Espresso from a Gadget? You bet!

When I received the handpresso®, my first thought was back to all those TV 'wonder' products that were going to make my life so much easier...you know the ones, " but wait ...there's more... call in the next 10 minutes and we'll throw in......blah blah blah." Next, my Italian heritage of having my father, uncles and grandfathers carefully fuss over the espresso pot each Thursday at the family dinner, reared up and fueled my skepticism even further.

Well, I have to admit, I was also completely off track. As a lover of all things coffee I must say this machine is terrific. I can now have an espresso with little or no fuss at a moments notice.

The first thing that struck me was the case it came in....an elegant black box with insert that slid out to reveal the solidly well made product. Great feel and balance in the hand, it was easy to pump, directions were simple, and 5 minutes after opening the package, I had a steaming fresh cup of espresso. It even added just the right amount of foam to the brew which always adds to the espresso experience. And lastly. it actually tasted good. After all what good is ease of use if the end result isn't worth it.

Note: Make sure the water you use has reached boiling as I found the hotter the water, the better the flavor extracted from the E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) pod.

The company touts the portability of the product and I can see this being a great addition to the coffee drawer of anyone who works in an office. From the manufacturers website: "Wherever you go and whenever you move, an espresso is always close to hand - whether at work, on weekends or on holiday, in the mountains or at sea. This freedom of movement is coupled with a great freedom of choice within the wide range of E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) coffee pods available.

Handpresso® lets you leave the kitchen, move the walls, to make coffee in the sitting-room, in the garden or out of your home. With handpresso® you may vary the coffee experience as inspiration or weather dictates. You can create a coffee ceremony for friends and family at any time and make pleasure rhyme with leisure."

If you have a coffee lover in your life and are stuck for what to get them this holiday season, this would be a great Christmas gift, birthday gift, etc.. I know I'm glad I have mine.

Find out how you can to get yours here: Handpresso, premium quality espresso...anywhere!

handpresso®

France

http://www.handpresso.com/

So what exactly are we serving up here at Lou's?

To say that I have a lot on my plate would be a gross understatement. Generally there are 10 things going on in my head at any given time and that usually means one thing........coffee.....lots and lots of coffee. No, seriously...I mean LOTS & LOTS of coffee! I will not divulge my coffee in-take, nor the full extent of my deep and emotional relationship with this beverag. But, since I really should cut down, I thought, "What better way to satisfy my seemed obsession with 'the bean,' (as we javaossieur insiders call it), then to write and talk to folks about it.

Now, since you all get enough of my writing with GGM, I thought the premise for this would be simple;

I'm no expert. But, I freely admit that I get exposed to information and situations that most might not experience, solely because of my affiliation with GGM. However, in most cases, I like learning new and fascinating things right along with you and, hopefully, through my writing about it, you are enjoying the things we are exploring and discovering together as well.

I promise, except for this introductory piece you are reading now, I won't be just droning on and on. I'll cover pertinent topics, provide links to coffee related news and articles. I'll taste and test some of the brewers and products currently on the market and welcome your thoughts and feedback. While I would like to hear from you as well, good coffee info is always welcome, however I will set up a few guidelines:

1. Comments are welcome and encouraged.
2. Always be courteous and no cussing.
3. No blatant linking of websites, online stores or sources, please. If you post it yourself, it won't get approved. If you have a website or source that you think is worth putting up, email me with it and I'll post it.

If we could have a place to come and talk Java, I'm open to learning so bring it on. I'll have some great coffee companies for you to try and we'll all enjoy some chat along the way.

This Week's Coffee

Kicking Horse Coffee

491 Arrow Road, Invermere,

British Clolumbia, Canada VOA 1k2

1-888-287-5282/www.kickinghorsecoffee.com

"What are you two schmucks going to do with your lives? Sell coffee from your garage?"
That taunt from Elana Rosenfeld's mother may well have been the kick-start she and partner Leo Johnson needed to embrace Kicking Horse Coffee as their livelihood. Because the two young entrepreneurs did, in fact, do just that in 1996 from their rural home in the small Canadian Rocky Mountain town of Invermere, BC.
Roasting coffee in their skivvies when it was hot out, balancing babies and experimenting with different products, the allure was clearly there. However they had a lot of learning to do. Curious customers, Elana admits, would often inquire about the presence of pine needles shipped with their orders. Boxes stacked on the couple's front porch, due to a total lack of storage space inside, never quite seemed impervious to the elements. But that was a long time ago. And alot changed since then. Now employing 15 people and occupying a 20,000 square-foot office building and roasting facility, Kicking Horse Coffee is Canada's number one Organic Fair Trade coffee. Still based in the same East Kootenay town they sought out for the roots of their outdoor lifestyle, the Kicking Horse Coffee brand supports 30 different blends of organic Fair Trade coffee, organic and Fair Trade tea and organic chocolate. Roasts like the famous 454 Horse Power and the instantly recognizable Kick Ass Coffee™ blends are now available in most national grocery chains across Canada as well as right here at http://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/.

Overall, I liked this coffee and the company's attitude. I tried their two well known blends, 'Kick Ass' & '454', myself preferring the latter. I felt it was a blend that showed great boldness, with great a fruity beginning and a somewhat bitter but likable finish. This was a real wake you up flavor that I enjoyed as an AM day starter or an afternoon break from writing.

My conclusion:* 454 Horse Power

Aroma: 7

Acidity: 6

Body: 8
Flavor: 7.5

* (scale fom 1= poor-10= excellent)