Coffee was discovered in Africa a long, long time ago by a goat herder who noticed that his goats seemed to get frisky after they were seen eating berries from a bush. After trying the berries for himself and experiencing renewed energy and alertness after a long day of herding goats he realized that others might be interested in his discovery.

From this simple begining coffee was shared by the people of differentcultures and its popularity continued to spread to other lands near and far. At first it was the coffee berries that were consumed which led to the eventual drying of this fruit for journeys to other places around the world. The berries were reconstituted in water and people ate the fruit and drank the water.

Coffee beans were first roasted over an open fire in Turkey. The roasted beans were then crushed and boiled in water to create a drink very similar to what we enjoy today.This beverage eventually reached Europe and it caused a stir with the members Catholic church who made a plea to the Pope to have coffee banned as a work of the Devil. They were too late. The Pope was already a coffee drinker and actually blessed coffee calling it a truly Christian beverage.

When the British levied outrageous taxes on tea the Continental Congress declared coffee the national drink of the colonized United States.

Coffee is now the worldsmost popular beverage with over 400 billion cups enjoyed by people every year. It is a huge global industry that is second only to oil in terms of dollars traded worldwide every year.

Esspresso is a realatively new way of brewing coffee utilizing pressurized steam. The process was thought of in France in 1822 and perfected by the Italians who manufactured the first espresso machines. It has since become a very important part of Italian culture and it is estimated the there arecurrently over 200,000 espresso bars in Italy today.

The popularity of espresso and espresso based coffee drinks here in the United States is growing every year. With new "fancy coffee" shops opening every day more and more people are being exposed to this type of coffee. Leading the way would have to be Starbuccks Coffee. This company was started by the legitimate leg of Dr. Evils evil empire. There goal is to have a Starbucks on every corner.

I make espresso based coffee drinks such as cappuccino and latte every morning when I wake up. There is a little more effort involved in brewing espresso but I go to the extra lengths because I like a bold cup of coffee in the morning. It also saves money when you brew your own espresso. I don't have to pay Starbucks $4.00 for a cup of coffee any more.

It does take special equipment to brew espresso forcappuccino and latte, but the money you spend to purchase a machine definately comes back to you by the time you go through your first bag of coffee. I purchased two machines(one for home and one for the office)on clearance at Super K-Mart and have definately saved money by not visiting the fancy coffee shop.

Espresso(E-SPRE'-SO): A full bodied coffee brewed by forcing steam through finely ground darkly roasted coffee beans. Espresso is servedalone in a demitasse or used as a basis for other coffee drinks.

Cappuccino(KA-PU-CHEE'-NO): An Italian coffee drink using steamed milk and topped with foamed milk.

Caffe Mocha(KA-FAY' MO'-KAH): A combination of espresso and chocolate blended steamed milk. Often topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

Caffe Latte(KA-FAY' LA'-TAY): A coffee drink composed of threelayers: a freshly drawn shot of espresso, steamed milk(more than cappuccino) and topped off with foamed milk.

Caffe Americano(KA-FAY' A-MER-I-CAH'-NO): Esresso combined with hot water.

Espresso Con Panna(E-SPRE'-SO CONE PA'-NA): A shot of espresso topped with whipped cream.

Espresso Macchiato(E-SPRE'-SO MA-KEE-AH'-TOE): A shot of espresso topped with foamed milk.

Barista: The person who prepares and serves espresso and espresso based drinks. Think of him/her as a coffee bartender.

Demitasse: A small cup for serving straight espresso. These look kinda cute sitting next to my big huge coffee mugs.

Doppio: A double shot (4 oz.) of espresso. For "those" mornings...

Dry: made with just foamed milk(no steamed milk).

Harmless: Made with decafinated coffee.

Skinny: Made with non-fat or skim milk.

Wet: Made with just steamed milk(no foam).

Why Bother: Made with decafinated coffee and non-fat milk.

Espresso Machine with Frothing Tube: This is what will make your espresso and frothed/steamed milk. The machine turns water into steam and forces it through the finely ground coffee and when you turn the knob it sends steam out of the frothing tube into your milk.

