Do you love your coffee?

Can't afford a Coffee Machine?

If you are anything like me, you love your coffee but you can't justify the expense of one of those fancy coffee machines. "Fair enough", I say, those things can be expensive.

I have a solution

I accidentally discovered a way to make a fantastic cappuccino or latte or piccolo and I've been showing friends my method ever since.

Here's how....

Part One: The Presso

This is a Presso Coffee Maker and at this point I'd like to point out that I have nothing to do with Presso, I just love their product!

The Presso makes a fantastic espresso and it does it while taking up only a little space in your cupboard and only making a little dent in your wallet. I picked mine up for $180 Australian dollars.

Order one today, you will not be disappointed.

I wont waste space here showing you how the Presso works, just jump to their site and check it out for yourself.

That being said, there are a few things for you to know about your Presso to get the best out of it. I've been using mine daily for over a year and have learnt a few things.

1. Make sure the water is boiling. And I mean boiling. If it's not coming straight from the kettle, make sure you pre heat the jug the water will be coming from so you don't loose any heat while filling the jug.
2. Pre heat the portafilter. That's the bit the coffee grind goes in. I do this by pouring water, straight from the kettle, through the portafilter. This is especially important if you live in a cold climate like I do.
3. Pre heat your coffee cup. Again, just throw some of the water from the kettle into the cup before using it in the Presso, wait for it to warm the cup and then throw it out.
4. Tamp your coffee into the portafilter. If you don't tamp the coffee well enough the water will filter through too fast and not taste very good.
5. Spend $2 and buy some self adhesive rubber matting and stick it on the base of the Presso. If you don't, the metal base of the Presso might leave marks all over your bench top (It did at my workplace). The mat also helps stop the Presso from leaping across the bench when some Neanderthal presses the levers down at the speed of light.
6. Have your coffee supplier grind to about a No. 21 grind. This means the grind is fine enough to give some pressure during the pour. It also means you don't need to buy a grinder. Don't panic that you are not doing a "daily grind" just before pouring. I've tried both and cannot taste the difference. But it IS critical to keep the coffee in an airtight container, in the freezer if you can, but don't fret if you can't. Air will destroy the ground coffee beans faster than you think. Once ground, keep it sealed.

Part Two: Milk Micro foam

Now, this is the real reason I'm here.

It is the milk that makes a great morning coffee. Most of us, here in the western world, prefer our coffee with milk. Be it a cappuccino or a latte, a piccolo or even a flat white. But it's not just the milk. It is how the milk is turned into micro foam that makes a difference. Ever had a cappuccino that tasted like a a cup of instant coffee? Well the micro foam in that was probably non existent.

Micro foam is what gives your coffee it's beautiful smooth texture.

Micro foam aficionados will tell you lots of things need to be done correctly to get good micro foam and then proceed to explain where you must hold the steam tip in the milk jug.

But what if you don't have a steam tip? I know I don't.

Well I've found you can make great micro foam using just a normal coffee plunger (sometimes called a French Press) and a microwave and it's dead easy.

This is what my plunger looks like. I bought it from Woolworths for about $15.

Follow these instructions...

1. Fill the jug with milk to just under half way.
2. Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Open the microwave and swish the milk around in the jug to even out the heat.
4. Warm the milk in the microwave for another 30 seconds. The milk should now be at 65ºC or 150ºF. If it isn't adjust the time the milk is in your microwave to suit.
5. Remove the milk from the microwave and place the plunger into the jug.
6. Make 4 to 5 FULL LENGTH plunges into the milk. Go as fast as you like here. You are trying to introduce air into the milk. Don't go too hard though as the milk will leap right out of the jug.
7. Make 10 to 15 FULLY SUBMERGED plunges in the milk making your plunges slower and slower as you go. This is where you are "stretching" the milk into micro foam. By "submerged", I mean place the end of the plunger in the milk and don't pull it up out of the milk again. You are just doing half length plunges.
8. Pour the micro foam into your coffee.
9. Drink and enjoy.

This method of plunging is a "feel" thing. All milk is different and stretches at different rates. One carton of milk will stretch beautifully in 10 plunges another will take 5. Occasionally I've had milk that just will not stretch at all and stays almost flat in the plunger!

You will feel the plunge become firmer in the milk as you go. The firmer it gets the stiffer the micro foam will be. Don't go too far. or your whole coffee will be like the top of a latte. As I said, it's a "feel" thing. It might take a few cups to get the hang of it, but keep trying and you'll quickly become an expert at it.

Good Luck and I hope you enjoy making your coffee as much as I do.

FAQ

1. But you said I didn't have to spend a fortune. The Presso is almost $200 bucks? Yes it is, but that is one tenth the price of a half decent coffee machine and it requires no maintenance. Think of it this way if you like. If you are buying just one cup of coffee a day you are spending about $1500 on coffee each year. Use a Presso with your own coffee and milk and it'll cost about $250 a year. That's a saving of $1050 in the first year even after you buy the Presso. If you drink two cups a day the saving is about $2450 in the first year (That’s a holiday!!!!)
2. Can you micro foam Soy milk? Not really, it's not milk. Good luck.
3. Only half the milk has turned to micro foam. What am I doing wrong? Either you are not pressing the plunger all the way to the bottom on the stretching strokes or you waited too long to pour the milk and it settled back into it's normal state.
4. Why did the milk boil over in the microwave? Really? You need to ask this question? Adjust the time in your microwave to suit. Watch it for the first couple of times to make sure you find the correct timing without boiling it.
5. My micro foam has large bubbles on the top, what should I do? Try knocking the bottom of the plunger on the bench top a few times. The bubbles may settle and dissipate. Next time, relax a little during the first couple of plunges where you introduce air to the milk.
6. Can I make enough for more than one cup at a time? Sure, just get a bigger plunger. The largest plunger I have can make enough for 4.
7. Is microfaom any good in hot chocolate? Yes. It's great. A friend of mine makes one everyday and just drops the chocolate into the jug with the milk and merrily micro foams away.