Mmm, Foam.

Some time ago, I had a combination coffee machine, espresso/ cappucino machine. Life was good. I had the coffee machine for my nice, easy everyday coffee and the espresso machine for a treat (or an unusually early morning.) Unfortunately, the good times ended when the steam driven half of the contraption stopped working. I was left with a coffee maker as big as a bread box and no Saturday morning treat.

Well, back to the present, the coffee maker was put out to pasture long ago with the purchase of a nice new Michael Graves unit with a timer for fresh coffee the moment I roll out of bed. In addition, my friend Malfunction54 had 2 nice little stand alone espresso machines which he never used (yeah, I don't get it either) and was willing to part with. One, as he told me, has issues. It certainly does. A cycle sends scalding water and steam showering in all directions. Bad seals, I guess. The second one, however, is so nice to use that I can even make it work in my pre-caffeinated morning time. No more Fourbucks ventis for me. I'm brewing it myself.