Sunday, February 03, 2002


how far will a coffee fanatic go?

sometimes when i think i've gone off the deep end with my coffee, i go out into the big wide world and see that i'm not alone. there's more of us coffee freaks than meet the eye, dear readers! that placid looking person sitting next to you on the bus with their new york times correctly folded for tight public spaces could be a relentless espresso hound!

on this note, stopped by my neighbor's house to see his new mazzer mini grinder. now this is a serious commercial grinder that will definitely improve your espresso. problem: it's more than a foot and a half tall. it will seriously dominate your kitchen appliances. there are solutions: take off the 1/2 inch rubber feet; replace the lovely conical hopper with something smaller, say a pickle jar. toss the hopper altogether and just pour the beans you need right into the grinding chamber, placing a lid over the top while you grind.

needless to say, i was deeply skeptical of all these approaches. however, i was nearly converted by what i saw. first, the grinder is much lovelier than pictures would suggest. and second, the thing is unbelievably quiet. you can hardly tell it's running. my neighbor flipped the switch and if it weren't for the on light, i doubt i could have heard it over the polite jazz on his stereo. to reduce its size, he's using the dump-the-beans-straight-into-the-grinding-chamber method. seems to work for him.

now if i only had $375 to send to white eagle -- but alas! tax time comes a-creepin'. . . .still, for those of you who've planned your withholding more carefully and expect refunds, order now! the mazzer mini is highly recommended as the only grinder you'll ever need to reach the pinnacle of the perfect espresso!

posted by fortune | 7:45 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments