Espresso Enthusiasts

[Kurwenal]

Joy; joy of joys. Some good news to report:

My friends, 'the boys' are back; this means that our coffee shop is open for business again. In fact, this morning, I had not one, but two double espressos while chatting with them…..

Congratulations.

Your Coffea karma has extended West. Scene: Basseterre, Saint Kitts, the tiny little pier to be exact. Pulled in to watch where Bertha goes.

Up early, decide to go for a walk. Eventually I walk past the place I call the "Mc'SB of Basseterre," which claims to offer the most types of flavored syrups in the Eastern Caribbean. I'll bet they make a smashing Caffe Mocha. Maybe they even have a Nespresso!

I believe Shrink's Law has no reach here. 😎😛

Walk a bit more.

Then I quite literally stumble on a new place, a dude and his coffee, well,..... cart I guess; little grill serving up the most wonderful, fresh, perfect cajun snapper chunks for breakfast, with the drink. Just, there. Last time I was here, there was no there there. Hey, can't be worse than the syrup place, right?

"Hey, my man. Good morning. What can I get you?" Big, enticing smile.

"Do you by chance make a ristretto?"

"Do you want a long pull or short pull?"

Eh?

/ears perk up

/dude starts adjusting his grinder

That simple act, my friends, means everything.

Holy ****. Anticipation.

Friends. Let me tell you.

On my dear sweet drink. In a paper cup. I had 3 x 2, sitting on the side of the road at this dude's one nugatory little table.

With apologies to Mr. Wordsworth:

And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity,
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years.

Bonne journée to you all.

 

[Shrink]

Congratulations.

Your Coffea karma has extended West. Scene: Basseterre, Saint Kitts, the tiny little pier to be exact. Pulled in to watch where Bertha goes.

Up early, decide to go for a walk. Eventually I walk past the place I call the "Mc'SB of Basseterre," which claims to offer the most types of flavored syrups in the Eastern Caribbean. I'll bet they make a smashing Caffe Mocha. Maybe they even have a Nespresso!

I believe Shrink's Law has no reach here. 😎😛

Walk a bit more.

Then I quite literally stumble on a new place, a dude and his coffee, well,..... cart I guess; little grill serving up the most wonderful, fresh, perfect cajun snapper chunks for breakfast, with the drink. Just, there. Last time I was here, there was no there there. Hey, can't be worse than the syrup place, right?

"Hey, my man. Good morning. What can I get you?" Big, enticing smile.

"Do you by chance make a ristretto?"

"Do you want a long pull or short pull?"

Eh?

/ears perk up

/dude starts adjusting his grinder

That simple act, my friends, means everything.

Holy ****. Anticipation.

Friends. Let me tell you.

On my dear sweet drink. In a paper cup. I had 3 x 2, sitting on the side of the road at this dude's one nugatory little table.

With apologies to Mr. Wordsworth:



Image

Bonne journée to you all.

As always...great post! And it's not easy to work the word "nugatory" into casual conversation!

Amazing that coffee crazies find each other where ever they are.

BUT! What do you mean Shrink's Law doesn't reach the Caribbean. NASA has reported that Shrink's Law is recognized throughout the Solar System...and beyond!😎

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Good news! How long were they away for, wherein you had to suffer a little?

Deprivation heightens gratification.

Or some silliness like that!😛

There was a national holiday lasting for several days - which explains their absence - during which time my French press had to put in some overtime. Never mind, the 'boys' are back, along with happy grins, good chat and great service.

And today, his Gaggia still hors de combat, my good Italian friend stopped by the armchair where I was ensconced in our coffee shop, and wondered idly, whether I would like a coffee. I replied that I had already had four double espressos, whereupon he spun around from the counter (the 'boys' were laughing) and observed "I thought you were going to say 'no'", before proceeding to order what became my fifth…….double espresso of the day.

----------

Congratulations.

Your Coffea karma has extended West. Scene: Basseterre, Saint Kitts, the tiny little pier to be exact. Pulled in to watch where Bertha goes.

