from fast food espresso to do it yourself

Very recently, I quit my job at Starbucks. I had just approached my 1 year mark there when I decided to throw in my apron. People ask me what caused me to quit and look at me as if something had seriously gone wrong.

Nothing happened-- just that my other job is going full-time, thus making every day a work day for me with no weekend, not even a day off. I admire people who have two jobs, are full time students, and then raise a family on the side while working are various projects, but that is just not me. I only work two jobs, and I find that exhausting enought. I simply am not built for it.

I can't even maintain a blog while working two jobs.

There is both an added benefit and disadvantage to leaving the Starbucks world:
Benefit: I can leave mediocre, burnt tasting, fast food coffee behind, and begin really experiencing rich coffee flavors, and develop the tongue for them again.
Disadvantage: Coffee used to always create a burning hole in my pockets-- because I spent money on finding good coffee. Starbucks freed me (in a sense) from this quest and budget burning because I got a free pound of coffee each week, a good discount on coffee drinks, and free drinks while I was at work. Although I never quite like the taste of Starbucks, it at least fed my addiction. Overtime, I came up with my dream drink, ahem- triple iced grande, skinny, upside down w/ cinnamon dolce powder, caramel macchiato. Say that five times fast. Or the hot version- triple grande, skinny w/ xtra cinnamon dolce powder, xtra foam caramel macchiato.

So, what do I do in the meanwhile? How do I feed my addiction without going into debt? It's fact-- I do not make a lot of money, will be moving to Leesburg, Va soon (away from my parents' house, finally), and cannot afford too many extraneous expenses.

Solution: Make my own espresso.

Before my partner discount expired I went to Starbucks for my last retail purchases- two bottles of syrup (1 SF vanilla and 1 hazlenut), a french press (mmm), and finally an espresso machine.

Espresso machines are normally about the price of my month's rent. I got a smaller mid-grade machine, which was cheaper- a Via Venezia. Original Price: A lot. (I think $279). Janelle's price: roughly $98. It was a combination of my partner discount and good fortune that I was able to get such a good deal. The only espresso machine left in the store supply was this one and it had been a display- take discount off for display, take additional random discount, and then take my partner discount- and I struck gold. I was a very happy girl.

This happened on Thursday. I went away for the weekend. Bought espresso beans on Sunday (from The Coffee Bean in Leesburg, from a cheerful man from Galilee named Adam). The Coffee Bean is delicious,the place is covered in coffee beans (and no blender in sight), plus they roast their own beans.

I spent this morning, setting the machine up, and then I made my first latte. It wasn't bad for the first one, but it begs improvement.

For the syrup I mixed Trader Joe's Blue Agave with cinnamon and just a touch of SF vanilla syrup- It was not a bad blend. I was nervous about steaming the milk without a thermometer in a milk pitcher, but it turned out ok (I need to work on the foam). The espresso came out a tad bit weak, but that was its first cycle ever. I think it should get much better as I get the system down.

I almost made latte art (so un starbucks of me), and that's another goal I have: awesome foam makes good art!