I love my new Bialetti Brikka I got for Christmas. I seasoned it about 4 times before my first drink but it continues to get better with each run. I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve used it at this point and it’s only been a week. I don’t drink the espresso straight but instead make a pseudo-latte. I’m sure coffee aficionados will baulk but I simply create a 1-part espresso/2-parts milk drink. Just plain old non-fat milk – no frothing. Heat the milk up in the microwave, add the espresso from the Brikka when it’s ready, and nuke it more as necessary. I probably won’t bother doing anything more complex because: it satisfies my caffeine, coffee urge (something regular drip coffee never does), it’s fast and easy for making in the morning when I’m in a rush, and it will continue to make trips to local coffee shops for a “proper” latte worthwhile (just much less frequent).

Speaking of which, the Brikka arrived just in time. My job will be in a different building in 2008 which doesn’t take me past my favorite coffee shop aptly named The Coffee House. I won’t be frequenting it as much which is a good thing overall since it will save me money.

I’d also like to give a shout out to Polcari’s Coffee. My cousin Heidi got me 3 varieties of coffee from there for our family’s Christmas gift exchange. I’ve only sampled the Sumatra thus far – it’s quite tasty and I’m looking forward to the other 2 beans.