Champagne dreams and Cappuccino wishes: An Internet Fairy Tale

Today I toast the coffeecrew.com crew for enriching my life, my wallet, my love for homemade cappuccino and my countertop.

I live on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, where I recently noticed myself investing a dangerous percentage of my income in the Starbucks across the street.

My search for savings was coupled with a new desire for breakfast-time nesting. So I decided
to dust off a Gaggia espresso machine I used wa-a-y back in college. Unfortunately, many years and 15 apartments later, the pump was not working.

That's when I searched for a manual online and
found the coffeecrew.com website. Joy!

After numerous e-mail and telephone calls on his coin, Coffeecrew guru Colin tracked down the right manual for the machine. We tried to troubleshoot the problem, but my machine was too much of a technical mess for this Manhattan girl to fix.

I mailed Colin the Gaggia and wished it well in the brave new coffee maker
afterworld (does that come with soy milk?)

At the same time, Colin wrote a plea about my plight and, at the climax of this Internet Fairy Tale, secured for me a fabulous (almost) new Gaggia Carezza from the successful online vendors, WholeLatteLove.Com. (Tip of the hat to Gary and Todd Salzman)

Frequent moves had taken a toll on my coffee accoutrements, but I found a great pitcher at
nearby Zabar's -photo at right - (thanks for that advice, Colin, since I almost bought one on e-bay!)

Now I enjoy not only saving money but a great cup of cappuccino each morning.

I am proud of my newly re-learned espresso and frothing skills and extraordinary grateful to Colin and everyone who supports and reads coffeecrew.

You have made Internet magic and
kept a New York girl happily caffeinated.

Espresso coffee and cappuccino, in part, helped fuel my hectic career in broadcast journalism. In fact, I think all this good karma may have helped me win an Emmy last week - my first!

Perhaps that never would have happened without the right brew,
the right machine and the right support from my new coffeecrew Prince Charmings!

Fondly,

Dina

Emmy award winning TV journalist, Dina Kaplan, lives in New York city. She is the proud owner of a Gaggia from WholeLatteLove.Com (Thanks Gary, Todd and Crew!) You can see the complete Dina gallery by clicking here. In her current incarnation, Dina provides some of the creative skills behind the video site www.blip.tv - check it out.