My Frugal Friday tale: The mom who wanted a Latte

It is no secret that Aaron and I are coffee lovers.  Our kitchen is a shrine to what is quite frankly the best delivery method of caffeine on earth.  When we take Noah to see his specialists we usually stop for a pound of coffee and a couple latte's.  We drink at least a pot a day, and we are... well... snobs when comes to our Java.  We brew Caribou Mahogany, or Illy (when I manage to get to Fresh Market in Kenwood to stock up) at home.  One thing was missing... an espresso machine at home!  We had one for several years but it got cranky and was inconsistent.  I had even bought a espresso cup set on clearance in hopes that I would find a new machine for a steal.  A spending cap was set and I was on a quest.  Yet what I found is that espresso machines are like cars!  You could buy a Yugo, or a BMW.  I was thinking more like a Honda... but even those were ballpark $400... so not a price range Aaron and I were comfortable with.  So frugal me waited... Buying a pound of beans was one thing, but those latte treats were starting to add up!

A friend of mine went to Italy and I seethed with envy as she raved about the coffee.  Then she mentioned the cute little pots she would use on a hot plate to make the espresso in the hotel room.  She said it was the best espresso she and her husband had ever had.  My eyes went from the glowing shade of green back to their natural brown when I heard her say she found the very same pot at Target.   Wait... Did she say Target!!??  True story, your local Target has the greatest espresso maker!  And it is only $25!

Introducing:   The Bialetti Moka Express!!!

This little aluminum wonder will make 6 shots of espresso, or if you're Italian, 6 cups of coffee :)

All you need is a heaping tablespoon of your favorite ground beans (Illy is fantastic and they recommend a Moka Pot!) and viola!  Amazing!!  What you see next to my Moka Pot is the Bodum Milk Frother.  I pour warm milk in there and I press the battery powered button on the top and it whips my milk into a frothy wonder!  This was on sale at Dillards for $10. (Reg. price $20)

Here is my Moka pot, my frother and a honey latte in my extra large Fiesta mug!  Just like the ones that Starbucks discontinued that I LOVED!!  What more could I need to be in Java bliss?

So there you have it, my Frugal Friday Tale of the mom who wanted a Latte!!