My Nespresso Machine

This deserves an entry all by itself, because knowing the background will help you understand why if there were a fire, I'd probably grab the Nespresso machine first.

One of the primary reasons I love going to Australia is to drink the coffee. Shana asked me why I'm so obsessed with the coffee, and I had a hard time describing it to her, but I think I've finally figured it out. Remember the first time you smelled coffee, and nothing else that you'd smelled previously compared to how rich and deep the aroma was? And no experience that you'd had previously compared to the disappointment of drinking it? Coffee is really weird in that it doesn't really taste like it smells. Or at least none of the coffee I've ever drunk does.

Until I went to Australia for work. I don't know what they do to it down there, but the airport coffee in Sydney is amazing, and everything I had afterward was even better, but especially in Melbourne. Coffee in Australia tastes exactly like it smells. It's a heavenly experience every single time. All that wasted anticipation from the first time you had a cup of crappy, American, drip coffee gets satisfied years later in a small paper cup.

If you're a coffee fan, you can't miss visiting Melbourne. It's like they add crack and heroin to the coffee. I'm kind of sensitive to caffeine, so I usually limit myself to 2 cups a day, maybe 3 if I'm really sleep-deprived, but when I'm in Australia, particularly Melbourne, I'm drinking 4-5 cups a day -- I get it anytime it's available or there's a coffee shop in my path.

It's not drip coffee. All of it is espresso and espresso-based. The easiest thing to do is to order yourself a cappuccino in Melbourne and bask in the goodness. Or just drink it as fast as you can and order another two. Not that I've done that or anything.

My last visit in August was primarily to Melbourne -- HOORAY! Melbourne is great partially because the Baileys are there, but if they weren't there, I would still be excited because did you read what I wrote above? Amazing coffee. In any event, Melbournians are justifiably proud of their coffee, and we had a couple of day-long meetings at the Westin Melbourne for the Australian members. At the first one, the hotel served drip coffee, and the Melbournian members were understandably taken aback to the point that they said something to Melissa. Melissa said something to Cindi, who said something to the hotel, and magically, for our second meeting, the hotel put an espresso machine in our meeting room.

That kind of proximity to the espresso machine was HEAVEN. I had a cup at every break. (I switched to decaf after the first 3 cups because I didn't want to (a) speak too quickly or (b) have a heart attack.) I'm very open about my love for Australian coffee, and one of the members suggested that I buy the home version of the commercial Nespresso machine that was in the room.

I wrestled with that one. I wrestled like Jacob wrestled with the angel. And I ultimately came down on the side of "no" because I was concerned about the electricity situation (different voltages in the US and Australia) and how I was going to get the coffee capsules that the machine uses. I couldn't in good conscience ask Melissa, Dawn, and Diane to take turns sending me a shipment of my drug of choice every 3 months.

Then I went on vacation to Italy, where the coffee is also amazing. When I mentioned how much I liked the espresso to the villa manager, she suggested that I get a Nespresso machine. That was it. I didn't buy one in Italy, but when I got home, I got online and discovered that Nespresso makes machines for just about every country in the world, including the US.

It wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. I got the milk frother/steamer, too, and I have at least 2 cappuccinos every day when I'm home, and it's a thousand times better than the swill they serve at Starbucks. I just wish I'd known about Nespresso sooner!!! I'm at the part of the year where I travel every week, so I'm not getting as much quality time as I'd like with it. I'm always disappointed when I drink coffee outside my home now.

You might be openly mocking me right now, but ask Melissa and Cindi and Dawn about how delicious the coffee is that Nespresso makes. And if you ever come to Houston, I'll make you a cup, but be warned -- it will change your life and make it nearly impossible to drink any other coffee again without a little twinge of disappointment.