Carafe: This is a coffee pot that is smaller than what comes with a drip coffee maker but it essentialy performs the same duty, it catches the espresso that comes out of the machine. The carafe is also used to measure the water that goes into the machine if you don't have a fancy machine permanant water connection.

Stainless Steel or Ceramic Steaming/Frothing Pitcher: Used to froth the milk for cappuccino and latte.

Coffee Grinder: If you decide to grind your own coffee you will need a coffee grinder. It can also be used to grind cinnamon sticks and nuts.

Demitasse Cups: Not a requirement but they are the perfect size for a shot of espresso and you feel so sophisticated drinking out of them.

BIG HUGE Bowl-Like Coffee Mugs with Saucers: Like the ones Pheobe, Rachel and the rest of the people on Friends drink out of when they are hanging out at Central Perk. You will need the extra room for the frothed milk when you make cappuccino.

Coffee: I do give you people enough credit to know that this is the ingredient that you need most of all when brewing but I do need to let you know about the type of coffee that you will need.

The coffee needs to be ground "medium". The correct grind will feel gritty like salt or sand. If the grind is too fine the water will not flow through the coffee even under pressure. If the grind is too course the water flows through the coffee too fast preventing a full flavor extraction.

If you plan on doing your own grinding you will need to experiment with your grinder until you get it right. If you grind your coffee in the store there is usually a setting on the coffee grinder for espresso. This makes it easier and it is the way that I do it, but grinding your own coffee makes a fresher and better tasting espresso. The choice is yours...

Flavored Syrups: These are available in may flavors and can really add variety to your coffee lifestyle. They are even available in surar-free varieties. There are many coffee recipes that call for flavored syrups and they can also be used for other drinks such as Italian Sodas.

Cinnamon: You would be surprised how much of a difference that a little sprinkle of cinnamon to the flavor of the whole drink. If you grind your own coffee you can use the coffe grinder to grind cinnamon sticks for your drinks. I use ground cinnamon found in the spice aisle at the grocery store.

Sugar or Artificial Sweetner: I don't know of anyone who can drink espresso based drinks without at least adding a little sweetness.

Pastries, Baked Goods ect.: What would coffee be without a pastry or a cookie. I usually eat Wheat Thins or a plain croissant with my coffee.

Altoids Mints: To cover up that coffee breath. I like cinnamon flavored.

Keep it Clean: The care taken in maintaining your equipment is very important. Not only for the quality of the coffee you brew but for your safety as well. Espresso is made with steam that is under pressure and when you are dealing with steam under pressure poor maintenance could make using your cappuccino machine hazardous.

Cleaning your equipment after each use is the best way it working properly and will greatly reduce the risk of an explosive situation. I clean everything before I drink my coffee. It only takes a minute and it gives your coffee the opprotunity to loose that hot edge that usually isn't very forgiving to the tounge.

Practice Makes Perfect: With a combination of the correct grind for the coffee, the right amount of coffee in the basket, just enough filtered water, the right temperature for the steamed milk and the perfect froth on top you will have a perfect cup of coffee. That sounds pretty simple doesn't it? Well with enough practice you will develop the right technique to make that perfect cup to suite your taste. It will just take a little patience and before long you will have that perfect cup every morning.

Experimentation: A little of this and a little of that is always fun in the kitchen. There is no limit to what you can come up with if you use your imagination. You will find some recipes for traditional coffee drinks in the next section. I recomend that you start off with these basic drinks and experiment with your own ideas. This will make your cappuccino machine as much fun as your TV used to be.

Basic Latte
2 oz. espresso, 4 oz. milk.
You can adjust the amount of milk to suit your taste. Steam the milk then add your espresso. You will end up with about 1 cup of milk and foam. Pour the espresso in a big huge bowl-type mug and then add the steamed milk. The latte will have thin layer of foam on the top.

Basic Cappuccino
2 oz. espresso and 2 oz. milk.
A cappuccino is made from 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 foam. Steam the milk then pour it into the espresso. Serve in about a 6 oz. cup.

Americano
2 oz. shot of espresso, 3 or 4 oz. hot water. Usually served with milk and/or sugar like regularly brewed coffee.

Caffe Mocha
1 - 2 oz. mocha syrup, 2 oz. shot of espresso, steamed milk and topped with whipped cream.