What is a Thermalblock? I will give you a hint the block is at 92 degrees Celsius. Does that help? You probably realize that as I am talking about heat it probably is chunk of metal at a controlled temperature. Now the question is why! Why would someone want a block of metal to be at 92 degrees?
To heat up something of course! Now the something could be air, liquid or solid. To save the typing I will just tell you it is to heat water. That I am sure makes it obvious as to the purpose of this post.
Of course you know why we need water at 92 Celsius, well you will once I tell you the Fahrenheit value which is ... 197.6F. Yes you guessed it to make espresso!
As everyone knows Espresso must be made at 92C. Any other temperature for the water is just, well, not right. My espresso machine (notice the possessive there) does just that. It has a Thermalblock system to heat the water. The Sunbeam Cafe Aromatic EM5800 is considered one of the best (along with the EM5600) espresso machines available in New Zealand by the professional Barrista's here.
What makes the Cafe Aromatic the best? Well I am glad you asked! In addition to the Thermalblock it has an Italian made water pump which provides exactly 15 BAR (if you don't know what BAR is please look it up and e-mail me with the information.) It also has five buttons! The button to the left is power, the next one is manual pour, the next is single shot (35ml) the next button is double shot (yes you guessed it 70ml) and the last is program just in case you want to change the amount of liquid for the previous two buttons. Dead simple.
And more importantly it has an Italian designed "crema system." Crema for the uninitiated (like I was say a week ago) is that not black stuff on the top of an espresso shot. It is the natural foam of coffee. I am sure that it helps to force the whole 35ml (or 70ml) through one pin hole. And lets not forget the cup warmer, yes the top of the coffee machine heats up (I am sure the thermalblock is just below that shelf.) I found out after I arrived here that it is important for the cups you put the espresso in should be warm. And then there is the 1.1 liter tank on the back. Which is really the best point about it. You can make shots again and again without having to fill up a reservoir of water. There may be a slight wait while the thermalblock warms up if you are too quick to refill the grounds.
So now you know more about espresso than you ever wanted. But do not worry for I am sure that I will have another posting or two about it. Espresso and coffee is a favorite past time around here. It is religious.
I am off to make a Flat White with my Cafe Aromatic!
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