Up early, decide to go for a walk. Eventually I walk past the place I call the "Mc'SB of Basseterre," which claims to offer the most types of flavored syrups in the Eastern Caribbean. I'll bet they make a smashing Caffe Mocha. Maybe they even have a Nespresso!

I believe Shrink's Law has no reach here. 😎😛

Walk a bit more.

Then I quite literally stumble on a new place, a dude and his coffee, well,..... cart I guess; little grill serving up the most wonderful, fresh, perfect cajun snapper chunks for breakfast, with the drink. Just, there. Last time I was here, there was no there there. Hey, can't be worse than the syrup place, right?

"Hey, my man. Good morning. What can I get you?" Big, enticing smile.

"Do you by chance make a ristretto?"

"Do you want a long pull or short pull?"

Eh?

/ears perk up

/dude starts adjusting his grinder

That simple act, my friends, means everything.

Holy ****. Anticipation.

Friends. Let me tell you.

On my dear sweet drink. In a paper cup. I had 3 x 2, sitting on the side of the road at this dude's one nugatory little table.

With apologies to Mr. Wordsworth:



Image

Bonne journée to you all.

What a lovely, joyful life-affirming, beautifully written (and coffee loving) post. And Wordsworth, too! Splendid! Ah, my cup of joy runneth over…...

 

[S.B.G]

Congratulations.

Your Coffea karma has extended West. Scene: Basseterre, Saint Kitts, the tiny little pier to be exact. Pulled in to watch where Bertha goes.

Up early, decide to go for a walk. Eventually I walk past the place I call the "Mc'SB of Basseterre," which claims to offer the most types of flavored syrups in the Eastern Caribbean. I'll bet they make a smashing Caffe Mocha. Maybe they even have a Nespresso!

I believe Shrink's Law has no reach here. 😎😛

Walk a bit more.

Then I quite literally stumble on a new place, a dude and his coffee, well,..... cart I guess; little grill serving up the most wonderful, fresh, perfect cajun snapper chunks for breakfast, with the drink. Just, there. Last time I was here, there was no there there. Hey, can't be worse than the syrup place, right?

"Hey, my man. Good morning. What can I get you?" Big, enticing smile.

"Do you by chance make a ristretto?"

"Do you want a long pull or short pull?"

Eh?

/ears perk up

/dude starts adjusting his grinder

That simple act, my friends, means everything.

Holy ****. Anticipation.

Friends. Let me tell you.

On my dear sweet drink. In a paper cup. I had 3 x 2, sitting on the side of the road at this dude's one nugatory little table.

With apologies to Mr. Wordsworth:



Image

Bonne journée to you all.

That's great you found a like-minded person to make great coffee out there. It sounds like you're on a well-deserved vacation. I hope you enjoy every second of it with great coffee too!

 

[S.B.G]

Tonight I made a Flat White, espresso drink. If you recall the iOS app from June that I wrote about, this was one of the drinks they showed. It's a double-shot of espresso and about 3-4oz of milk where you remove the microfilm from the top after frothing and pour in the remainder of the milk. This is the first time I made this and I think it turned out well. Again, it took me a couple of try's to get the espresso extraction right. I think the humidity from this weekend has affected things as I had to adjust the grind one click more course before it came out right.

As I sit here enjoying this drink, I reflect on the events of my weekend. On Saturday, a friend and I went kayaking down the Huron River for about 3 hours. It was good exercise and the river was very calm. I saw lot's of turtles, swans, egret's, ducks and geese along the way. It was overcast, but still bright with the rays from the sun peeking through at times. The temperature was about 80℉ and humid. There wasn't much of a breeze to speak of, and I had longed for even a gentle breeze because it was mildly stuffy. The weather aside, it was a great adventure and not too uncomfortable.

At one point, well, several points, we went underneath roadway bridges and a train bridge. The train bridge was fascinating as it was built out of giant concrete blocks all around and had the inscription 1888 as it's build date. The bridge was in fantastic shape and leads one to believe it was far newer than 126 years.

