of and own notNeutral cups and glasses. Loveramics make comparable porcelain cups and saucers that are also very popular. I’m sure there are many other options but these two manufacturers seem to always come up as recommendations.

notNeutral Lino has five sizes in four colors; White, Gray, Black and Indigo.

notNeutral Large Latte Cup and Saucer 12 oz., small Latte Cup and Saucer 8 oz., Double Cappuccino Cup and Saucer 6 oz., Cappuccino Cup and Saucer 5 oz., Espresso Cup and Saucer 3 oz.

https://www.notneutral.com/collections/lino

The notNeutral Vero glasses are also nice and what I use for my daily cortados.

https://www.notneutral.com/collections/vero
 
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dannyyankou said:
Ok, thank you.

So would you say the cup in the photo attached is espresso size? My sister sent this a while back.
Click to expand...
I can't tell for sure from that photo, but the cup looks too big for an espresso cup. Maybe best to ask her!

I agree with GrandCeil's recommendation for Loveramics. I have a collection of them! Apart from some grey ones which are not on display, I have these. Love them.

IMG_0369.jpeg
 
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Re espresso cups, - as a gift for those who like espresso - my own personal opinion is that the small espresso cups are perfect. They look great, and are designed for this particular beverage.

Anything else - that is, anything larger, such as some of the cups or mugs that have been already shown here - work well, but only if one is preparing a different drink - such as a cappuccino - that starts with an espresso as a foundation.
 
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Enjoying an Ethiopian coffee with organic hot milk and a dash of double cream in my (volcanic orange - a welcome warm and vibrant splash of colour on this dark, dreary, overcast, dismal, December, day) Le Creuset mug.
 
DaveFromCampbelltown said:
The continuing adventure of my explorations with a Moka coffee pot.
  1. Grind size is incredibly important. The milder the coffee the finer the grind. Jeds #3 coffee beans need to have the grinder set to 40, while Aldi Medium beans need to have it set to 35 (a little finer).
  2. Against all other advice, I find that the coffee basket should NOT be filled to the brim. A little below the top is good.
  3. Make sure the top is firmly, and then a little more, screwed to the bottom. No air, steam or water should be seeping out of the join.
  4. Everything else still stands -- fill the pot with just-boiled water, use an aeropress filter, use gentle heat, take it off and put base into cold water as soon as it starts to splurt.
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Great info, just started messing around with my Bialetti Tricolore Moka pot.
I found that the coffee quality makes a big difference, not saying expensive is better but it just seem to make a big difference. Also messing around with the grind size, mine won't do espresso (Wilfa WSCG2) but near enough.
Also haven't figured out how to get the crema that some say mokapots can produce
 
Reverend Benny said:
Great info, just started messing around with my Bialetti Tricolore Moka pot.
I found that the coffee quality makes a big difference, not saying expensive is better but it just seem to make a big difference. Also messing around with the grind size, mine won't do espresso (Wilfa WSCG2) but near enough.
Also haven't figured out how to get the crema that some say mokapots can produce
Click to expand...

In Australia, the best quality coffees tend to come from local roasters, even commercial ones that roast for the supermarket chains.
This tends to be for two reasons --
  • Australian roasters, even the large scale ones, are very persnickety about their quality. Partly this is because many of them have Italian parents and/or grandparents who will clip them around the ears if they produce crap roasted coffee beans.
  • Imported beans, even from quality roasters, come by boat, and therefore are already 3 months old when they arrive, then they spend time in the warehouse, before finally arriving on the shelves. Australian roasted coffee generally hits the shelves within 2 or 3 weeks.
 
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An almost insane enjoyment accompanies my first mug of coffee on a (damp, dreary, dark) overcast Sunday in December.

Anyway, am currently sipping a mug of Ethiopian coffee served with organic hot milk, and a dash (or two) of double cream.
 
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Macky-Mac said:
once again, it's "cold" outside.....and a bit chilly inside the apartment as well, and my mug of coffee is now empty too soon
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Yes.

I hear you, I read you, I feel your pain (and - vicariously, in the worst possible sense) - I also feel the cold you describe, almost, but not quite, breaking out in goosebumps, or goose-pimples, in a sort of shuddering sympathy.

Damn winter.

Nevertheless, do enjoy every last drop of your (doubtless delicious) coffee.
 
Grumble, grumble.

I set a reminder - "Hey Siri, remind me to make coffee in 15 minutes". Needed to give Silvia time to warm. Reminder goes off and I go to the kitchen. Criminy, Silvia is off!
 
DaveFromCampbelltown said:
44 Deg outside yesterday. The big, grown-up Celsius degrees. It should be illegal...
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"The big, grown-up Celsius degrees"....

I like that; I may even borrow it, at some stage.

Personally, while I like heat and warmth (actually, while I love, effortlessly tolerate and thrill to heat and warmth and light) even I must concede that 44C is beyond - well beyond - my heat tolerant comfort zone.

I spent two years in Georgia - Caucasus Georgia - with the EU, and I must admit that the summers were punishing; a little over two months when daylight temperatures regularly exceeded 42, frequently reaching 44C. At night, it wouldn't drop below 25.

However, in the here and now, in my mid northern latitudes in bleak mid winter, approaching both Christmas and the solstice in December, it is cold, and dark, and dismal, and dreary and wet.

It is also approaching midnight, otherwise, yet another coffee would sorely tempt me.
 
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