after doing a lot of research, i finally decided on an espresso machine. there seems to be a huge sea of options and it was difficult trying to figure out which way to go. it seems that one of the high end brands of automatic espresso machines is jura-capresso. part of what is important for an automatic espresso machine is the ability to produce consistent espresso in an easy fashion.

i was torn between a few brands, but after reading reviews online decided that i would try out the jura-capresso e8. there were some saeco models that i had considered as well, but after doing the research, i felt the jura-capresso model would be the one.

now, mind you, the company offers two models at this level, the E8 and the E9. the difference? one has a black plastic exterior, the other a silver plastic exterior. for $100 more, you can get the silver plastic model. i opted against it.

so we’ve had the espresso machine for about a week now and i’ve been making mochas and lattes with it. the one thing that i will have to say about this model is that consistency is pretty good between brews of coffee. i’ve been pretty happy with the performance of the espresso machine in those regards.

i have also ordered a frothing pitcher and a thermometer so that i can more easily gauge when the milk is properly steamed and frothed. my big fear is oversteaming the milk and having it curdle.

now the next step is to figure out how to make pearl milk tea with this thing…

i have not read the book that the movie is based on, but when i first popped the disc into the player i saw that i had two versions that i could choose from. i decided to watch the theatrical release and at the end, i was confused as to why the movie had ended the way it did. it just didn’t make sense.

i read online that the movie was actually rewritten and changed from the book to end this way so that it would be more commercially palatable. so i watched the alternate ending that was on the disc and it COMPLETELY changes the entire relationship between the zombies and dr. neville. though i liked the theatrical release, the ending did feel a little forced and i felt like there were some loose ends. the alternate version really changes the tone of the entire movie and wraps up some references made in the movie earlier much better.

definitely check out the alternate ending, it is fantastic.