My Morning Mocha Ritual (or, why Liza thinks)

Every morning, my alarm goes off at 6am. I stagger to the bathroom and take care of business there and then I stagger into the kitchen -- usually looking futily for my slippers on the way -- once in the kitchen I start my morning ritual.

But first, a little background, a few years ago in a cost cutting measure, I looked into buying an espresso machine and was horrified at the cost until I learned about this little darling . . . Krups Bravo Plus [click]. It's a delightful espresso machine for a one coffee drinker household like mine! :) I bought it on eBay for $25+shipping and I'm delighted! I've had it for at least 4 years and never regretted it for a moment. My ritual has evolved over said years and goes a little something like this . . .

Open the dishwasher and get out the accoutrements necessary for said job. These are many and important . . . favorite pink coffee mug that I made at our local paint-your-own-pottery place (Nunu's [click]), my favorite travel mug (unless I left it at school again in which case I use one of two other travel mugs I have), a one cup measuring cup, a four cup measuring cup, and the stainless steel steamer cup. Oh, and I can't forget (and yet often do) the frothing arm attachment and a spoon. So, these items are placed around the kitchen -- the 1 cup and the stainless steel cup next to the espresso machine near the sink, the coffee cups and the 4 cup next to the fridge on the counter. Then I take the coffee basket out of the espresso machine, dump it out using the spoon, rinse the spoon and basket off in the sink and take them over to the counter near the fridge.

Now, I take my non-fat milk and put 2-1/2 cups in the four cup measuring cup and I take my coffee (hopefully pre-ground) and put 3 tablespoons into the coffee basket -- and tamp it down with the back of the measuring spoon. Then the milk goes into the microwave for exactly 4 minutes. The coffee basket goes back into the espresso machine and I open up the espresso machine and fill it with water (hence its placement next to the sink -- my hose faucet will reach it there). And, I turn on the espresso machine -- after, OF COURSE, I put the 1 cup measuring cup under the coffee nozzle.

And then I stand there and wait. I often think that I should be doing something productive -- emptying the dishwasher, starting the kids' lunches, something but I generally stand there and wait. I will sometimes go turn my computer on -- if the power was out during the night -- but usually, I stand in the kitchen and wait and wish I'd found my slippers on my way to the kitchen.

When the microwave is finished, I take the milk out and put 1/2 of it into the stainless steel frothing cup and split the other half between my two cups on the counter. That's when I remember that I should have been putting the 1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (in a perfect world, this is Ghirardelli chocolate powder but most often, it's Quik. :) and do that very quickly because timing suddenly becomes of the essence. When the espresso machine starts making spitting noises, I know that I can froth the milk and do so. The frothing arm attachment usually means that I have perfectly frothed, foamy, milk with a big head of foam on it. Then I put the last of the water through the espresso again making just more than 1 cup of espresso while I remove the frothing attachment (with a damp washcloth) and wipe off the frothing arm. Oh, yes, in a perfect world (so about 10% of the time), I started a sink full of warm soapy water and put my coffee making items into said water as I am finished with them. So, frothing attachment in to the sink, frothing arm clean, I take my steamed milk and espresso over to the counter where my cups wait and I give the milk and chocolate a quick stir and add my espresso and then add my milk and top it all off with foam. I put the lid on my travel mug (thus keeping it warm for either the drive to work or the 2nd cup at my computer) and I go sit at my computer, wrapped in a quilt, and wish that I had closed the window to my laundry room office (otherwise known as the pit) -- it's open because the cord for the generator goes through it ( a long story).

Then I sip my blessed elixir and my morning starts in a civilized manner.

My routine is ridiculously long and complicated and there is a reason for each and every step of it but it works for me (unless I got so little sleep that I forget a step like putting the cup under the coffee spout and finding my blessed elixir filling up my kitchen counter instead of my measuring cup). The other real benefit is that I made a deal with myself that if I didn't clean the kitchen the night before, I didn't get my coffee. Now that I'm working, I can't live with that deal anymore -- the coffee is a necessity -- but still the pain of adding washing all my coffee stuff to my routine generally gets me into the kitchen to do some washing up before bed if not sooner!

Aren't you glad you asked, BEG? :)

-llm.

ps. I stole the graphic of the lab face in the coffee foam from BEG. I couldn't resist! Arrest me now! :)

Comments

[jane]

Just typepad site surfing this morning and came across your site. We are a one person coffee house too and I have a one cup coffee maker. Sometimes in my morning fog I forget to put in the coffee. Then I get back to my puter with a nice hot cup of water and half and half. Nice to know I'm not the only one! Enjoyed your site.

[BEG]

Y'all are scaring me! Not but a week ago, I too made myself a cup of nicely filtered hot water (argh). I'm still a plain coffee drinker but I'm going to go look at that espresso maker....!!

Yep, I'm glad I asked :D

[BEG]

Oh yes, I filched that mocha picture off flickr somewhere, I simply could not resist it...