So I was trying to come up with a good topic for my latest blog when it hit me, not only should I tie it into something I love, movies, but make it interactive, so everyone can chime in and add to it.

So, here’s the question: Have you ever noticed an espresso machine in a movie or TV show?
And I don’t mean the couple is out for the night and they stop into a café and there’s a La Marzoco or some multi group machine turning out shots for them. Or a Starbucks gets ‘featured’ at some point and there’s a machine in it.

What I’m talking about is in the movie, there is a home based espresso machine in it. Either in the background, or outright used in a scene.

I’ll start you off with 7 that spring to mind, and let’s see a bunch more posted after this.
Are you ready to wow everyone with your keen eyes?

1. Iron Man – In Tony Stark’s garage/lab in the background is a Jura Capresso Z Series machine. (Can’t specify if it’s Z5 or Z6, as it’s not shown up close) And he does drink a shot of espresso, although it is brewed off screen.
2. The Sopranos - in the first season, there is an episode with a shower, and one gift given a Jura Capresso machine. The ladies all rave about it in the scene.
3. Ransom – this is a bit more obscure, and the machine is never featured. But in the Mel Gibson thriller, there is a La Pavoni EPG8 or 16. The Gold manual beauty is on their kitchen counter in the background.
4. House – I don’t remember the season or episode, but there was one when the cantankerous doctor we love actually breaks into one of the hospital coffee nooks to have a cup of coffee to finish the case he’s working on. Being a small setting, they actually had a Jura Capresso machine in the coffee spot. Looked to be an F Series machine, it wasn’t on long enough for me to discern.
5. Will & Grace – this is the easy one, that I want to make sure I cover, before everyone else jumps in with it. They had a Francis Francis X1 in their kitchen, and I’m certain at some point it was used and likely involved somehow in some scheme of Jack & Karen, or Grace & Karen.
6. Running Scared – In this very dark movie starring Paul Walker (with a solid twist in it) there is a Gaggia Syncrony in the apartment of some extremely bad people. Hey, even villains like coffee. Bad taste in morals doesn’t mean bad taste buds.
   (Advisory: unless you enjoy this genre of movie, don’t scour it for the machine. If you like gritty crime flicks, dig in, it got onto a weird tangent storyline in the middle, but delivered solid at the end.)
7. Kicking and Screaming – this entry from Will Ferrell is basically Little Giants or Bad News Bears for soccer. But featured in the middle of the movie is an Expobar Athenea Control. The machine actually is downright abused, in one of the funnier parts of the movie. Well, if you can forgive the abuse of a beautiful espresso machine for comedy.

So, who has more? Screenshots aren’t necessary, but keep it to espresso machines. We don’t need to show off knowing that Ben offered Kate some coffee from a Bonjour French Press in an episode of Lost.

Mike
Whole Latte Love Sales

What is it about creating a great latte that make me feel so good? Is it not a simple act? You brew some coffee, you steam some milk and that’s kind of it.

Well it ain't that easy. The espresso alone has enough talk or advice and experts to theorize everything; even stirring the espresso with a paper clip has a name. I can't picture my dad making an espresso proudly using the greatest tool in espresso history the paper clip without muttering a few choice words as to why the hell this is necessary. I get a laugh just picturing that happening. Well I do know how to pull a great shot thank goodness, or as some people say a God shot. I can't see my Mom, a religious woman at the church sitting around while all the ladies in the hand bell choir get the paper clip working with the latest greatest espresso and each one expressing the jubilation that only comes with a God shot. It can be fun though knowing what you have created cannot be had to often out in the real world- a truly fine espresso.

The milk steaming is an art. We will discuss latte art in another post. When we trained at the coffee shop we even had a sexy name by Freudian standards for when the tip of the steam wand was properly positioned in the pitcher to get the milk to steam in a whirlpool fashion. We called it the W spot and we expected each employee to know the W spot and how to make sure they hit it each time they steamed milk.

