There are two things that I have sworn against addiction to: one is smoking cigars or cigarettes and the other is drinking coffee.
My best friend Fernando had a baby boy recently, and we all smoked Romeo y Julieta cigars to celebrate. I have to admit it was a soothing, relaxing, delicious experience. I was transformed. The next day I had a massive migraine, and probably will not have another cigar again for a long time. Cigarette smoking interferes with the food and wine palate, and is an obvious no-no.
Coffee on the other hand I do enjoy occasionally, but it is easy for me not to become reliant upon it because so much of it is so bad, even in New York. I lean towards the frothy milk, sweet version with a touch of caffeine, and any real coffee drinker will tell you that doesn’t count for much.
Sometimes providence works in strange ways. I had been looking for a professional machine to make a proper espresso, when my friend Janet gifted me a barely used Olympia Cremina.
Food & Wine magazine just voted the Olympia Cremina as the #1 espresso machine for coffee cognoscienti. There was only one problem, the machine was out of balance, and overdrawing shots.
First I had a member of the Grand Crew to come and tweak the machine for me. He owns a Gaggia and has been the coffee guru of the group for years. Add to that his near Seattle pedigree and you have a veritable barista on your hands.
After three hours, of cleansing, shotmaking, and grinding we just couldn’t coax Olympia back to true form. We even researched for the most effective way to operate an Olympia Cremina, but the coffee was an overdraught disaster.
So I took Olympia to Fama in Hell’s Kitchen, where behind a black door of a typical Manhattan townhouse a Brazilian technician named Valentino apprised me of her fate. “Ah,” he wisped, “a real machine. Let me be frank with you. If it’s the heating element, forget about it. You see Olympia is a Swiss company and they have been out of business for some time. It just so happens that my boss loves this machine, so we carry the spare parts. But the heating element. No one sells this part.”
I held my breath hoping it wasn’t the heating element, and described the symptoms of Olympia’s problem.
“Good,” Valentino nodded, “Let’s not play any games. The price will be $150. and I will replace all the parts. She will work like new. Is okay?”
Of course I said yes and Valentino told me that she would be ready in two days.
“I know some one who bought a used Cremina from California for $600. just for the parts to put into his old Cremina. You could say this measure was a bit extreme. But separate not a man from his espresso.”
As I left, I couldn’t help but feeling that Olympia was left with the right person for the job. Valentino clearly cared about his work.
Less than one day later, I got a call from the secretary with a Northern Italian accent telling me she was ready. Olympia pulled through!
I went to pick her up and she exuded a shiny brilliance. Valentino threw in a free tamper and assured me Olympia was in great condition, but any trouble and I could return her within the next month.
I bought a Delonghi burr grinder and some fresh Illy coffee beans and have been working that manual lever to my heart’s content. I have limited myself to one per day, and refuse to have espresso anywhere else. The Krups machine I use at work is gathering dust, and I find myself worrying about the type of water I’m using and the barometric pressure for the day.
It has still taken me some time to wield Olympia, and more often than not she is wily and finicky. But little by little I’m holding a tazza of great espresso, and I wonder how I’ve lived without such a luxury for all my working days.
Olympia has taken a place of honor in my kitchen, replacing my Delonghi panini press. Making espresso satisfies the chef in me. The process requires great detail, ingredients, equipment and care. I love when my guests enjoy it and ask for more. If your machine is feeling neglected, get to know her and drink life.
ESPRESSO TIPS:
1. Buy a Burr Grinder. Clean it after every use with a brush.
2. Use fresh whole bean espresso roast coffee. Grind only what you need for your shot.
3. Tamp the portafilter with 30 lbs. of pressure.
4. Use bottled water. Pull a blank shot before each brew.
5. If using milk, froth milk after the brew.
6. Know your machine and how to get the most out of it.
7. A golden brown crema means perfection.