My Latte Experience

I was never much of a coffee drinker. My first taste of it as a youth was squinched faced after the bitterness of my parents' adored beverage.

I fell for tea. The cleanliness of it: water & leaves. So simple. Add some milk and it becomes something smooth. Occasionally I'd have a coffee just to see how it would appeal to me at that moment.

When I lived in London, my neighbor and I shared the art of tea as we'd have our 3 o'clock get togethers - letting our recently napped toddlers play while we'd chitchat over a perfectly brewed tea with some milk and yummy biscuits (the triple chocolate ones from Waitrose were our favorites).

While we were living in London, every day my husband would stop off to buy a latte to have on his walk/tube ride into work. He realized how much money he was spending on that daily necessity and decided to buy an espresso maker. He started out brewing his one shot lattes and heading out. I'd savour the aroma that he'd impart within the house; that lovely roast of the cafe bean.

One day I decided to try it and loved the smooth froth of the milk that blended so well with the coffee. Since he was making one he could easily make two, because he had a double espresso attachment. Ah, perfect! I was forever held in this milk/cafe tango. We actually brought the espresso maker back with us from London thinking a simple adaptor is all we'd need to convert it for US usage. Not so. That simple adaptor was as large as the machine itself. We passed it on to someone else that thought they could put it to use. Then we relied on the old Italian stove top espresso maker for a bit. Not the same without the lovely steaming of the milk. Then one Christmas my parents thought of the best present for us: an espresso machine. Now whenever my husband brews his latte I get one, too.

I chose not to learn how to make it, feeling this is one thing he loves to do and appreciating the effort in his making them. When he's out of town I go back to my tea ways. Taking a break from the cafe bean for a bit. But when I get my latte.... Oh, how I enjoy every sip.

The above picture was the treat that was left for me upon my return from taking my eldest son to school one day. My husband had to head off to work early, but he left me with a fabulous surprise.