Expresso

Hi!

Aite, let's forget introductions and get to good stuff!

Express(o)

Have you ever had that feeling where you hear something or see something so mind blowing you just want to be a part of it, part of its creation, part of its being?

There are times when I feel overcome with the sudden overflow of being in awe of a song or phrase or visual masterpiece. It's when I get that sudden rush of chills or when something feels so aching-ly beautiful it's almost heart breaking.

I somehow want to internalize it or make it a part of me so that I can be on that level - to be one with that epic-ness. It's a type of yearning that is impossible to satisfy and I'm left feeling bereft, like a dream you can't seem to remember or sand slipping through my fingers. For once it stops playing or you look away your connection to it is now ephemeral.

And then there's the jealousy of the masterful manipulations that put it together and I wish I could be a part of it's creation - like one in a full symphonic orchestra - surrounded by the grandeur of the music and knowing you are part of what is creating it.

Or there's the struggle to physically express this yawning emotion and knowing you're falling short of fully syncing with it - for a choreography, though beautiful, is too rehearsed, too planned to be swept away by the essence of it. It is the rare choreography that taps into that core but when it does it becomes one with the rest and then the cycle of jealousy restarts of that perfect melding of expressed expressions.

It's one of those feelings that I can't even being to describe - it's literally beyond words for me. So I wonder, am I able to convey such an abstract feeling? Am I speaking in circles and vague diction that has no meaning?

I know I am not alone in being overwhelmed by music or any art - it is after all what makes us human and capable of that kind of genius. But I wonder how this differs from me to another and if this is ever something that can be truly shared with another. Though two may be overwhelmed by the same thing, how they are overwhelmed can be a opposite as black and white. How do you share something that goes beyond words?

I leave you with a piece that struck both my brother and I from the moment we first listened to it:

I've included a few different versions (so far my favorite is still live or the recording I have ^_^).

E(s)presso

So while you're listening to some awesome Tchaikovsky, I'll explain the title a little for you. As you know, the it works for the previous topic (by removing the "o") but it also applies to this next topic (when you remove the "x" and replace it with an "s"). All in all a pretty good title for a double post, but not the whole story.

Recently it has come to my attention (of course through a few embarrassing stingers) that I don't actually say "espresso" - I say "eXpresso". I mean, I've seen the word a million times (going to Starbucks will do that) but I just always said expresso. It's not really that much of a difference, but when someone notices, well it becomes a big difference.

Originally I was going to just write about espressos which got me thinking about how I say expresso and led me to realize that it would totally work for this post title. Anyway, on to the actual post.

I am now the proud owner of my very own espresso machine! And since I am now the owner of said machine, I can't in good faith call it expresso anymore - I obviously need to respect the drink now that I am a home barista - haha. Essentially it's a 20yr old house warming gift that my mom never used (well she took the mini grinder, just never used the espresso machine).

So said machine can make your espresso (up to 4 double shots at a time) and also steam (heating and frothing) you milk. That's pretty awesome because it means I can make baller hot cocoa ^_^.

And it was my luck that I managed to find a set of 5 5oz. cups with plates (originally 6 in the set) with a stand for a very discounted price. I suspect that they are on the smaller size (more like 4oz) and might not be quite as multipurpose as I intended. I just recently also acquired a proper pitcher to use for steaming milk. I'm still on the lookout for a tamper (used to press down on the espresso grounds to pack them into the filter and ensure that the grounds are steeped evenly. And I'm probably on the look out for a container to seal away my espresso grounds... the fridge pretty much smells like espresso all the time.

Now before we go onto the many different types of drinks I've made/tried so far, let me clarify a little. I'm not in any way an espresso snob. I personally like espresso better than coffee (which I also have a machine for since my parents find themselves needing a cup when they visit) and learning how to make drinks for myself is fun and pretty easy with this system.

So essentially, that means that though I may eventually go out and find a tamper I will make do with what ever utensils I have on hand and I'm probably not going to be super picky about hand grinding my beans or weighing them out per pull (apparently a single shot of espresso takes 7g of ground beans and 30mL/~1oz).

Which reminds me coming into the world of espresso, you realize that there's a huge culture around it (not the Starbucks one, but the original European one - and that can also include the Turkish variety), which means it comes with its own set of diction, and most of it is Italian.

You might be familiar with things like single or double (doppio) shot of espresso. Pretty basic. But then there's terms like ristretto - where you use 75% of the water for a concentrated single shot, or lungo where you thin out the espresso. Oh and a pull is like saying you're brewing a cup of coffee - you pull a shot of espresso. And then there's the crema which honestly I still don't get - and I'm likely never to. But that's ok since I double I will 

Then of course you get into the drinks you can make - and they all start with a double shot of espresso. There are the drinks that are double shots with a topping of foam, heavy cream, or hot milk. This is where I learned that a macchiato for most people is really just a double shot topped with milk foam - not what they give you at Starbucks - those are just glorified lattes.

The next level up in drinks start with the basic double shot but have more on top (6oz drinks) - these are your cappuccinos, mochas, and americanos. There are a whole bunch of other unusual ones like breve which uses half and half, con panna which uses heavy cream, or affagato that has vanilla ice cream, but I'm interested in trying to make a flat white or a black eye. 

A flat white takes full advantage of fatty milk to make the espresso (a double ristretto shot) creamy and even a little sweet. There's a whole load of techniques with steaming the milk for this drink - cause you don't want any foam with the milk. 

A black eye is basically a coffee with espresso. This is more of a I have a coffee machine so I could theoretically make one to try it out. Probably not much more motivation there. It is highly likely that I go a little insane after drinking it.

The final category of drinks are your lattes - they are the 12oz drink that have a lot of milk in them. What I'm curious to try is making a chai or spiced milk tea and adding a shot of espresso - it's actually one of my favorite things to get at Starbucks when I have a free drink. The combination of espresso and spices sounds unusual but tastes great. 

I've noticed that a lot of people also make their own syrups for things like flavoring the milk in their lattes, and so I want to start by at least making my own vanilla syrup. It's not too hard and it would definitely add another option to my espresso making.

So finally, let's get to what I've actually made so far. I've discovered that my machine makes 2oz espressos only - that makes it great for when I'm making any drink, but limits me when I want to make or use only a single shot volume. If I'm going to be picky, at some point I'll weigh out the grounds and accurately measure out the water to make a shot.

With respect to the smaller drinks, I've mostly experimented. I've made double shots that I mixed with dark chocolate cocoa or spice packets, but I haven't yet made a macchiato - I was waiting on getting a pitcher that would actually let me do small volumes of milk (we'll see if the one I've picked up will work).

I've also made a few lattes and a chocolate latte (basically hot chocolate with an espresso double shot, not a true mocha by definition). I've gotten used to steaming my milk to make a nice (not spectacular) foam - I don't bother with fancy pouring, I just add the milk and dollop the foam on top in the end.

At some point I'll get what they mean when people talk about the milk looking glassy, but for now I'm content to play around with it.

It's fun to make (and I do enjoy a double espresso after my meals - especially lunch), and soon I'll be whipping drinks up with no trouble at all, blowing everyone away with my mad awesome skills ^_^.