Is the DeLonghi EC155 espresso maker any good?

While there are many great espresso machines available today, such as the DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker featured on this page, you can in fact make a great cup of espresso without a machine. In fact, many espresso connoisseurs firmly believe that making espresso on the stove top with moka pots is the most authentic way to make the beverage. This technique is still the most common method used in Italy as well. Below is a simple way to make an authentic cup of this tasty drink, the old fashioned way.

All you will need to do this is: a moka pot, a stove top, water, and finely ground coffee.

To begin, fill the espresso base of the moka pot with water (preferably bottled or filtered) to the level just below the valve. Use only cold water. Never add hot water in attempt to speed up the brewing process; this will not work and will be counterproductive.

Next, place the strainer into the base, making sure the water does not touch the strainer or the filter that is inserted into the strainer. If the water level is too high, the coffee will not brew right and will have an undesirable taste.

Once the water, the strainer, and the filter are in place, fill the filter with your ground coffee. Do not tamp the ground coffee. Use the maximum amount of coffee that your pot will hold, but do not allow it to spill out over the top of the rim. Filling the water and coffee sections to the recommended maximums will provide you with guidelines that you can use each time to ensure a consistent tasting espresso each time.

When you have finished the above steps, it is time to screw the upper part of the moka pot onto the base. Make sure they are fastened together securely with no coffee stuck in between the parts or in the threads. Having any stray coffee grounds could result in a lack of pressure, which will adversely affect the taste.

It is now time to place the pot on the burner of the stove top. The heat should be low so that the coffee has plenty of time to brew, allowing the flavor to deepen. If the heat is too high, the espresso will brew too fast, and it will be weak and bitter. Once the coffee begins to brew, open the top lid just slightly so that condensation does not seep into the coffee; this could dilute the flavor. As soon as the coffee is done brewing, remove it from the heat and enjoy it promptly.

Espresso is a deep, full bodied coffee beverage that is enjoyed by many people, especially the people of Italy and France. Thanks to popular coffee chains, such as Starbucks, espresso has been introduced into the lives of so many different people and cultures, and has started to become a bit of world-wide "craze". So, what exactly is the history of espresso? Just as the drink itself is quite rich and deep, so is the history behind it.

Let's begin by taking a look at how espresso began. This drink really came about due to a desire to brew coffee faster. In the late 1800s, a regular coffee pot, or coffee machine, was taking nearly five minutes to brew a whole pot. It was in 1901 that an Italian named Luigi Bezzera devised a way to speed up the process by forcing pressurized hot water and steam through very finely ground coffee beans. The result was a rich, full bodied coffee shot that is now known as espresso. Bezzera's method is considered to have resulted in the first espresso machine. The device produced coffee quickly, altered the flavor drastically, and was unlike anything ever tasted before. As more people began using this method, they quickly discovered that the extra steam from the brewing process could be used to heat milk to create a froth. This later became known as the "latte". In 1903, another Italian man acquired the patent from Bezzera and began manufacturing and selling the "espresso machine" throughout Europe.

Since the development of the espresso machine, the process of making espresso has become quite easy. Today, these machines can be bought at almost any retail store, and cost anywhere from thirty dollars to well over four thousand dollars. As with most items, the machines that are on the higher end of the price scale tend to produce a better product, however the lower priced options still make a fine beverage. If you really want to get involved in the process of making and enjoying this coffee, take a bit of time and really research your options. Experiment a bit with different roasts until you find just the taste you prefer. Many aficionados recommend grinding the beans just before you start the brewing process for the freshest and deepest taste. Always educate yourself fully on how to use your machine, especially the frothing feature. This can be quite hot and many people have been burned from the steam. Once you take the time to learn about espresso, and the art of making the perfect cup, you will open your taste buds up to a whole new coffee world.