So the joy I get out of making a great drink is it is fun, sexy and when made right is truly a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. I guess between God shots, paper clips, and the W spot ( sounds like a bad title for an even worse movie) it is not all that easy, and why so many practice and make lattes at home and create that drink that sometimes is so elusive in the outside world.

Have you ever heard these terms or have a different name for them? Post them here.

Mark
Whole Latte Love Commercial Sales

Some of my fellow coffee nuts are purists. They believe that fresh ground coffee brewed in a commercial style espresso machine is the true way, the only way. Being a coffee nut myself and knowing all the rules and regulations makes this very difficult... I am going to break my silence on a big secret....I love Nespresso capsule coffee (GASPS!) Thats right, I love it and I drink it every day. I have a Nespresso C-100 under my desk. I'm a Nespressoholic and I'm proud of it.

Capsule coffee is a great alternative for those of us who don't have a lot of room but want a great quality espresso. The capsules are totally sealed and can be kept in your office drawer (or in my case, filing cabinet) and do not require refrigeration at any time AND they last for up to 12 months! If you have enough room for something the size of a football (American style), you have more then enough room for one of these little machines. They have removable water tanks, so I take mine to the sink in our little kitchen and rinse it out and refill it. After the capsules are spent, they drop down into a little basket container. The C-100's drip tray and basket are linked as are most other models. I take them both to our kitchen and dump the capsules and rinse out the drip tray. Occasionally I use some dish soap to get it squeaky clean. The machine is relatively quiet when it is brewing, but is a bit louder if there is no capsule in it. My coworkers hardly notice the sound of it brewing at all. There is almost no noise, no mess, no standing in front of a machine for what seems like eons for a good espresso! How can you go wrong? I have also committed some major sins against my little C-100. I have accidentally left it on all weekend more then once and let it run dry, also more then once. Yet it has not died yet. I do not recommend doing this to any machine and I'm sure Nespresso will be appalled at hearing this, especially since I work in technical support. But I think it is a testament to the machines durability for sure.

Capsule coffee is taboo in the chic circles of espresso fanatics. I say no! All Nespresso capsules are hermetically sealed to prevent any air exposure and taste as fresh as the day they were ground. The capsules come in a great variety, from very, very strong to light and mild. They have a basic range, their standard espressos which they have all the time. My favorite is Cosi – smooth and mild, perfect to wake me up and get me through the day. I know that sounded cheesy but it is true. I love the Cosi blend and I sip it as a straight espresso with just a little Splenda brand sweetener. (No calories, a girl has to watch her figure you know!) There are also the “Lungo” coffees. They are for those of us who also enjoy a small but perfect cafe crema. These capsules are designed to brew a larger volume. Once a year the Nespresso company comes out with a special blend or blends. These are available in limited quantity so you have to keep your eye open on the Nespresso site to see when they are coming out. Their most recent addition are “Pure Origin” coffees from Brazil, India, and Colombia. My co-worker Maria and I really enjoy the Rosabaya from Colombia. Let me tell you something else about Maria, she a real Italian. She was born in the US but her parents are from Calabria and Napoli, so she really knows her espresso. And if she loves the Nespresso as much as I do, it must be good! We both drink it daily.

The capsules themselves are about 55 cents each for the normal espresso and Lungo Ranges. The special coffees like special editions and pure origins coffees are slightly more. You can only get the capsules from Nespresso. Some people may think that this is a downside. But it is actually a bonus. You only have one source for the coffee which means that you do not have to shop around. You are also guaranteed freshness. Nespresso will not allow any other company to sell their coffees so they can keep an eye on their product to ensure freshness and quality. They also offer outstanding shipping rates and you can order as much or little as you want at a time. You will still save money on your daily store-bought espresso or cappuccino if you invest in the Nespresso system.

I know I have definitely breached the coffee connoisseurs code by telling you all of this, but you should know that to get a fantastic coffee, latte or cappuccino, you don't have to be any sort of expert or even a novice. You just have to know what tastes good and what you like.

