This morning my internal clock had the cojones to wake me up at 4 a.m., and God help me I tried so hard to go back to sleep, but it kept waking me up every half hour until I finally gave up around 6 a.m. After taking a shower and washing my hair I decided it was time for a cappuccino and why not work on the first part of my test and document it for all of you! So here it is:
First we brew some coffee. This is coffee beans especially ground for espresso - I used the fresh beans and machine at the supermarket. A little more expensive, but not really that much and totally worth it. The Krups espresso maker does an okay job, the coffee tastes fine but it's not as strong as an espresso should be and has no crema - nevertheless, for this purpose it does a good job. You can use a Moka pot, which was my choice before the hard water at my other apartment ruined it - totally my fault, I left it soaking in water for two days and the calcium deposits and lime ruined it. Oh well, lesson learned.
And with the aid of some pretty handy "gadgets" we proceed to foam some milk. First you heat up your milk, no need to boil it - just hot enough for your drink. Enter the $1.99 IKEA frother - the best item I have ever purchased! Use it to froth the milk, fast little sucker!
See it in action:
Final Product: Picture on the top is the one made with the Mukka, picture on the bottom is from Krups plus gadgets. I like the Krups one because the foam stays white, I know, I know.....it's my preference.
Findings:
Krups/Moka pot - Slightly more work, but worth it. I like to sweeten my milk before frothing it, makes the foam at the end kind-of a treat. The coffee made this way also tastes better - not that metallic taste I've been getting from the Mukka. Hands down my favorite, not to mention cheaper. Moka pot $14.99, Frother $1.99, enjoying a cappuccino at home and not having to spend money or time at Starbucks, priceless.
Bialetti Mukka - My first two tries didn't taste good. So after making my cappuccino this morning using my Krups, I decided to use the same water to coffee ratio and that produced similar results on my Mukka. The trick is to use two scoops of coffee, with water slightly lower than the level on the provided cup designed for gas stove. Use this wether you're using a gas or electric stove, trust me! The results were more to my liking, but the foam is still brown and the cappuccino is not hot enough. That said, I'm quite happy that I was able to figure out how to make it taste more to my liking, because the machine will definitely get some use being that it's kind-of a one step setup. I can prep it, put in in the burner and go get ready for work.
Conclusion:
Skip the Bialetti Mukka, buy the Moka pot or use whatever you have a home. Invest on an IKEA frother and you too will be able to enjoy cappuccinos at home. If only I could get my Krups to produce some crema!
Note: I read somewhere that the Mukka designer prefers the Moka, at that's what he has at home. Go figure!
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