Bob the Barista

My friend Larry Bourgeois hooked me up with a commercial espresso machine for my home. Man, is it fun to make real cappuccinos and lattes! It’s a Rancilio Silvia, paired up with a Rancilio Rocky grinder.

After getting frustrated with quality of the drinks at Starbucks (ever since they went to the automatic machines, the drinks have been weak and tasteless), and after Larry introduced me a couple summers ago at CCO's New Staff Training to a real machine for making espresso drinks, I am now (thanks to Larry, who gave this to us as a gift!) making Linda and myself drinks at home.

I’m still working on getting the hang of it.

It takes some finesse to get just the right shot times (a combination of grind, dosing, and tamping) and also I’ve become better and better at frothing milk.

Lots of fun. Now, if you visit me at my house, I can serve you an espresso drink that will knock your socks off!