Page 50 - FINAL San Diego Woman interactive

Fabulous Finds

1. When the Café is Closed
By Jaime V. Habert 1

The sound of your phone alarm. It's
known as one of the worst parts of the
morning. The best? Most would say their
cup of joe.
Whether it comes from your Keurig,
a Mr. Coffee, a craft coffee shop, or the
Starbucks drive thru, many of us are wak-
ing up with a shot of caffeine to get us
going. For me, it's safe to say coffee is the
highlight of my day.
After working for years in the coun-
try’s most popular cafes and restaurants,
I am a self-described expert on all things
espresso. Just the smell of the freshly ity of its products, and that is something fill the stainless-steel mesh filter with
ground beans sends a chill up my spine. that Epare does happily and confidently. course ground coffee, and top with hot or
The euphoria of that rich chocolaty scent So, quite honestly, my caffeine intake cold water to brew. The copper vacuum
filling the air as I pull the finely ground is never limited to the morning. As a insulated carafe is 100% leak proof and
shots, calibrating my machine for the days full-blown caffeine addict, I require a prevents any condensation on the outer
creations, is one of the best feelings; and a minimum of 6 shots a day (sometimes, wall with the simple press of a button.
result of working in a field you love. and more often than I'd like to admit, With all of these amazing at-home meth-
So, when I'm not given the gift of that ends up in one cup). That being ods, I'm not sad when my budget doesn't
being behind a manual steam wand said, I love to give my afternoons a jolt allow for the long lines and high prices of
hanging from a glistening Marzocco, I with a single origin cold brew ground a craft coffee shop.
am left with finding an alternative to that fresh at home and steeped for at least 21 For more information on how you
morning escape. While my experience hours. I used to use a filter and container, can up your home brewing methods
and knowledge is vast, I am not beyond like some barbarian. Tsk Tsk. Now, I've and purchase Epare or Asobu products,
a good cup of drip coffee. When I’m at acknowledged the errors of my ways and and other coffee enthusiasts items visit
home, I love using beans from Cafe Vir- humanized myself with the Asobu Cold grommet.com
tuoso, a local San Diego organic roaster, Brew Coffee Maker. This Insulated Porta- Epare Coffee Grinder https://www.
and grinding them within my Epare ble Brewer is impressive with a stainless thegrommet.com/products/epare-pre-
Coffee Grinder. This simple and portable steel well and glass steeping section. The cision-manual-coffee-grinder
machine allows for easy grind adjustment grinds sit inside a metal filter that perfect- Asobu Portable Cold Brew Cof-
and stands a storable 6.75" tall. Weighing ly penetrates the water poured delicately fee Maker https://www.thegrom-
under 21 oz., this 60gm capacity grinder is throughout it. With the ability to keep the met.com/products/asobu-porta-
a beautiful silver with turn grind attach- brew cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours, ble-cold-brew-coffee-maker
ment and will be your best friend for this brewer can make your morning or Café Virtuoso http://cafevirtuoso.
whole bean transformations. afternoon caffeine a no-brainer. Simply com/
When using an espresso roast, I will
utilize another quality Epare product, my
Double Espresso Glass Set. This, quite
honestly, is one of the best gifts I have
ever received. These shot glasses have
stood the test of time and many a dish-
washing cycle. They are simple, beautiful,
and practical. I use them almost every day
and can't imagine a morning without a
perfectly set shot. Freezer and microwave
safe, these 4 oz glasses can be utilized for
any of your recipes or elongated shots.
The best part of both of these Epare prod-
ucts? A lifetime warranty. I love to buy
from a company that stands by the qual-

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