Hit Me with Your Best Shot–the tamp, the crema, the joy

“Don’t tamp it this time,” my son says.  “What?”   “With my Gaggia,” he says, “I’ve stopped tamping.  I get better crema. Try it.” The coffee, he means, in the filter basket.   It’s a Saturday morning.  I’m making him an espresso in my Delonghi Dedica Deluxe Pump Stainless Steel Espresso Machine. When you make espresso with…More

Spiritual Peril–how about a digestivo?

One of my first recollections of grappa dates back more than thirty years. My wife and I joined a friend and her husband for dinner down in Villa Verucchio, at a place called Casa Zanni. One part butcher shop, nine parts restaurant, Zanni is known for its meats. That night, after warming up with tagliatelle…More