You can now buy Caffè kimbo’s top line ground coffee, called Kimbo Gold Medal. This blend of dark roasted Arabica beans is ground to medium-coarse, which makes it ideal for use in both Espresso Machines and stove-top Moka pots.

Kimbo is usually associated with Southern Italy, and is one of the most popular blends in Naples and the Campania region.

It has a strong, dark taste, and if used to make a ristretto coffee, will not disappoint.

You can buy Caffè Kimbo Gold Medal at £3.67 per 250g.

The Frappé is very similar to a milkshake, and is a refreshing way to enjoy a coffee when a latte or cappuccino just won’t cut it! This coffee recipe is very simple.

Ingredients
You will need the following;

• 450ml of espresso coffee (strong brew)
• 330ml crushed ice
• 8 drops of vanilla essence extract
• 60ml condensed milk (milk in a can)
• whipped cream for decoration

Directions

1. Brew the coffee, and allow to cool (15 to 30 minutes)
2. Pour the cold coffee into a blender, add the vanilla essence extract, crushed ice and milk
3. Start the blender, and blend until the mixture has a smooth texture
4. Pour the Frappé into a tall glass, and add sugar to taste.
5. Decorate with the whipped cream, and enjoy!

Of course, if you are not a fan of vanilla, you can replace the vanilla essence with banana essence, peppermint essence, or maple essence.

If you have made a Frappé using this recipe, let us know if you have any tips or tricks we can add to this, or even better, send us a photo of your drink by e-mail (or tweet it to us @espressodrink)

The typical Italian coffee is made using a Moka Pot, and although there are 2 types of Moka Pots – the traditional style moka pot, and the Napolitan moka pot – the principle is the same…pressurised water passes through the ground coffee and out comes a thin, strong coffee. In fact, there is no ‘crema’ in a Moka-made espresso.

To make a good coffee takes time, and in this post we will be explaining how to make an aromatic, authentic coffee.

Moka Pot

First of all you need some equipment and ingredients;
1. The Moka Pot
2. Moka pot support (optional)
3. Moka pot anti-spray cap (recommended)
4. Espresso cup & saucer
5. Fresh ground espresso coffee
6. Filtered water

Next some ground rules;
1. Keep opened packets of coffee (beans or ground) in the fridge
2. Never put a moka pot, or its parts, in a dishwasher. Wash everything by hand and without soap
3. Most moka pots are standard sizes (1 cup, 3 cup and 6 cup), and spare parts are available to buy

Right, now we get to the fun part. To begin with, fill the water reservoir with cool, filtered water (preferably room temperature), up to the pressure relief valve on the side, so it is not covering the valve.

Next, place the nozzle into the reservoir opening, and using small amounts of coffee, fill the nozzle with ground coffee – never pat the coffee down, and fill until there is a nice, full pile of coffee.

Moka Pot with Coffee

Screw on the top half of the moka pot, which will in turn compact the coffee. Make sure the 2 halves are screwed together tightly, using a towel if necessary.

If you have an anti-spray cap, then put this onto your moka pot now. Also, depending on what type of cooker you have, you may need to use either a moka pot support or a heat diffuser plate.

Put the moka pot on the smallest heat, and open the lid so that any evaporated water can escape and not affect the taste of the freshly made coffee.

By keeping the moka pot on a low flame you ensure the coffee is not burned, and the hot water passes through the coffee, picking up as much flavour as possible.

Moka Pot on low heat

Depending on how big the moka pot is, the coffee should start coming out after 4 minutes or so, but never leave the moka pot unattended.

Once the coffee has stopped coming out of the top nozzle, turn off the cooker and serve immediately in a heated espresso cup (you can run the cup under hot water if desired).

Add sugar to taste, and serve!

We have finally made it – our very own, all bells and whistles, super-dooper coffee blog! It’s only taken 2 years, but the espressodrinker blog is live!

Since we first launched the site, we have helped customers (and even the odd espresso-lover) by answering questions on coffee, giving tips and advice, and helping them make the perfect coffee experience…and now we are opening up this service to anyone else who has any questions or ideas about good coffee.

We will be reviewing coffee, coffee accessories, posting videos, uploading recipes (for both coffee drinks AND food dishes!) and discussing how to make the perfect caffe’.

If you have any comments about the posts we write, please do share them with us by completing the comments form (although we will read all comments before publishing them…).

espressodrinker is also on facebook, so become a fan at www.facebook.com/espressodrinker.

We hope you enjoy the blog!

Luigi