How To Make Espresso In Space

In a story that's sure to bring to the surface the long-debunked myth of an over-elaborate NASA quest to create a pen to operate in space, Wired reports that the coffee situation aboard the International Space Station is about to improve: the station will be getting a 20kg, custom designed Lavazza espresso machine, to be delivered along with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Among other differences from terrestrial espresso machines: the resulting beverage must be pumped into a straw-friendly bag rather than a demitasse. I wonder if there could be some way to adapt a (much lighter) Aeropress for space purposes, as a backup.

Short black with one

[aXis100]

How do they add sugar!!!

Look, I love coffee as much as the next guy but when they are replacing 20kg of scientific payload with a 20kg coffee machine (plus the pods and waste management), they might have their priorities a little skewed. If they'd spent the money on produging a better freeze dried espresso, all of humanity could benefit.

Re:Putting the "Star" in Starbucks...

[quenda]

Last I heard, it cost around $20k/kg to lift cargo to orbit. Add in the extra weight of beans vs instant, and the world will finally see (albeit from a distance) coffee even more overpriced than Starbucks'.

Re:Putting the "Star" in Starbucks...

[50000BTU_barbecue]

The machine is a Lavazza. One would hope the beans are something else.

Re:yuck epresso

[Shinobi]

Heh, that sounds like the coffee made in Sweden or Finland.

It's always funny to see people from around europe and north america try to drink coffee as made in Sweden or Finland, while Swedes and Finns generally regard coffee made by anyone else as too watery.

When I was in Kosovo, with the Swedish KFOR unit, we had some people from the US 502nd PIR come over to to our PX/café to try our coffee, and most of them had to thin it out to drink it, they weren't used to having it that strong. And they didn't believe us when we told them that it was not a special military brewing, but instead just ordinary brewing as most swedes who drink coffee would appreciate it.

Common complaints from tourists is that even McDonalds and Starbucks coffee in Sweden is way too strong.

Re:Short black with one

[techno-vampire]

Personally, I prefer mine with cream and sugar because I find that for me it enhances the flavor. In fact, I add raw sugar to the half and half for my morning espresso before foaming it so that even the foam is sweetened. If you like yours "black and bitter," have at it, but don't expect me to join you.