Guilt and the Coffee Machine that Practically Thinks for You
Andrew Bluett-Duncan
Director
I’ve a slew of offers for you this week, They come from a number of electrical manufacturers such as Sage, Magimix, Nespresso and KitchenAid. They all represent at least 26% discount, I've picked out a couple here to talk about and offer an extra discount on.
Sage Barista Express Impress Coffee Machine
For me, notable in these collections is the ‘Sage Barista Express Impress’ which, in its slightly more basic form Barista Express (no Impress) is my brother ‘s espresso machine of choice , which he’s had for many years now, and I believe continues to be delighted with, unlike the Dualit machines he had before, which admittedly were much cheaper, but also highly unreliable!
Barista machines are for the coffee enthusiasts where the espresso making process and controls are manual and their fans will claim that the results are better than any of the other three types of coffee machine.
These are 'Bean to Cup' machines, which as the name may suggest are fully automatic. Coffee pod machines e.g. Nespresso, which are quick and convenient with no mess, but can be expensive per cup. Filter machines take longer to prepare your beverage and aren't really optimised for espresso drinkers.
So, getting back to the Sage Barista Express Impress, I am aware that to get a really good cup of coffee (and therefore Americano, or any of the milk-based coffee drinks) you need a really good espresso as the basis. And, for that you will require freshly roasted beans, freshly ground (not ready ground), to allow the best extraction. Then, it needs about 9 Bars of pressure to put water through the coffee grounds, to achieve optimum extraction. But, it’s on this point where the Impress model impresses.
It has a natty little gizmo, built in the coffee head area, that knows how fine or coarse your coffee grounds are from the choice of 25 odd settings. Optimum size of the grind is one of the keys to a superb espresso. It knows now much is in the Portafilter (the part that holds the coffee grounds). It then tells you graphically (with a series of lights) whether this needs adjustment, more, or less, or if its spot on, for the best possible extraction to take place.
In so doing, it largely takes the guess work out of the process. In fact, as I write this, I’m thinking, what a wonderful idea this is for the geek or just the fussy coffee drinker. I’m imagining that next, I’ll be getting a metaphorical tap on the shoulder from my brother who lives in Liverpool, hinting that its time he upgraded his Barista Express for the Impress model.
And I for one would find it hard to not justify such a useful improvement.
Would this be a machine for me? No, I’m afraid it's 'Bean to Cup' machines for me or nothing. But, were I a coffee geek who didn’t mind the faff, (apparently some enjoy the faff, and actually look down with disdain on us 'Bean to Cuppas') then this would be a strong contender, if not the leader by far, as it pretty well guarantees a fantastic coffee.
Its normal price is £729.95 currently reduced to £649.95 and for this weekend only use code Impress20 to get a further £20 pounds off. So, you pay £629.95, this is £100 off RRP.
KitchenAid Hand Mixer 9 Speed
The other product that I wanted to highlight, is the KitchenAid Hand Mixer 9 Speed. Currently £139.00 on offer at £119.00. Even at the offer price, it's still a pretty pricey bit of kit. So, having used one in the dim and distant past, I thought I’d tell you a little about it, because I recall being impressed, and it might help you understand what it's capable of.
As the title suggests, it has a huge range of speeds, nine in all. It also has a soft start feature which means that you are significantly less likely to accidentally redecorate the kitchen.
Along with that and the 9 speeds, it has the usual twin beaters in stainless steel, a really good 16 Wire Whisk, a pair of Dough Hooks for …..dough, and a Mixing Rod for making smoothies etc.
So, expensive it maybe, but you do actually get quite a lot for your money, it's very solidly built and pretty powerful as well, which for dough hooks in particular, it really needs to be.
Use code KITMXER to get a further reduction down to £105.00 for this weekend.
Last Word
A few weeks ago I'd been rather taken by a piece written by Nick Cave. I wrote about this piece but at the time it didn't fit my newsletter. This morning however we've managed to shoe horn it in.
My apologies for mentioning Nick Cave again, but his reply to a letter he published last month from a fan who had heard him on “Desert Island Discs”, I’m afraid I could not resist.
So, taking Rob’s advice (a friend and a solicitor) I wish to make it clear as crystal that the following is a letter from a fan of Nick Cave, plus his answer, mainly to the fan's concern ‘could she have done more?’ If you are, or have a tendency towards, feeling guilt, then I suspect that this will resonate with you.
If it doesn’t, then two possibilities come to mind. You have either had a very advanced, good and well-balanced childhood, or you have sociopathic tendencies… there are, I’m sure, other possibilities, but these two amused the extremist in me.
Helen asks…
"I listened to your Desert Island discs this morning and just loved your stunning choices, especially ‘My Father’ by Nina Simone and ‘I Am a God’ by Kanye West. I was very moved by everything you said. I stood in the kitchen (I was cooking while listening) and cried. How does one reconcile the question, “Could I have done more to prevent this loss?” I have faced similar circumstances and feel so much guilt that I could have done something more to help.
HELEN, NOTTINGHAM, UK"
Nick Replies thus….
"Dear Helen,
'What if I had done this?' 'If only I had done that.' These are the thoughts that keep us entrenched in our self-loathing. Guilt-ridden, we turn in on ourselves. We punish ourselves in the hope that this will bring absolution. 'If I’d just been more like that,' we think, as we grow accustomed to our abjectness, not realising that these thoughts are a paralysing, self-negating wickedness. 'Could I have done more to prevent this loss?' The answer is probably yes. Now, Helen, let’s be rid of this morbid interiority and move on.
We are broken things, amongst other broken things. We are imperfect and characterised by our capacity to fuck things up, yet still we can move incrementally towards the greater good. This serves as grounds for both self-forgiveness and hope, and reflects our inherent human loveliness.
We all have a job to do, and it is urgent business. We must make this world as bearable as we can. I believe, with no small amount of awe, that we have tremendous potential to achieve just that. I marvel at our collective and individual ingenuity. We are broken, yet - wow, o wow - look what we can do! We can be good to one another! We can love one another! We can be kind!
I have witnessed such kindness from people - ordinary kindness from broken individuals. Kindness that dismantles the structures of self-hatred and cynicism by recognising our shared condition. We are in this life together, each woven into the other, with our individual sorrows being merely a drop in a vast sea of mutuality.
We need one another, Helen, to hell with shame and guilt. We have work to do.
Love, Nick"
Copyright the red hand files - Nick Cave ©
As someone who has a strong propensity to feel guilt and the sometimes debilitating and counter-productive effects this has had over the years, I find his take on our collective imperfection and yet still moving towards greater good, inspiring.
That’s it for this week
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