Mr. Coffee ECM250 4-Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker
$36.96 At Amazon. Normally $39.99

I can hear the espresso purists screaming now, saying that the Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker isn’t a real espresso machine. Technically they’re right, but it does make very drinkable lattes, cappuccinos and peppermint mochas. Maybe even better than some that I’ve had in some coffee shops.

Here’s the difference between the Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker and the more expensive ones. The Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker uses steam power to brew the espresso. Higher end machines use a pump driven system. The result is that the Mr. Coffee uses less pressure to brew the espresso and brews it at a higher temperature. There is a taste difference and there’s no denying that the more expensive models can make better quality espresso.

That being said, the Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker is a solid machine and a great alternative to shelling out five dollars at Starbucks every morning.

(Mostly) Easy To Use

Fill the reservoir with water. For one espresso shot, I’ll pour four cups of water into the reservoir. That’s more than enough for the espresso and for the steam used for the frothing.

There’s enough room in the reservoir to make two espresso drinks, but if you want to make more, you’re going to have to wait in between drinks. If you try to open the screw cap to add more water before the pressure has gone down inside the reservoir, you could get burnt by the hot water that gushes out. I’ve learned this from first hand experience.

Next add the coffee grounds to the filter. Inside the filter there’s a line for one or two shots of espresso. It would’ve been great if it came with a tamper. Their instructions suggest using the coffee scoop. I suggest getting a tamper.

Insert the filter into the machine and make sure it’s turned far enough to the right for it to lock into place.

Put the glass carafe with it’s lid underneath it.

Turn it on. Make sure you turn it to the brewing position. If you turn it to the frother position, things can get messy. Another thing that I’ve learned from first hand experience.

It does take a few minutes for the water to heat up, but this gave me enough time to get the milk, and other ingredients to make the drinks.

For one espresso shot, I turn it off when the espresso has reached the two cup line.

I read some complaints about it leaking steam or even hot espresso coming out of the filter, but I haven’t had any problems with that.

I pour that into my coffee mug, rinse the glass carafe out and pour about two cups of milk into it for a latte. It would be nice if it came frothing pitcher, but since it doesn’t, the glass carafe gets double duty.

Make sure you have the frothing arm in the milk before turning it on. It can get messy if you don’t do it that way. You can guess how I figured that out.

Heat until the milk starts to get warm, then pull the frothing arm almost out of the milk to create the foam. On my list is to get a milk thermometer, but for now I just monitor the temperature by feeling the temperature of the glass.

Turn it off before pulling out the frothing arm all the way and quickly clean off before it has time to cool. The frothing arm can be difficult to clean, but it’s the only part of this machine that’s a challenge to clean.

From there, you just pour the milk in to your cup, followed by the foam.

The only real areas that need to be cleaned are the filter and the drip tray. Both are about as easy to clean as coffee maker.

Final Thoughts

The espresso is okay tasting, but the lattes and other drinks are better than I’ve had at some coffee shops. At under $40, you can make eight drinks and you’ve already saved enough to cover the price of it.

I still have dreams of a $2500 Gran Dama Super Automatic Espresso Machine, but until then this will get the job done.

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for someone that has a beginner or medium level of interest in coffee, this would be a great present. I received this as a birthday gift this year and I can’t get enough of it. I have a very bad habit of using it just about daily to make espresso

The Good

• (Mostly) Easy To Use
• (Mostly) Easy To Clean
• Affordable

The Bad

• Not The Best Quality Espresso
• Only Can Make 1 Or 2 Drinks At A Time
• Slow

Buy The Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker

On sale at Amazon for $36.96 Normally $39.99

Mr. Coffee Espresso Maker Review is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

The Drink: Limu from Barista On Duty
Type: Whole Bean
Overall Rating: 3.25 out of 5 coffee cups

Last night, I was sipping on Limu from Barista On Duty. It’s the third coffee that he sent me to sample earlier this month. I thought that the Yirgacheffe was above average and the Harrar was amazing. The Limu was good, but I think it could’ve been better.

It was my first time tasting any coffee from the Limu region of Ethiopia. I even had to look it up to see where the region was located (Western Ethiopia for those who were curious.), so I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I poured it until my cup.

The aroma was a mix of nutty, earthy and slightly wine-like. It was pleasant, but didn’t blow me away like the Harrar.

Half of me liked the taste, the other half thought there could’ve been more to the taste. The taste was a delicate mixture of a wine-like flavor, chocolate and dark cherries. It wasn’t bad, I just felt like it was about ready to burst of my tongue with flavor, when it didn’t.

The after taste was filled with a nutty-cherry mix.

Overall, it was a very smooth coffee and I could see myself drinking this again. After reading Paul’s review of the Limu at Caffination, I think he was right on point about this one. It could’ve been roasted a little longer to pull out more of the flavor.

It’s really not fair to taste this coffee after tasting the Harrar. The Limu is still an above average coffee with a 3.25 rating, but it wasn’t knock my socks off great.

I highly recommend following Barista On Duty on Twitter. I also think that everyone should support an independent artisan roaster and try out some of his coffees.

