Back to the stove

How I broke up with mechanised coffee

Back to the stove

One cup of coffee a day suffices unless I’m drinking socially with friends, so it should be a good one. Foolishly I bought a built-in-bean to cup machine when my kitchen was installed 9 years ago. It is needy af - I’m constantly having to empty something or top something up or clean out the milk mechanism. The milk froth is invariably a disappointment after all this, the feed pipe clogging if you look at it funny.

Here in Norfolk we have a rustic kitchen with an Aga at the heart of it. I was initially trepidatious of this casual method of cooking but, having made my best Christmas lunch ever, I’m now in love with the old thing. (Questions remain about its environmental suitability and wastefulness so watch this space for developments on that front.)

I decided that we’d maintain a more traditional vibe in the kitchen so when we’re up here we use a Bialetti Moka pot for our coffee. I love the resultant coffee so much that I’ve had to buy stove top pots for our Beckenham induction hob. They work better with the added surface area of an induction adapter plate, and I use a milk frother for a perfect breakfast cappucino but now I’m converted and I’ll never look back.

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