{things we love}

Even while on summer break, I wake up at the crack of dawn to spend my mornings with Tim. We have the same routine almost every day- breakfast and coffee together on the patio with blooming flowers and little white butterflies all around us. Some people don't like routine. But me? I love it. My whole day feels a little off if we don't have that time together.

That leads me to the most essential item of our mornings (besides the two of us, of course). It would be our Nespresso espresso maker. When we got married, my aunt bought us a Krups manual espresso maker. I was so excited about it. Being a former barista, I had the whole "make our morning lattes" down. The problem? The shots were never consistent and it always took about 15 minutes from start to finish to brew our shots, steam our milk, and put everything together - which is a little long by my standards. About six months after getting the machine, I took it back to William-Sonoma with the compliant that the shots weren't consistent and they reluctantly took it back. That is where Nespresso comes is.

Tim had come home a few days before after a trip to W-S and told me about  "this espresso machine that does everything for you" and "has these little pods that hold a shot of espresso that is ready to brew". I told him I wasn't interested in anything like that - It sounded cheap. Plus, I wanted to brew my own shots! Little did I know that as soon as I saw the machine in action, I was in love! We bought the Nespresso Le Cube with an Aeroccino (milk frother) for about $350 and to this day, I will defend it to be the best product we have ever bought. For the last three years we have been making two perfect lattes every morning. It never takes longer that five minutes from start to finish and it is ALWAYS guaranteed to be perfect.

Nespresso sells 16 capsules, varying from Ristretto, intensity 10, to Lungo, intensity 3, which is to be had like a normal cup of coffee. We like Arpeggio. It is intensity 8 and has no added flavoring.

The top bar opens and that is where the capsule is dropped.

Push the "one shot" button and out comes a perfectly brewed single shot of espresso.

The Aeroccino is their fancy frother. Pour the milk, push the button, and in one minute you will have warm, frothed milk. This is the one thing that keeps our lattes from being too perfect - the milk is frothed with air, and not steamed.

Drink up!