I’m a creature of simple desires and habits. Really. One of my more serious desires, covetings actually, if the truth be known, was to have my very own Krups machine. For those of you not in the know, a Krups is a combination regular coffee maker and espresso coffee maker. All in the one unit. A black, sensuous, blue lighted, serious piece of kitchen equipment. Made in Germany. Like the Mercedes Benz. Only better.
But it seemed like the height of extravagance and well, okay, downright decadence to get one. When I already had some coffee machines (I collected cheap ones like others collect tea spoons, okay? alright? stop that snorting at the back of the room, please) and a separate espresso machine. So what if their fluidic output fell far short of a Tim Horton’s or a Starbucks. Or that they leaked and couldn’t pour worth a damn. And did some strange things even to the best of coffee beans. Yeah, did I mention I grind my own? I do. I’m a very, very serious coffee aficionado. And I was brought up on tea and Irel and instant if we had coffee. Go figure that one out.
So I took the plunge, about two months ago. I did a web search on the model I wanted and found it in Quebec. And it was half price. And it only took five days to ship it to me.
And it has been a love affair ever since. Did you know a Krups comes with a built-in coffee measure? It does. Do you know neither of its pots’ spouts leak? Did you know the foam from its steamer is the highest? Ever?
I croon to it like a lover. Every morning. Every night. And without fail, it reminds me of all the good coffees I’ve ever shared. Everywhere. Paris. Toronto. Montreal. Chicago. Dublin. London.
Thank you, thank you Krups.
P.S. Mama loves you.
Sounds wonderful. I'm back to using instant after marrying a non-coffee drinker. I can't stand the stuff that's been sitting in the pot for ages, and making 'proper' coffee for one seems, well, not possible.
ReplyDeletemy older brother is a coffee aficianado. he has spent a lot of time in europe and lived in germany for a year and he can't understand why american coffee is so lousy. (weak, i think he means.)
ReplyDeleteso he would identify with this lovely post more than i do.
me, i dunk about 1/4 up of cream in the cup, heat it in the microwave, and then add coffee. yum.
a different brother gave me a Krups for christmas and i have to admit i don't even know how to use it....
I'm a Nescafe freeze-dried drinker WWW. I love the smell of fresh ground coffee, but over many years of trying I never did find the taste to match the smell, so I gave up and took the easy way out - Nescafe.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK they sold some specialised varieties of Nescafe which I found to be excellent, a little more expensive though. I haven't found anything similar here in the US though.
My husband prefers "real" coffee and after experimenting with different machines has now gone back to the old cafetiere (sp?)
If I could only get the taste to match the smell no machine would be too expensive!
Oh Dot:
ReplyDeleteYou are worth the making of every drop. Trust me! Your days will be soooo much better!
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Laurie:
I think it the beans for your brother, too. As to your method? Oh Laurie!!!! You're on your own! maybe the Krups should stay in its box unless I visit?
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T:
You have to buy fresh beans and grind them yourself for that exquisite smell and taste. I am looking at roasting my own too, all one needs is apparently a popcorn popper. More on that later.
Coffee making could be a full time day job, right/ ;^)
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Oh, give me a decent mug of tea any day! The British working man's drink of choice - well, next to Banks's Best Bitter, that is. (I am, of course, referring to proper tea, well-brewed, with the addition of a little milk - not that iced rubbish with fruity flavors Americans drink all the time.)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you regarding Krups, though. My wife and I got so fed up buying American toaster ovens, only to have them disintegrate after a few months, that we bought one manufactured by Krups. It's excellent, and still like new after two years of frequent use.
RJA:
ReplyDeleteOh don't get me wrong I adore a good cup of tea, but don't even get served that in ireland anymore, just those floor-sweepings tea bags on offer everywhere. Now Barry's of Cork in its white and gold 1/4 lb bag - there's a tea! My dad used to cart me out a year's supply at a time, Maude rest him.
glad to hear Krups make toaster ovens too, I'll remember that when the Betty Crocker, I know, I know, finally fails me.
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You've got me seriously tempted with your rave Krups review! J and I always use a cafetiere which we're quite happy with, but maybe we don't know what we're missing? I haven't drunk instant coffee for years, it's vile, why there's such a taste for it in the UK I can't fathom. In countries like Italy there's just no market for the stuff, nobody drinks it except tourists.
ReplyDeleteIn a pinch, Nick, I've used a cafetiere but it comes nowhere near the Krups. Perfect temperature has a huge effect on good coffee. Most cheap machines don't have that capability and I find that people boil the water for the cafetiere.
ReplyDeleteI'm never going back!
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Isn't it awful when people who have never in their life had a really good cup of coffee try to put their two cents worth in? Man, we coffee drinkers know what we talk about when we say "good coffee." Americans especially need to tread carefully here, because Starbucks does not make good coffee. They just have the reputation that they do. My next coffee maker will definitely be a Krups, that is after my Senseo breaks down.
ReplyDeleteIrene:
ReplyDeleteOh I just knew you'd be on the same page of the hymn book as me!!!
I agree Starbucks is hopeless, I love the smaller non-franchise coffee houses like Auntie Crae's here in St. John's who roast their own beans the same day. Heaven. I also believe in buying fairtrade beans when I can.XO
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I think we can sing the whole darn hymn book together. Maybe have a few squabbles about interpretation and tone of voice here and there, but other than that...You know it is my biggest wish to be just like you when I grow up.
ReplyDeleteI use a basic percolator from Ikea on the stove. It's good enough but the idea of Krupps really made me salivate. Oh my, I love coffee too.
ReplyDeleteCoffee has that certain 'otherness' about it,
a treat,
something totally different,
a hot comfort in a chilly Scottish winter,
lending inspiration to write, something to reach for when caring for wee kiddies gets too tiring.
And see, even though it's not even lunch time, I am yawning already and looking blurrily at the kiddies. Time for a coffee or perhaps a nap?
Oh Irene:
ReplyDeleteYou flatter me so totally and I need that on this rainy, gloomy day in NL when the slings and arrows of my family of origin have the capacity to hurt me more deeply than I care to admit!
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there is something so consoling about coffee, Hull, a party in a mug.
ReplyDeleteOh you would enjoy the Krups, I can tell.
At night I make a decaff cappucino and life looks a lot better!
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