are we also coffee connoisseurs? Or wine enthusiasts?

johnto -- My La Pavoni eventually went belly-up and now statue-esqely sits atop my LP shelf. To be sure, me & the wife pulled lots of first class espresso from that machine but when it died there wasn't anybody around to fix it..Even the guy who fixed it several years previously no longer wanted to touch it..

Anyway, we replaced the La Pavoni with a Bezzera BZ13. It's pretty much completely automatic, as opposed to the Pavoni's demand that you have hands like Itzak Perlman or Arturo Toscanini if you wanna proper cup of Eye-talian Joe. I must report, as well, that the quality of espresso we brainlessly get from the Bezzera is outstanding. Truly in league with the stuff you might get at the corner bar in Milano. BTW, the beans we put into the Bezzera are the Illy brand, which we are able to get at the local Safeway. We grind the whole beans in a Rancilio grinder. The wife prefers one setting. I prefer another.

The wife and I are also extremely fortunate that we live on the Big Island of Hawaii. There are more than a few small growers, each of whom grow & roast their own version of the truth. Whether you do a drip or put it in the French Press, it'll make you smile.

@edcyn: You just reminded me of the "cleanest" tasting coffee I've ever had---Kona. I don't remember the brand, just the taste. Made my regular (Pete's Sumatra) seem like mud.

that’s pretty deep, some of you are into coffee too.

I tried a lot of brands and stuck with Illy’s. I know it’s not from a farmer who reads Greek poems and has a goat named Ghandi; I leave that to the coffee shops. I am still in search for the best espresso that I can’t spoil with cream and sugar.

Though a little goes a long way for me, I also admit to being a wine lover. I don't have a truly deep knowledge of what is what, but I can say that the times I've been to France the red has been second to none. And yeah, spent time in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Did some wine-tasting, but never got much past just telling the waiter/waitress to bring us a half liter of local red, white, sparkling or whatever. Wine was excellent in Hungary, Chile, Argentina & Uruguay, too.  Northern California? Yeah! I even enjoy a good Rose.

@edcyn

wine indeed improved a lot in Hungary (my home country) in the last 2 decades, as they restored the tradition. The famous story about California's wine is that it was started by a Hungarian. Whoever did it, I am happy with the results.

Not a big expert in South American wines, but the ones I tried were all high quality