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Photo by - luz -

Limu from Barista On Duty – What I’m Drinking is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

If you have someone that loves coffee, but aren’t sure what kind of coffee to get them, a coffee cup or mug is a great idea. It’s also the perfect gift for that for teachers, coworkers or neighbors. Everyone needs something to hold their coffee. I already have lots of coffee mugs and tumblers, but I always want more.

Rocketfuel Travel Coffee Mug

Thanks to Lisa RocketFuel Coffee, I actually had this mug appear in my mailbox earlier this month. From first hand experience, I can tell you that it keeps coffee warm and goes great with anything from Rocketfuel.

Buy it for $12 at The Rocketfuel Coffee website.

Community Coffee Tumblers

Community Coffee has two holiday travel mugs that would make for a great gifts.

You can buy both of these for $6.95 at the Community Coffee website.

Casa Moda Coffee Signs Set of Four Mugs

This set of four would be a great addition to any kitchen. That’s a hint, hint for anyone that’s shopping for me.

You can buy this set at Amazon for $25.

NY Ceramic Cup 10-Ounce We are Happy to Serve You Ceramic Cup

Growing up in the New York area, I remember seeing the paper versions of this cup everywhere. I never thought that I would actually want a ceramic version, but I do.

Purchase this for $12 at Amazon

New York Yankees 2009 World Series Champs Black Coffee MUG

This is a must have for anyone that is a Yankee fan and loves coffee. Another hint, hint on this one.

Buy this mug for $1299 at Amazon.

Boca Java Tumbler

Get this shiny tumbler for $19.95 at the Boca Java website.

Do you have any coffee mugs or cups on your list?

Coffee Cups And Mugs – 2009 Holiday Guide is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

Coffee Chicken? Yup, you read that right. I know it’s not a combination that you hear every day, but hear me out. This recipe creates delicious grilled chicken that’s just a touch spicy, has a hint of coffee and is full of flavor.

This recipe combines several of my favorite things coffee, grilling and chicken. I also discovered a new favorite ingredient – jalapeño jelly. First time that I’ve used it a recipe and hopefully it isn’t the last.

Special credit goes out to my friend Faith Respler for helping me out with this recipe. She actually found the original version of this recipe, did most of the work and allowed me supervise and pay special attention to the coffee aspects.

Ingredients

• Four skinless boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Olive Oil

Brine Ingredients:

• ½ a cup of coffee. For best results use a dark roast coffee brewed strong. We used Cafe Bustelo and the results were great.
• ¼ cup of kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds or Dijon mustard
• 3 cups of cool water

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 slices of cooked bacon, diced
• ½ onion, minced
• 1 cup of coffee
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• ¼ cup of jalapeño jelly
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the brine. Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved.
2. Carefully pour into a ziploc bag and add chicken breasts. Remove as much air as possible, then seal the bag and refrigerate for at least one hour. For best results keep it in the refrigerator for two to three hours.
3. Cook the bacon in a skillet at medium heat. Remove the bacon fat then add in the onions. Cook until the onions are soft.
4. Add the coffee and beef stock. Cook until the mixture is reduced to about one cup.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
6. Add the jalapeño jelly, brown sugar and mix until it’s fully incorporated.
7. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly rub the meat with olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper.
8. Grill chicken for four to six minutes per side. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, season to taste and serve with the sauce.

If you live in an area where it’s already too cold to grill, you can cook these on your stove top at medium to medium-high heat. Just extend the cooking times slightly longer.

As a coffee fanatic, I wouldn’t complain if I could taste more coffee, but it really balanced out well with some of the spicier flavors in this recipe.

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Photo by Another Pint Please….

Caramelized Coffee Chicken is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

The Drink: Founder’s Blend from Community Coffee
Type: Whole Bean
Roast: Medium-Dark
Overall Rating: Four out five coffee cups

Coffee blends can be a dangerous game. Often you don’t know what you’re getting. There are blends were the origins of the beans are left off the label or suspiciously vague. Sometimes, I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m drinking a blend of beans that were found somewhere in the back of the warehouse.

That’s definitely not the case with the Founder’s Blend from Community Coffee. The Founder’s Blend is an impressive mix of Colombia Toledo-Labateca, Kenya AA, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Brazil Santos Bourbon. The difference in this blend, compared to the others is very clear.

The aroma was just about perfect. Coming from my coffee cup was a floral scent with a nutty hint mixed in.

The taste was intense. Each sip had a lot going on.

On the front of my tongue was a nutty taste. This is where the medium-dark roast flavor came through. This tasted like the Colombian and Brazilian beans.

There was a fruit/winelike taste in the middle. This seemed like evidence of the Kenyan and Ethiopian beans.

Mixed in were hints of dark chocolate, almonds and just touch of citrus fruit like oranges.

And did I mention that there’s a roast date on the bag.  Huge bonus points for that.

This would be the perfect kind of coffee to serve when you have friends or family over these holidays. It would also make a pretty good gift. It’s full of flavor and will please most coffee drinkers.

After hearing a lot of positive feedback about last year’s Founder’s Blend, I had high expectations for this coffee. It met all of those expectations and then some. Another solid four out of five on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale.

The Founder’s Blend is only available for a limited at Community Coffee, so if you’re thinking about it, go for it now.