So it was twelve years later.
I had used the heck out of my that machine, the Estro Vapore. Given it so much TLC and love. Rebuilt the insides, gone to the local hardware and replaced screws that had sheared off from use and age, but it was at the end of its life. It was sad to witness. It was time to upgrade. I had been researching, looking, and pining for a new machine for years. I had quite a bit of savings ready to pull the trigger on the upgrade, and then my cat got sick. Poof! 2 g’s to the vet. But it was worth it, he lived to be 19. Awesome companions do not have a pricetag.
But I still needed to replace the aging espresso machine. So back to research and saving.
Years passed.
Savings replenished, research done, machine all picked out, and importer selected. Time to pull the trigger.
I placed my order, waited what seemed like an eternity, and then it was delivery day!
I had its spot in the kitchen selected already, all clean and empty, ready for arrival.
And then it showed up, delivered on its own little wooden pallet.
Adorable.
I pulled all the foam and packaging off as though it was pre-caffeinated Christmas, snipped all the cables affixing it to the pallet, and then it was time to put it in its designated place on the counter; The Coffee Corner.
But there was a problem, it weighed 70 lbs, and there was just me in the kitchen. So what did I do? I pulled a pocket Hercules and clean and jerked that sucker up onto the counter and it was surprisingly this smooth, balletic motion versus crash and burn and broken toes. Amazing. It was in place.
What do ya think I did next? Of COURSE I turned it on, filled up the reservoir, let it pre-heat, go through a heating-up cycle and I realized all that stainless steel, copper and piping takes a looooong time to heat up. Oh sure the boiler would be up to temp for tea and steam in about 8 minutes, but proper temp for pulling shots? Around 30 minutes.
This would not do for an early-riser like myself that wants a coffee straightaway. So I jumped on good ‘ole Amazon and ordered up a timer like you would put on your lights when you go on vacation. I set it to go on about 45 minutes before I got out of bed and only had to remember to flip the toggle switch on come night time.
And it worked delightfully. Without fail.
Years later the timer was overworked and unreliable. Not surprising given it was used constantly, on a daily basis most likely past its design parameters, and so it was time to upgrade that.
Thank you technological advances, bluetooth controlled smart-outlet GO! Very very cool. Infinitely more tweakable, configurable AND had its own app. So modern!
The espresso Machine has been fantastic to this day. Daily usement. A beast. Never fails me.
Wait, there have been a few hiccups. Read: repairs.
A big one recently. Stay tuned…