After our trip we went back to his place where his, very pregnant wife who is expecting their second child next month awaited our return. We then proceeded out on the rear deck and fired up the grill. We BBQ'd some burgers, bratwurst, bacon and ears of corn. The meal was superb as we took American cheese and put it on the burgers and topped it with bacon, mayo, lettuce and ketchup. This is my favorite type of food right here. We also wrapped the bratwurst in the bacon as well. I mean, bacon makes everything better! I did not eat the corn from the grill. I prefer to eat sweet corn raw and cold. Just remove the husk, rinse and eat. It tastes oh so good that way. I think, and it's my preference, that cooking corn, even a little, takes away the taste too much and softens the kernels.

After food was consumed, we relaxed on the deck for while, feet up, sunglasses on and chatted away about nothingness. Although I recall informing my friends about a tidbit of information I learned from a documentary about the Redwood trees in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Most trees, around the world, only grow so tall and the reason, as I learned, is at a certain height, the tree can only get water up so far before it cannot go further, due, obviously, to gravity. The Redwood trees, I learned, get their extreme height from the ground water, as all trees do, but because of the daily thick fog that rolls in from the ocean, the trees absorb that moisture at the tops and it allows them to grow even further. I thought it was fascinating information, although they didn't latch onto it quite as much as I did. 😛

Today, I had two ladies from my past show up at church services that I hadn't seen in a while. One was the pastor's daughter, one of five of them and the other another friend from the same time period, ten years ago, when we used to hang out. One of them I had asked out and she turned me down back then. The other, I should have asked out but never did. That is a regret of mine these days. Both happen to have the same name, Melody, and both are married with families of their own. It was just really strange for both to appear back home at the same time. One of them has a brother who is getting married next week which is why she in back in town and the other is just in for a visit with the family while her brother is in town from the west coast. Just lot's of memories coming in to me today and imaginations of things that could have been...

 

[powerslave12r]

Sorry for being away from the thread! Rest assured the coffee ingestion did not abate.

How go the shots?

The shots, and I only tried once, were a major fail. I ground too fine and the drip was too slow, it was a mess. I had to stop because I was afraid something would blow up. 🙁

I haven't tried since, but I will be trying in the upcoming days.

Ahh, feels so good to be discussing coffee again. 🙂

 

[Shrink]

Sorry for being away from the thread! Rest assured the coffee ingestion did not abate.




The shots, and I only tried once, were a major fail. I ground too fine and the drip was too slow, it was a mess. I had to stop because I was afraid something would blow up. 🙁

I haven't tried since, but I will be trying in the upcoming days.

Ahh, feels so good to be discussing coffee again. 🙂

Fear not...missing the grind is especially common when you start a new blend or SO bean. What are you aiming for in extraction time? (I'm assuming that we're talking espresso.) When you go a bit in the coarse direction, do try to hold the tamp constant.

Good luck, and have fun dialing in your grind.😀

...snip....

Sounds like you had a fun and...ah...interesting weekend!😀

 

[S.B.G]

Sorry for being away from the thread! Rest assured the coffee ingestion did not abate.

The shots, and I only tried once, were a major fail. I ground too fine and the drip was too slow, it was a mess. I had to stop because I was afraid something would blow up. 🙁

I haven't tried since, but I will be trying in the upcoming days.

Ahh, feels so good to be discussing coffee again. 🙂

Dialing in the grind can, sometimes, be fun, if not more so just practice. Except when I want my coffee now and not in another couple of minutes while I fool around with it.

Good luck getting it just right.

Sounds like you had a fun and...ah...interesting weekend!😀

It was a fun, and as you say, interesting weekend.

 

[powerslave12r]

Fear not...missing the grind is especially common when you start a new blend or SO bean. What are you aiming for in extraction time? (I'm assuming that we're talking espresso.) When you go a bit in the coarse direction, do try to hold the tamp constant.

Good luck, and have fun dialing in your grind.😀



Sounds like you had a fun and...ah...interesting weekend!😀

Dialing in the grind can, sometimes, be fun, if not more so just practice. Except when I want my coffee now and not in another couple of minutes while I fool around with it.

Good luck getting it just right.



It was a fun, and as you say, interesting weekend.

