Streamlining Coffee
By: Lachmi Khemlani
Tags: Espresso Machine, Cleanup, Kids, Christmas Gifts, Timing

My kids gave me an espresso machine for Christmas. I found out later that there had been a lot of back and forth between them on what to get me, given my lack of interest in “stuff” — now that I am older, I am looking to get rid of the stuff that I have rather than acquire any more. In fact, when I first opened their gift package, I must admit to being a little dismayed — one more gadget to accommodate on my small kitchen countertop? I had a little drip coffee machine which I used every day and which I was perfectly happy with. Where was I going to put this new machine? And did I even need it, given that I enjoyed my drip coffee just fine? But I couldn’t even return the coffee maker, as it was a gift from my kids, and they had put so much thought into it. They had even got me all the paraphernalia that goes with an espresso machine — the little espresso glass cups and the pitcher for frothing milk.

My daughter, who loves coffee herself, excitedly set it up for me, and after spending some time figuring out how it works, made espresso for both of us. While the coffee was great, I was aghast at the mess that it created — there was water and coffee all over the counter, and there were so many things to wash up, not just the cups and the frothing pitcher but also so many parts of the machine itself. It seemed that for a few minutes of the pleasure of drinking coffee, there was close to 30 minutes of cleanup required afterwards.

This continued for the rest of the winter break that my daughter was home from college. She would make coffee for both of us, and even though she tried to clean up afterwards, I ended up having to do it again properly, being a stickler for cleanliness. The only consolation was that she could now enjoy coffee at home and did not need to keep going to coffee shops to get her daily caffeine boost.

After she left for college, I had a choice — continue using the espresso machine, or go back to using my drip coffee machine and pack up the espresso machine out of the way inside a cabinet, taking it out only when she visited home. I tried the second option for a few days, but I had to eventually acknowledge that the espresso tasted so much better. So, I went back to the espresso machine.

Having decided that I was going to continue using it, I now had to figure out how to make espresso with the minimum amount of steps, with the minimum amount of mess, and how to time it so that the coffee gets ready at the exact same time as the toasted bread sandwich I have for breakfast every day. It took me some time to figure it out, but I have now got it to the point where it works like a finely choreographed dance. I have dispensed with using both the separate expresso glass cups and the frothing pitcher, and I dispense the expresso directly in my coffee cup. Earlier, I used the frother that is attached to the coffee machine to directly froth the mix of espresso, cream, and sugar in my cup, but on discovering that the coffee tastes just as good without frothing — the expresso has a natural foam — I don’t even use the frother attachment any more, which makes one less thing to clean up afterwards.

I start by first toasting the bread, and while it is toasting, I get the espresso machine ready with the coffee and the water, placing my coffee cup with the sugar directly in the drip tray. (I don’t use the metal cover of the drip tray, eliminating one more item that needs cleaning up.) Then, while the machine is warming up, I finish adding the butter and cheese to my sandwich. By this time, the coffee is ready to be dispensed, and leaving the sandwich in the oven to stay warm, I dispense the coffee, add the cream, and microwave it to the temperature I like. I can now enjoy the coffee with my sandwich, both of which are ready at the same time. And the cleanup afterwards is so easy too — I just wash the filter and filter holder, empty the removable water well, and wipe the dispensing nozzle with a damp tissue. It is no more work than my earlier drip coffee machine.

I am now so invested in the espresso machine that I just bought a whole set of expresso cups to enjoy the coffee in. (So much for my desire to not accumulate more stuff.)

And, of course, I have managed to find a permanent spot on my kitchen counter for the machine.