The Espresso Machine that Changed My Life

Ok, so this title is a bit dramatic. A life changing espresso machine? Could I be anymore “life, laugh, coffee?” Yep, it’s a little cringe, BUT I swear this espresso machine really did change my life - or at least my mornings. 

Jason found a great Black Friday deal on a Mr. Coffee espresso machine on Amazon - it was under $60. I was a little hesitant to buy it because every time I tried to make coffee at home, it was pretty terrible, and I ended up buying one at a coffee shop. Granted, I was trying to make lattes at home with a regular coffee maker, so the success rate was almost zero. Jason seemed pretty into it though, so I agreed to try it. 

And I’m so glad we did. 

We used this espresso machine daily. We even bought vanilla syrup with a pump to add flavor to our drinks. 

Jason has gotten really into making espresso the right way. He likes to spritz the beans with water before grinding it. He puts filtered water in the fridge and only uses that. He even got one of those rakes for the grounds. I’m not sure it really does anything, but it’s a relaxing part of the process. I think Jason discovered his calling as a barista. 

This machine was pretty easy to figure out - for me, mostly because Jason read the instructions. Lol I did have a bit of a hard time at first, but I learned it was because I wasn’t screwing the water top on tightly enough, so there wasn’t enough pressure. 

We’ve been making our way through different beans and roasts at Costco. I thought it was a little risky at first (they’re like, 3-5 pound bags) but so far we haven’t come across one we haven’t liked. When we first got the espresso machine, we had a bag of Pete’s Dark Roast beans. They tasted a little burnt, so we haven’t gone back to that one.

We not only use this for espresso drinks, but I’ve made affogatos, and it’s so delightful. We also use the steamer for hot chocolate - I swear, it’s a game changer. Jason made me a cup every single night the last couple months of my pregnancy. (If you’re super into hot chocolate like me, you can buy a pack of 50 for $7.99 on Amazon - good for hot cocoa parties, or just for you lol). 

I am so thankful that we made this purchase and added this to our mornings! I actually go to bed excited because I know I’m going to wake up and have a delicious latte.

We’ve since upgraded our espresso machine to a Breville espresso machine - both for a graduation gift for Jason, and because we used our Amazon machine so much it died after a year.

Our Breville is obviously better quality than the Mr. Coffee machine, but I’m dramatically and forever grateful for our budget espresso machine that really did change my life.

Until next time - may your weekend be full of creativity and style.