espresso yourself

Coffee addict? No. Coffee snob? Possibly.

The coffee culture in Australia has boomed in the last few years. We now expect a better standard than what we have been served, I mean who drinks instant coffee these days?

I love a good cup of coffee, the smells, tastes and sounds, not too mention the rush you get after the first cup of the day it's exhilarating. OK, maybe I'm sounding a lot like an addict right about now, But any coffee lover will agree.

The perfect cup of espresso to me is a piccolo. It has just the right milk to coffee ratio, the perfect strength and not to much froth but just enough it to make creamy.

The piccolo sensation hasn't caught on quite yet and especially not in the USA. While I was over there last year I found a coffee shop that served beautiful organic coffee but only in the form of a cappuccino, latte and black coffee, it was a crying shame. Their strong but nutty blend couldn't properly be enjoyed, so being an ex-barista I jumped the counter to show them the 'piccolo'...success. I brought a little bit of culture to America that day.

A few rules for how to drink your coffee and then I'll let you experience it yourself.

-If you drink a coffee over the 'regular' size. STOP right now in the name of all things caffeinated! More is less, drinking it in any large size just isn't the way God intended.

-Make sure it's hot, nothing worse than a cold cup of coffee.

-Do try all styles to see what you like best. Short blacks are taken like shots in Italian espresso bars and cappuccino's are a breakfast drink. It's up to you to decide if you like extra froth, extra milk or none at all.

- Do try an affogado with hazelnut ice-cream as dessert, bliss if the coffee blend is smooth.

And I'm not a complete snob, I break the rules sometimes chocolate powder is always on top of my piccolo but each to their own.

Happy Drinking
Bianca