Titanium. Coffee. Two words that stir the heart of any typical bike-riding addict. Tipped off to our addiction to all things espresso, the guys at pinkjersey.com brought this to our attention: the titanium version of the francisfrancis! X1 espresso machine; yours for a cool $1,399.
Pinkjersey.com also offers rather less stratospherically priced versions of the X1, starting at $600, which is about what espresso addicts generally agree a decent home espresso machine costs (and if you still think that’s a lot, don’t get me started - coffeeheads make the anal-retentiveness of your average bike-tech-geek look mild).
Oh, and in case you’re wondering exactly what all this has to do with cycling - aside from the shameless promotion of legal and tasty stimulant beverages - well, pinkjersey.com modestly claims it “may be the most comprehensive assortment of Italian cycle product found in on-line retail.”
As well as attempting to satisfy the addiction of cycling Italophiles, pinkjersey.com supports the work of the lance Armstrong Foiundation, Tyler Hamilton Foundation and Nicole Reinhart Memorial Fund.
I love that thing! Too bad it costs as much as a decent bike! Although, when I figure out the savings from not having to go to Starbucks every morning, it’d pay for itself in no time.
My loving wife hit me with a Capresso automatic for my birthday last year. Quite possibly the coolest and most functional gift I have ever received. I take my coffee seriously and this unit kicks real ass.
I call it my Barista in a Box. When I’m on the road and happen to get attitude from a Starbuckian 'spresso slinger, I like to image what appendages may need adjustment to fit them into “THE BOX.”
I am always surprised that more people don’t buy espresso machines for home use or have one sitting dormant in a cupboard somewhere. Yes, the upfront costs for a good home unit are about $600+, but the satisfaction, savings and entertainment value that you get out of one, over the long term will far out-weight the costs. Many of the people here on this page will spend more on race wheels, that they will use, what . . . maybe 10 times in a year! I use my machine daily and have for 10+ years.
When people come over to my place for coffee am most proud when they say with great regularity, “This is tastes better than . .”
A cheaper ($30-$100) version is the stove-top aluminum or stainless espresso maker. Bialetti and Kontessa make a bunch of different sizes. Every place we rented in Italy had one in the kitchen. We use ours everyday. If you buy one, the cup size they refer to is a demi-tasse. So a 12 cup is 12 cups of espresso.
I got one of the $15 stove top makers. That and cafe Bustelo or Goya expresso every morning. The cheep but pleasent cafe Goya I like best. Cuban style for me. I can take the Cafe pot with me when I travel. The water hot now see you all later.
I roast my own coffee, it’s about as hard as making popcorn. That $12 bag of roasted coffee costs about $4 when you buy green coffee. Plus it’s a lot of fun. I buy all my roasting supplies from www.sweetmarias.com.
Concur, those Saeco machines are fantastic and the standard all over Europe. For those of us that live in the real world I use my $50 Krups machine and buy cans of espresso at Trader Joe’s for $12. I don’t drink espresso all that often either - regular brewed coffee usually does the trick.
I’m thinking of sending Tom D a Krups dual coffee/espresso so he can absolve himself from Starbucks permanently and take his coffee intake to the next level. Seems like that Starbucks thread was an all timer.
Creating a fully-caffeinated buzz; we could not be more pleased, MOLTO GRAZIE! Yes, these machines are expensive, but how are they beautiful! The ESE (Easy Serve Espresso), also known as the pod, makes the morning brew ritual a breeze. You should know that the X3 is only $399. Here is a deal for you the multi-sport enthusiast. Purchase any FrancisFrancis! machine through our on-line store, and we will supply you with all the joe between now and the end of the year (limit one tin per week). As for that fully-caffeinated ride, please visit us on-line at www.pinkjersey.com.
I have a couple of stove top pots as well a stove top frother. These days I use my Toddy tm coffee ‘brewer’ more than any other method. It makes a 5 to 1 coffee extract. A one quart batch lasts me two weeks kept in the fridge. Since it is ‘brewed’ with cold water the tannic acids in the coffee grinds stay there while all of the flavor & caffine are extracted. Even average coffee is drinkable(though I usually grind whole beans kept in the freezer). I like my coffee expressso strength so I mix 1/3-1/2 extract to hot water. For regular coffee- heat 4oz in a cup in the microwave add 1oz.
For the smoothy drinkers ou there, a shot added will prevent any thoughs of a post workout nap!!
Process–It is basically a bucket with a filter in the bottom- fill with 1lb coffee & about 1 quart of water cover and leave in the fridge 24 hours. Pull the plugg and let it decant into the pitcher.
I am most intreged with the idea of roasting my own beans, I looked at the Sweet marias site & will probably give it a shot.
