coffee

I've had my Gaggia Classic for two years now. I buy locally roasted beans and grind them myself. And it's worked out fine - the machines paying for themselves within 12 months and me having really good coffee to drink everyday. There is one down side though. I find that very few cups of coffee I buy out (and this is really only occasionally anyway) just don't measure up. They don't taste as good, being either too milky, too weak or simply, not well made. Having done a domestic barista's course too, it's easy to appreciate the skill and attention involved in making a decent latte. But there is also an attendant risk of one becoming a coffee snob.

On the weekend I went down to Canberra to watch the federal election results unfold with a friend. They unfolded into an unusual and quite rare electoral cul de sac which is still be unravelled as I write. But that's another story. My point is that I bought maybe four cappucinos over that time in upmarket Manuka, all at different establishments, and not one was up to scratch. These are all places that pride themselves on making good coffee, so really, I am puzzled that no-one could get it right.

I don't want to fall into the trap of being snooty about a cup of coffee. There are far more important things happening that require my attention, not the least of which was my ostensible reason for being in Canberra in the first place. All I ask is for a decent coffee when I'm out.