I have been fanatical about good coffee in general & espresso in particular for many, many years. I first encountered the famous Italian elixir as an employee of my Uncle Sam while stationed at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. Like most young men in the service I was always ready to try something new & espresso was one of the nicer experiences I had there. Most of the time it was thick & syrupy, with this muddy looking dark foamy stuff on top. I learned to drink it Italian style; two or three sugar cubes quickly stirred in & the still piping hot shot finished in one fell swoop.

After returning from Italy I was confronted with the abysmal choices offered coffee drinkers in the U.S. A decent espresso was easily found in New York, Boston, or Baltimore; but the rest of the country was a desert of used coffee grounds wasted in the failed attempts to make 'expresso' by people with no idea what it was supposed to taste like.

This started me on what has become a lifelong search for great espresso, the fabled "God Shot". This was in the days when even the regular coffee drinkers had little choice but drinking boiled coffee; this was pre Joe DiMaggio & Mr. Coffee, when coffee making meant percolators.

Eventually I ended up back in Italy, this time on my own mission of finding espresso equipment suitable for use in my home. (more on this later) Here is a quick peek what's available if you search diligently

I've made it one of my goals in life to simplify the search for others starting their own quest for the nirvana of the perfect espresso shot.

In addition to being a lover of great coffee, I'm also a self-proclaimed gourmet chef. I've attended many classes both here in the U.S. & abroad. For those interested here is a link to recipes I like well enough to use over & over again.