So I had the new espresso machine. It was time to rehome the old one I had so lovingly cared for all those years. Where should it go? Where could it go?
I had to rehome it somewhere I knew it would be cherished and used daily. Still had some life left. You don’t take your old, used up racehorse and leave her to wither away in the stable, you still run her occasionally, but gently.
A decision had to be made.
A ha! I could give it to a coffee aficionado amigo of mine, but he lived on the coast. He would definitely desire and be delighted with such a gift. But how to get the old machine to him? It weighed 20-some pounds, and was 12″ on all sides.
Hmmmmmmmm… Ingenuity GO!
I took a box roughly the same size as the machine, inserted the machine into it, and filled up all remaining space with packing peanuts. This would not be enough. I procured an even bigger box, and a can of that insulating foam that expands after you spray it.
It was time to get creative. In the bottom of this bigger box, I sprayed into a trash bag the insulating foam. It started expanding and I jammed the smaller box containing the machine into it. Voila! It expanded around the machine and was a perfect, custom-molded fit.
I did the same with the top half of the box. It was super-secure foamy and ready to go.
Went to the posty, shipped it out and my friend used it for another 8 years until it finally gave up the ghost.
R.I.P. Estro Vapore espresso machine.