I have a confession. I like to share coffee with my coworkers, but on some deep, dark level there are selfish pleasures involved. There were a few eyebrows raised when I first brought in an AeroPress, frothing wand, and a Hario hand grinder. The questions started. "Why do you go to so much trouble?" That's where it began. I wanted to share with them how it was completely worth it to patiently hand grind fresh coffee beans and employ some crazy contraption to obtain the nectar. We have a super-duper auto at work, but it's worse than pods. I started making the occasional latte for my boss, and soon she would wander by my desk with those puppy dog eyes that pleaded, "Could you please make me one of your lattes?" Before long, I turned up the heat with a Lido E grinder followed by an Espresso Forge and steamer. "When did you get that?" "You look like a mad scientist." I lured them in with designs in microfoam and crema. "That's beautiful, is it a flower?" "Can you make a butterfly?"

Since it takes a bit of time to make a cup, I occasionally split my dose into two glass Bodum espresso cups and treat some coworker friend. The best part is the expression on their face when someone experiences their first coffee like nothing before. Then there are the repeat customers. One friend's appreciative moan was a little surprising when I set a cup in front of her on a particularly bad work day.

It's not quite the same pleasure, but it is very satisfying when one of the challenging voices falls into the trap. One joked after seeing two cups with designs, "Oh, I would have wanted a four-leaf clover." The next morning I made a cup with the lucky leaf for him. He came by after and said, "That was about the best damned cup of coffee I've had." Then added, "Now when I go into Starbucks,..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged, knowing only disappointment lay ahead. All I could do was offer my apology for what I had done.

My mom and mother-in-law now both have a baratza encore and make a Chemex daily. They're in their 50s and 60s and wanted a baratza because I got them started with a Hario grinder and they wanted "more consistency" and less work. They both chose Chemex because it was cleaner than a french press and had enough capacity for them and their husbands both. I pat my self on the back for a job well done.

MB wrote:I first brought in an AeroPress, frothing wand, and a Hario hand grinder.

What exactly is this "frothing wand" you have? I've seen plenty of milk frothers that heat up the milk, but none of them seem to be capable of anything I'd call microfoam. If there's a solution for the office out there, I'd love to try it!

Best cheap office milk solution is microwave (assuming office already has one) for heat and french press plunger to produce great microfoam that most people wouldnt tell apart from foam produced on an espresso mchine

jzuzphreek wrote:What exactly is this "frothing wand" you have? I've seen plenty of milk frothers that heat up the milk, but none of them seem to be capable of anything I'd call microfoam. If there's a solution for the office out there, I'd love to try it!

With a handheld frothing wand, like an Aerolatte for example, you generally pour cold milk in a measuring cup or whatever, heat it in a microwave oven, and then create foam with the high speed rotating whisk on the end of the wand. It works but is not the same as the taste and texture of microfoam made with steam.

Rocky

Simon345 wrote:Best cheap office milk solution is microwave (assuming office already has one) for heat and french press plunger to produce great microfoam that most people wouldnt tell apart from foam produced on an espresso mchine

I've been wondering about that the last couple of weeks. My press pot needed a good cleaning and, along with soap and hot water, I cranked the plunger up and down fast repeatedly. That produced a light, fine soap foam like I'd never seen before. I thought: I'll bet you could make a decent whipped cream with this thing.

jzuzphreek wrote:What exactly is this "frothing wand" you have? I've seen plenty of milk frothers that heat up the milk, but none of them seem to be capable of anything I'd call microfoam. If there's a solution for the office out there, I'd love to try it!

As mentioned it was the battery powered wand with the spinning coiled whisk on the end. As noted, it makes foam, but not micro foam of the creamy latex paint variety. For an inexpensive office solution, I suggest using a French press to rapidly pump heated milk, or the cheap Mr. Cxxxxx steam espresso maker which I use for it's steaming capability only. Please note that if you use the steam espresso maker, remove the black steam wand cover, and know that it takes quite a bit of effort and time to get the nasty factory smell out of the machine. With a bit of practice you can get some nice latte art worthy microfoam out of it.

Ooooo!! thanks for replying! I have one of those as well. The kids like to make their chocolate milk with it.

I was hoping there was some new nifty contraption out there that could actually steam milk and make acceptable microfoam, yet still be highly accessible and practical for work.