Thanks guys, it's going to be an interesting journey. I look forward to it. 🙂

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Tonight I made a Flat White, espresso drink. If you recall the iOS app from June that I wrote about, this was one of the drinks they showed. It's a double-shot of espresso and about 3-4oz of milk where you remove the microfilm from the top after frothing and pour in the remainder of the milk. This is the first time I made this and I think it turned out well. Again, it took me a couple of try's to get the espresso extraction right. I think the humidity from this weekend has affected things as I had to adjust the grind one click more course before it came out right.

As I sit here enjoying this drink, I reflect on the events of my weekend. On Saturday, a friend and I went kayaking down the Huron River for about 3 hours. It was good exercise and the river was very calm. I saw lot's of turtles, swans, egret's, ducks and geese along the way. It was overcast, but still bright with the rays from the sun peeking through at times. The temperature was about 80℉ and humid. There wasn't much of a breeze to speak of, and I had longed for even a gentle breeze because it was mildly stuffy. The weather aside, it was a great adventure and not too uncomfortable.

At one point, well, several points, we went underneath roadway bridges and a train bridge. The train bridge was fascinating as it was built out of giant concrete blocks all around and had the inscription 1888 as it's build date. The bridge was in fantastic shape and leads one to believe it was far newer than 126 years.

After our trip we went back to his place where his, very pregnant wife who is expecting their second child next month awaited our return. We then proceeded out on the rear deck and fired up the grill. We BBQ'd some burgers, bratwurst, bacon and ears of corn. The meal was superb as we took American cheese and put it on the burgers and topped it with bacon, mayo, lettuce and ketchup. This is my favorite type of food right here. We also wrapped the bratwurst in the bacon as well. I mean, bacon makes everything better! I did not eat the corn from the grill. I prefer to eat sweet corn raw and cold. Just remove the husk, rinse and eat. It tastes oh so good that way. I think, and it's my preference, that cooking corn, even a little, takes away the taste too much and softens the kernels.

After food was consumed, we relaxed on the deck for while, feet up, sunglasses on and chatted away about nothingness. Although I recall informing my friends about a tidbit of information I learned from a documentary about the Redwood trees in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Most trees, around the world, only grow so tall and the reason, as I learned, is at a certain height, the tree can only get water up so far before it cannot go further, due, obviously, to gravity. The Redwood trees, I learned, get their extreme height from the ground water, as all trees do, but because of the daily thick fog that rolls in from the ocean, the trees absorb that moisture at the tops and it allows them
What a lovelyto grow even further. I thought it was fascinating information, although they didn't latch onto it quite as much as I did. 😛

Today, I had two ladies from my past show up at church services that I hadn't seen in a while. One was the pastor's daughter, one of five of them and the other another friend from the same time period, ten years ago, when we used to hang out. One of them I had asked out and she turned me down back then. The other, I should have asked out but never did. That is a regret of mine these days. Both happen to have the same name, Melody, and both are married with families of their own. It was just really strange for both to appear back home at the same time. One of them has a brother who is getting married next week which is why she in back in town and the other is just in for a visit with the family while her brother is in town from the west coast. Just lot's of memories coming in to me today and imaginations of things that could have been...

What a lovely thoughtful post; sounds like you had an interesting time.

And yes, we have all had 'the roads not taken' in our lives, and, in the cool half-light of the early morning can find oneself mulling over such things, the might have beens, and could have beens of life…...

 

[mwa]

If you ever have the chance, buy Lavazza. I stocked up when the grocery store had their bold on sale for the only three weeks they carried it. $5 for a 12oz bag and it's the best coffee I've been able to make from home.

 

[Shrink]

If you ever have the chance, buy Lavazza. I stocked up when the grocery store had their bold on sale for the only three weeks they carried it. $5 for a 12oz bag and it's the best coffee I've been able to make from home.

Just curious if it was whole bean or pre-ground?

BTW...Illy whole bean is very good for a packaged coffee, too.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If you ever have the chance, buy Lavazza. I stocked up when the grocery store had their bold on sale for the only three weeks they carried it. $5 for a 12oz bag and it's the best coffee I've been able to make from home.

Just curious if it was whole bean or pre-ground?

BTW...Illy whole bean is very good for a packaged coffee, too.

