A friend called me last night to tell me he had great news. Seems he had just received a letter telling him he had inheirited a Riviera espresso machine. You know the ones made of copper and brass with the wooden pull levers?
His uncle had passed away several months ago and thought Karl would be the only family member to appreciate the espresso machine. I remember the machine from when Karl and I visited his uncle while we were in school.
Martin, his uncle would make us cup after cup of delicious espresso as we talked the night away. Martin was a retired actuary who was one of those men who could not only crunch numbers but was widely read. He also could carry on a conversation with great verbal adroitness.
The espresso was the perfect accompaniment to the conversation. We sipped, we talked, Martin pulled some more and we talked till dawn many times. I always felt the espresso was the encourager of our conversation.
As I listened to Karl I thought how lucky he was to have his very own working piece of art which brews the best of espresso. And then it hit me. I had espresso machine envy. Karl would soon have his very own lever espresso machine. And I didn’t.
This gives me the opportunity (eh, excuse) to sample, test and try out espresso makers. Now it’s about clearing space on the kitchen counter.
Not the usual grind,
A tip of the mug to Beentree for the photo taken in the Tsar’s Restaurant in Bialowieza, Poland and to Martin-thanks for the memories, the conversation and the espresso.