joey wrote:hard to find people with looooove for coffee.
Yes, but maybe not as hard as finding somewhere where you don't feel the urge to jump over the counter and pull the shot yourself...
As far as milk goes, if the place can't produce decent espresso anyway, I don't see that the milk matters. If they can (and if so Holland is further along than the UK) then just drink the Espresso...
For my part, I'd rather drink Nespresso than some of the things I've been served recently
(the Trade Descriptions Act seems not to apply to coffee) (For Non UK people Trade Descriptions Act = piece of UK legislation which means if you order an espresso you should get an espresso, not something else).
I guess it's just depends what your definition is. I reckon most people in the UK, if they had any idea at all, would, at best, probably say an espresso is a short strong black coffee. This can, and of course does, cover a multitude of sins.
Joey - your definition didn't say anything about freshness. If it's horribly stale, is it still espresso?
Steve
PS think I'll go and have my first go at roasting. Heatgun or popper? Oh, what the hell, I'll try both.