The other night, Fliss offered me my christmas present early because it “wasn’t something I could take to Scotland.” Fair play, thought I – nothing like getting something nice unexpectedly.
Turned out it was a cappucino machine that works with instant coffee. Sweet!
Well, aside from the fact that buying an insomniac a coffee machine is a bit like buying a haemophiliac an acupuncture kit. Still, I’ve wanted one of these for ages, but always considered it too much of a luxury.
As soon as the box was open, I immediately got it plugged in and ran it through a cleaning cycle, before firing in some of my Columbian instant coffee. Turning the dial a quarter turn clockwise inserts a shot of coffee, so I turned it twice for good measure, then turned it the quarter turn anti-clockwise to start the process going. It made all the right sounds, too – lots of hissing and frothing accompanied with a rising plume of steam.
The end result was really good – a very high quality cup, by my standards, considering it didn’t cost the usual Starbucks prices. I was a little wired for the rest of the evening, which is to be expected after drinking strong coffee. Unless a resting pulse of 170bpm is considered normal, I think I’ll buy myself some decaf so that I can make use of it during the week, rather than just at weekens and holidays.
Now, if only I’d thought of something as good to get for Fliss