Kathy
Tech Support

See the entire line of Nespresso Capsule Machines!

"Why will my espresso machine put dry grounds into the dredge drawer without brewing? What am I doing wrong?"

This is a common question, easily resolved, usually caused by a couple of different factors. Once you follow the procedure outlined below, you should have no more issues!

Here are the keys to successful brewing with pre-ground coffee in your bypass:

1. Rinse off brew group/unit, or at least be sure it is relatively clean
2. Press your pre-ground coffee button (usually looks like a spoon/scoop with coffee in it)
3. Make sure the ground coffee is an espresso grind, not coarse like drip coffee (very important!)
4. Use only one level or even slightly less than level scoop, and do not pack the coffee
5. Put the grounds in the bypass chute, and select the desired coffee button!

-Sarah, Leader of the Successful Brewing Brigade
Tech Support

Commercial machines (like the Franke Flair) offer the option of using two types of whole beans but most home espresso machines only offer one bean choice. There is hope however, in the bypass doser! (Cue heavenly music and shining lights.)

In some super automatic machines, you can use pre-ground coffee in what is called the bypass doser. The bypass doser is actually a process - you must indicate to the machine that you want to skip using the grinder and use pre-ground coffee instead. Many machines have a button that looks like a spoon or scoop with little circles falling from it (Many people describe the circles as "grapes"). Some machines, especially newer digital models, have an aroma selector (resembles a coffee bean) which you can use to indicate to the machine to use the pre-ground option. Make sure you read your manual for machine-specific directions on using the bypass function on your make and model.

Your pre-ground coffee does need to be appropriate for espresso, meaning it must be a fine grind. It should not be too fine or it will choke your machine and cause a very slow brew. It can also cause the machine to go into a ventilate mode.

Be aware of how much pre-ground coffee is appropriate for your machine as well. Some Jura-Capresso machines can hold up to 15 grams of coffee in one brew. Some smaller machines can only handle 8-9 grams. If you do use too much coffee, the machine will simply dump the ground coffee dry and go back to its ready mode with no indication that anything ever happened. If this happens to you, try doing a bypass dose without using coffee to make sure the bypass function is working. The machine will brew a hot up of water (usually a little brown in color) into your cup. If you can do this a couple of times in a row without issues, then your bypass function is working. Try using slightly less coffee.

Just a couple of other things before you brew your first bypass dose. You must repeat all of the bypass steps each time you want to brew a pre-ground coffee. The machine will revert back to its normal mode after it is finished brewing each bypass coffee. If you put pre-ground coffee in the bypass chute and then forget to indicate to the machine that you are doing a pre-ground coffee, the machine will grind using the beans, drop it into the brew group and try to go through a cycle. Most times this does not do any damage to the machine except make a mess inside. It is possible that doing this can damage your brew unit and strip the small gear that operates the machine.

You can only put one scoop at a time into the machine. You can not put three scoops in and brew a bypass coffee 3 times in a row. The machine will kick out the coffee and the extra coffee will spill out all over the inside of the machine. It will cause a big mess, and although it is easy to clean up, it's still inconvenient. This can also strip the brew unit's gear.

The little door, or chute, for the pre-ground coffee is just that- a chute. The chute leads directly to the top of your brew unit. Steam from the brewing process can travel up the bypass chute, making it sticky. Make sure that you periodically clean out the chute because some older coffee can get stuck in there. Use a vacuum and pipe cleaner to clear away the stuck on coffee.

The bypass can be used to brew ground coffee that is flavored, very oily or otherwise not great for your machine's grinder. With these "sticky" coffees, you can sometimes still choke the machine. Make sure you get them ground just slightly coarser than a normal espresso grind. Not too coarse though, or the coffee will be weak. Getting it just right may take some experimentation.

There is hope for those who like to have the occasional decaf, french vanilla coffee, or very dark roast. If you have any other questions on which machines have a bypass doser, please do not hesitate to call us.

Happy Brewing!

Kathy
Tech Support