dpablo19's Coffee Blog

Today, I went to a new coffee spot in town.  Actually, it was a new branch of an already established chain here in Baltimore.  They don't necessarily specialize in coffee, although they do employ Counter Culture-trained baristas.  One of these baristas recognized me from his stint at another satellite location.  He turned to me and said, "Hey, I recognize this guy." 

It's been a while since I've posted here and for a number of reasons.  Some were health related (off the coffee for a while) and some were work related (completely forgot I had a blog).  Anyway, my strange path back to Roaste.com involved a really terrible cup of espresso I had prepared for myself this morning.

Figuring out how a coffee shop should look seems to have been pre-determined by some chain from the Pacific Northwest, the one that invaded each and every nook of the U.S.  By god, every coffee shop looks the same, with varying levels of sophistication.  You have hardwood, earthen colors, muted art, and some big cushy couches and/or wiry chairs/bar stools.  One would think that coffee could only be had by early 19th century bohemians.  Even then, philosophers and hipsters drank coffee alike because they thought they were getting high, or at least expanding their mind.  This doesn't exactly conjure up images of your average Starbucks.  Say what you will about Chipotle's décor, but at least they tried something different with their somewhat brutalist aesthetic.  

After having taken a couple of fantastic coffee voyages, I'm pretty sure I know exactly how I'd set up my ideal caffè- right down to the big black square-rimmed glasses each barista would be forced to wear (if they wear glasses; eh, even if they don't).  The most important criteria to evaluate, for me, would be the name, location, equipment, décor, and product selection.  I'll spend some time going over the second and third items for today.

Never did I think that coffee would supplant Gatorade as a running essential.  I've been consuming some form of coffee, whether it be espresso or drip, just before a run for what seems like years now.  I figured it'd be a quick pick-me-up to get my mind in the right state.  As it turns out, besides feeding my obvious caffeine dependency, it helps all sorts of brain functions associated with running.

I've done a fair amount of chronicling good coffee roasters out there, but to find a good coffee roaster, you have to wade through the bad ones.  I don't plan on naming names, because I'm not out to harm folks that are trying and getting better.  I'm simply going to describe those traits that bad coffee roasters all seem to have in common.  Luckily, there aren't many, if any, here on Roaste.com.  

I've been brewing espresso seriously for about a year.  This means that all of the trials and tribulations of the art form are still fresh on my mind.  I thought I'd share some of the lesser known ones that I kinda wish someone had told me about, though not all of them.  It could have saved me a lot of time.

Ah, good ol' Grumpy.  This was the last stop on my fantastic voyage.  My girlfriend and I were returning to Chelsea after watching Follies on Broadway (her idea, not mine), when we passed right by the café. I'd like to add that while I'm not a musical theatre fan, I appreciate the amazing production values on Broadway. The lighting in Follies was incredible; some of the characters truly looked like apparitions (this is what they were going for) under some of the soft green lights.  Also, I'm pretty sure that Bernadette Peters does not age.

I should preface this post by stating that there is some work required and that it is not fun and easy.  Sorry about the misleading title.  That said, my current set-up cost me about $330 and it is easily worth ten times that amount. I'm currently using a commercial E61 heat exchanger and a commercial grinder with 65mm burrs. If that sounds like a good deal to you, then keep reading.

I still remember the first time I'd pulled a shot of espresso at home.  The whole point of having an espresso machine to begin with was to recreate a caramel macchiato from Starbucks. My friend, who was a Starbucks employee at the time, had come over and was basically going to show me how to do it step-by-step on my machine.  Bear in mind that this was back when Starbucks was still using the La Marzocco Linea, so my friend had received some proper barista training.

Apparently, I was incorrect in saying that my next stop was the Mainline Coffee Stand in my previous post (it's been edited out).  As it turns out, its called the High Line Coffee Stand located above Chelsea Market.  Which makes sense given that it's located on the High Line.  The High Line is former railroad segment, now a walkway that sits atop several Chelsea buildings and extends to several other neighborhoods, too.  It's really beautiful.  There's a canopy overlooking the Hudson River, rustic wooden benches, diverse greenery scattered about, a number of small vendors selling everything from fresh fruit popsicles to hotdogs, and some gorgeous architectural trappings (I was really impressed by a water sculpture seeping through the ground).  Some New York natives even tend to gardens built on the pathway.  If I were opening a coffee stand outside, this is where it'd be.

The second stop on my tour of Manhattan was Ninth Street Espresso over in Chelsea Market.  In case you're wondering, yes, I enjoy Chelsea quite a bit.  I would have liked to have gone past the original Ninth Street, except the Orchard Festival (or something similarly named) was consuming almost all of the lower east side of the island.  Speaking of which, did you know that almost all of the lower east side was an apple orchard owned by a Frenchman?  Hence, the 'Big Apple.'  I'm still not sure where the 'Big' comes into play, although it presumably has something to do with importance.  New Yorkers...

I took a trip up to New York over this past weekend to experience all of its coffee splendor.  I should rephrase- I went to Manhattan to experience all of its coffee splendor.  As much as I would have liked to have hit the hipster paradise known as Brooklyn, time just did not permit it.  Besides, I felt like I was already inundated with the caffeine dens of Manhattan.

As a utilitarian, I'm very infrequently moved by art. It seems so... useless? I realize that most art is supposed to make you feel something. For me, that feeling is usually apathy. Is apathy a feeling or rather its absence? If it's the former, then most artists are accomplishing what they set out to do; at least with regards to me. Anyway, I've seen a ton of pictures of fancy-pants hearts in lattes. They've always seemed like pure, pointless indulgence. Latte art? Really? It's friggin' milk and coffee.

I’ve been drinking coffee for the majority of my life.  In fact, my mom likes to tell a story regarding a 4 year-old version of myself overindulging in 'expresso' at a wedding.  Ever seen a wind-up toy bounce off walls and then come to a sudden stop?  That was me.  Of course, there were only a few drops of actual caffeinated brew in the cup, along with a whole lot of cream and sugar.  Not really an 'expresso' at all.  Anyway, to put things succinctly, I've had a lot of coffee in my life.