Mexico Bob suggests I share tips on making a good cup of coffee, in the interest of quality vs quantity. There's not much skill to it: we use a Krups Il Primo machine (found in a thrift store). We grind French or Italian beans, dark and greasy, in a burr grinder (the best, says the Capt) and fill the little basket generously, tamping it down a little. The machine yields just under six ounces of espresso. About 1/3 cup of 2-percent foamed milk goes on top, sometimes with tiny reproductions of the Tetas in the foam if we're feeling creative. We no longer bother with cinnamon and nutmeg.
I had a restaurant coffeemaker in my office and used to drink 10 cups of coffee a day when I was a newspaper publisher, but it was what they call here in Mexico "cafe Americano." There's no waste when you make espresso; you can serve four people at most, and none of it is thrown out. It doesn't sit in a carafe on a burner half the day getting nastier by the hour.
Either the Capt or I gets up with the dogs before dawn, cranking up the Krups and producing two cappuccinos. Then a cup is presented to whoever's still in bed with a kiss, and the dogs are invited to join us. We sip and talk and take our time about getting out of bed. Later, after we've been up an hour or so, brushed the dogs, checked our email and had our oatmeal, the Capt or I will announce "time for Round Two" and the Krups is cranked up again. That's it for our caffeine consumption, other than an occasional cup of good black tea after lunch, with a couple of squares of the best Belgian chocolate we can find: Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet. Ummmmmm.