Yes, both Illy and LavAzza are very good for pre-ground coffee; I use both (and count myself lucky that I can actually obtain both) at the moment.

 

[S.B.G]

I just made a Caffe Mocha, my first attempt, following the instructional video from the Great Coffee App on the iPad.

I think it turned out well. Though, I need some practice in getting the timing down and the order of procedure in pulling the shot, melting the chocolate and frothing the milk. Also, I need to work on presentation as my drink didn't look nearly as distinguished as the drink prepared in the video. Plus I don't have the fancy glass they did either.

I also think I need a second large frothing pitcher and to use my small pitcher for the espresso so that it pours out and into the glass without spilling all over like it does in my Bodum glass.

(Their photo, not mine)

 

[Shrink]

I just made a Caffe Mocha, my first attempt, following the instructional video from the Great Coffee App on the iPad.

I think it turned out well. Though, I need some practice in getting the timing down and the order of procedure in pulling the shot, melting the chocolate and frothing the milk. Also, I need to work on presentation as my drink didn't look nearly as distinguished as the drink prepared in the video. Plus I don't have the fancy glass they did either.

I also think I need a second large frothing pitcher and to use my small pitcher for the espresso so that it pour out and into the glass without spilling all over like it does in my Bodum glass.

(Their photo, not mine)

Sounds like you're having fun with the experimentation.

Enjoy your Cafe Mocha!😀

 

[S.B.G]

Sounds like you're having fun with the experimentation.

Enjoy your Cafe Mocha!😀

Yeah, aside from presentation, I think I nailed the taste on the first try.

Does anyone know if there is a specific name to the type of glass in the photo above? I'd like to get some not unlike it.

 

[Shrink]

Yeah, aside from presentation, I think I nailed the taste on the first try.

Does anyone know if there is a specific name to the type of glass in the photo above? I'd like to get some not unlike it.

It might be a version of a parfait glass...

 

[mobilehaathi]

Yeah, aside from presentation, I think I nailed the taste on the first try.

Does anyone know if there is a specific name to the type of glass in the photo above? I'd like to get some not unlike it.

Try "Irish coffee mug."

 

[S.B.G]

It might be a version of a parfait glass...

Try "Irish coffee mug."

Thanks! Irish Coffee Mug looks like it fits the bill.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Thanks! Irish Coffee Mug looks like it fits the bill.

Might as well use them for Irish coffees too!😀

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Try "Irish coffee mug."

Thanks! Irish Coffee Mug looks like it fits the bill.

Might as well use them for Irish coffees too!😀

Irish coffees used to be served with (oh, wait for it, shock, horror the corruption of coffee that dare not speak its name) - namely, instant coffee - and whipped cream (of the commercial industrial variety).

You cannot (well, yes, you can, because we are all denizens of this thread) imagine the difference preparing Irish coffees with real coffee, and with fresh double cream (a challenge, admittedly) can make.

Having said that, the glass that has been developed to serve it is a rather attractive object. That same glass can play welcoming host to a hot whiskey or a hot port, as well.

 

[S.B.G]

I think the folks at Whole Latte Love have been greatly influenced by our dear friend and fellow coffee crazy, Shrink. I kept hearing words like fresh and grinder in this 2 minute video.

 

[mobilehaathi]

I think the folks at Whole Latte Love have been greatly influenced by our dear friend and fellow coffee crazy, Shrink. I kept hearing words like fresh and grinder in this 2 minute video.

YouTube: video

They've been infected!! Apparently Shrinkitis (or is it Shrinkinosis?) is quite virulent. 😱

 

[Shrink]

They've been infected!! Apparently Shrinkitis (or is it Shrinkinosis?) is quite virulent. 😱

Modesty forbids my revealing the incredible influence of Shrinkinosis world wide!😱

I just finished my annual teardown and lubing of my grinder. This incredibly arduous task take bout 20 minutes...but then I'm a bit slow.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Modesty forbids my revealing the incredible influence of Shrinkinosis world wide!😱

I just finished my annual teardown and lubing of my grinder. This incredibly arduous task take bout 20 minutes...but then I'm a bit slow.

What, not monthly!?

I don't know of I can look up to you anymore...🙁