Growing up, I always assumed that I’d never be an espresso drinker. I always connected it with tanned Italian cyclists hanging at coffee shops with their Moose Knuckles out,a Gauloises perched on the lips and their hair slicked back. Ready to go from the bike straight into some filthy sex scene.

Well it turns out my legs were too weak for professional cycling and my pole wasn’t quite a pole vault. Anyway enough about me!

Espresso’s have a bad name amongst some people because they assume they are strong and are going to kick their head off, but the truth is that espressos generally have less caffeine than a cup of filter coffee. Now you can go out and be crazy and buy one of those fully electric, automatic espresso makers, but in all honesty they are over the top and expensive. They are like buying that 5 blade razor…not really what you need, but it does look impressive.

The fact is, a stove top espresso maker is more than enough, except if you’re pumped and jacked up on cocaine and living the Joburg lifestyle of FAST PACED AND RESULTS DRIVEN!! ANABOLIC HALO FOR BREAKFAST!!

I’ve been enjoying espressos again lately, just taking it back to the old school. Not trying to impress anyone with a fancy machine, just doing it for myself. Grinding the beans at home. Throwing it on the gas stove. Enjoying it out of an espresso cup. There’s a certain simplicity in it all that I love in my life. You know, when you’re sitting there with a R10000 machine that makes lattes and cappucino’s and froths the milk and grinds and presses the beans, you’ve got to ask yourself ‘What happened to my balls?’

And all these things, they just stress us out. Another thing to pay off, another thing to worry about breaking down. With a Bialetti, there are no electrics to break. It works on pure physics. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, and at less than R500, there’s no stress about the money. Now I’m not using a Bialetti at the moment, but I did have one, I just can’t remember where I put it. I am using one that does the same thing though, but what I really want is the Bialetti Mini Express Espresso Maker, this is it:

How rad is that? Dispenses the espresso right into your espresso cup, ready to wake you up. Take my advice and avoid all that electronic wizardry (Don’t even tell me you have a Nespresso because I will punch you) Go with the classic Bialetti. Buy a cheap coffee grinder at Clicks. Buy some organic espresso beans from Woolworths. Sit back, knock it down,  and revel in the glory that is a home made espresso.

Click here to buy the Bialetti from Yuppiechef.co.za