Hi everyone,
First off, this isn't a normal cane travel question, but it is a blind rehab question. I've tried this question on Facebook and was disappointed that I couldn't find an answer there. I want to ask about something that I think needs to be more broadly understood in our network. We teach students how to go to Starbucks in cane travel. We teach them how to make coffee in home management, but not espresso, as far as I know. I also just want to know about this personally.
As our society has evolved, consuming espresso has become very normalized. I have been trying to learn a way to make espresso nonvisually. We teach students how to make coffee, but why not espresso?
I have found that espresso machines can be sorted into two major categories: Manual and automatic.
Manual espresso machines typically require a person to turn a knob on and off while the espresso is brewing, and all the manual espresso machines I've encountered have required that a person look at a light that blinks to indicate when it's time to turn off the machine. A few baristas (coffee shop employees) have told me that they've heard of espresso machines that chime to communicate this same information, but then the customer service lines at major espresso machine companies seem to say that their products do not include this feature.
Automatic espresso machines, like a Nestle Nespresso machine, basically do all the work for you once you push the right buttons to tell them to go. Nespresso machines require a person to buy the Nespresso-specific pods, which can be limiting. Other automatic espresso machines ask you to pour in milk, etc., and then they make entire drinks for you, often after entering prompts on a touch screen.
So far, I cannot find any blind people who make their own espresso. Are people using manual machines and just anticipating the timing, or have we figured out a way to get other nonvisual feedback on when the shot is done? Also, should we consider teaching this in training because of how common it has become to make and consume espresso?
Surely, we don't have to teach every single skill in training; a training center graduate with this interest should be able to come ask this question like I am asking it here. It struck me that this is a skill that seems to be much more common among sighted people than blind people, and I'd love to close the gap.
Woliwoni - Thank you,
Justin
Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury
he/him/his
Phone: 808.797.8606
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu