Monday, February 26, 2007
New espresso blend ordered
I am also hoping to make some biscotti from THIS delicious sounding recipe from Jen. Thanks for posting that and for the sweet things you said about us! I have my fingers crossed these will turn out better than my last batch. REALLY crossed as I am completely out of biscotti and that is a crying shame.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Biscotti, biscotti...who's got the biscotti
I have tried making biscotti on my own...with the snazzy KitchenAid stand mixer that "He" and the kids got me for Christmas but they were...well...they were edible and my tongue was definitely not complaining, yet they were soft (despite baking them twice). Plus they were a tad too buttery for me. Almost like shortbread yet lacking that wonderfully dense feel to them. So we ended up eating a few and pitching the rest. It was a Martha Stewart recipe and while she has never let me down before I wasn't impressed this time. Maybe it was operator error. Nevertheless, in addition to finding that perfect cappuccino in Bend I am also determined to find the perfect biscotti. Yes, yes, I know there are other goodies to eat with coffee and believe me, I do partake of those as well, but biscotti will always be my number one snack I reach for when I'm drinking some joe. So if you find some good biscotti drop me a line and I will check it out!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Thump Coffee Cafe Review
HIS SIDE: Foam was too thick but it's better than Bellatazza's cappuccino. No crappy aftertaste, thankfully, and not a bad cuppa all around. I might go there again and I would recommend it to others seeking a good cap.
HER SIDE: I agree with "He." Overall I liked it, especially compared to some of the cappuccino's served around here, yet not sure I can say that it's better than Bellatazza's 100%. I'd have to taste them both at the same time but I do love that I don't get that bitter aftertaste. I detected a hint of overextraction...maybe...could've been the lunch we had just eaten clouding my tastebuds, but nevertheless I would hit this joint again in a heartbeat.
No pics, sorry--maybe next time. Their website is still a job application but maybe that will change soon. I do like their purple La Marzocco machine, though. That's pretty freakin' cool.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Nastiest coffee evah
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Backporch...again - "She"
The guys and gals of Backporch are gonna have to expand or something though. Man are they ever slammed. Warms my heart, it really does, to see so many people "get it"...they "get" good coffee. Not that I expected any less of fellow Bendites mind you, but given we have at least 7 Starbucks in this small town (pop. less than 73,000) it does sometimes make one wonder.
In other news we're currently deciding which espresso blend to try next. There are so many ones out there that we both want to try so it will be a tough decision, albeit fun. We are still working on the ginormous amount of beans from DoubleShot. We both wish there was a way to get a smaller amount for trying it out first and THEN get the big gallon can but not sure they have it set up that way (I didn't order it). Despite drinking espresso everyday, sometimes twice a day, it's taking awhile to work our way to the bottom and I so don't want to see this stuff go to waste. It's too good for that.
I may find my path crossing Thump coffee today if my meeting doesn't run too long, that is. If so I will report back with the findings. If not then "He" and I may hit Thump this weekend. We don't have to work, thankfully, and I am determined not to schedule any meetings, shoots, etc. so that we can all relax and enjoy ourselves! And drink lots of coffee.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Microfoam vs. "Bubble" Foam - by "She"
The difference between getting perfect microfoam and "bubble" foam is in the milk, temp, and technique. We use whole milk as it produces (when frothed correctly) a nice ratio of milk to foam. It is possible to use 2% and lower yet from what I've read it's harder to get the dense microfoam. I can't speak from experience on this point so if you want a lower fat milk try it out and let me know.
Here are some pics to show the difference between "bubble" foam and microfoam. These come from CoffeeGeek.com which is a great resourceful site! Learned lots from there already.
First, the "bubble" foam--CoffeeGeek.com describes this as looking like dish soap--I agree. I have also seen bigger bubbles in cappuccinos before.
Next, the microfoam--it's not the best pic but you can see the bubbles are tiny, tiny, tiny and it's dense. THIS is what you want!
I think once you taste true microfoam you will yearn for it. I could be wrong, but for me microfoam enhances my cappuccino...it makes it what it is. I loves me some microfoam.
Italian cappuccino
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Latte Art and DoubleShot goodness - by "She"
First decent one
Second attempt--with my left hand as my right arm was/is broken
And now for some DoubleShot Coffee Company Ambergris goodness
Pulling--tough to shoot w/a broken arm and timing
Finished shot
Lots 'o foam, just the way I like it. Creamy, thick, and very complimentary to the already wonderful taste of the espresso.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Thump - Bend, OR
Questions, questions. Answers coming soon.
Bellatazza - Bend, OR - by "She"
Too bad the cafe is so small. Always hard to find a table in there but summertime is fabulous in the front courtyard.
DoubleShot Ambergris Espresso Blend
Okay, first it must be said that I really love listening to Brian's podcasts. The first time I heard one was when "He" and I had to go to Portland and "He" played some for me. Apparently a big coffee giant was going after Brian's company and it really opened my eyes to how selfish, insane, and silly big commerce can be. From that moment I vowed never to set foot into another large coorperation coffee joint again--"He" did too. I digress...so we had been wanting to try some of the "gallon can" espresso for awhile and finally ordered some. Brian was out of beans but sent some to us as soon as he could. Thankfully it was right before the weekend as we were jonesing for some tasty coffee and neither one of us wanted to wait until Monday. When it arrived we opened the paint can and inhaled the lovely scent of really good beans.
DoubleShot describes the Ambergris Blend as such: "A well-balanced, exceptionally smooth shot that comes on with an intial burst of chocolate and fruity aromas. A blueberry sweetness counterbalances the explosion of acidity at first sip, subsiding into a buttery pool on the palette. Flavors of caramel and muted vanilla linger on. Strangely reminiscent of the eccentric junior high home room teacher who wafted Jungle Gardenia perfume all the way down the hallway."
That last part is nice, baby.
Our thoughts
HIS SIDE: Still waiting because he's slow this week (a.k.a. been tied up playing Rainbow Six online)
HER SIDE: Man, I love this blend. I loved it from the moment I stuck my nose deep into the can and smelled the beans. Granted, I don't have quite as defined a palate as most, I'm sure, but I know what I like and I like this. It ranks right up there with the Stumptown Hair Bender and it pulls like BlackCat--very gooey, yummy, makes you yearn for more. I did notice that it is not nearly as acidic as some but then maybe that's my pulling technique and/or tasting skills becoming stronger. Either way put this one down as one of my top 10 favs thus far.
Backporch Coffee Roasters Brazil & Espresso Blend
No website for these guys yet, but the above pic will take you to their blog where you can learn more about them. They are newer in town and both "he" and I were excited to see a local roaster popping up. I went in one day to be served by Dave, one of the owners, and he was very happy when I ordered a straight double shot--nothing fancy. Unfortunately I had to get it to go and I remembered why I hate getting anything coffee to go--paper cups. What I could taste of the espresso was nice yet I mainly tasted paper cup. This is, obviously, not Backporch's fault and "he" and I have decided that we should just find an alternative to paper cups and save the world from having their yummy coffee "ruined." Just as soon as we finish the whole world peace thing...
I was able to get some of their espresso blend, then when we went back for more they were running low as it was Christmas and man were they packed! Sad for us but we were very happy to see they had no beans to spare. Dave told us later that he had to come back on Christmas and roast more beans as they sold out completely. Sweet--well, except for the working on Christmas part. For that second sampling we were told to try the Brazil as a straight shot. Now, normally we like a blend but since we didn't have much choice and are always up for trying something new, we went for it.
Our thoughts
HIS SIDE: (Espresso Blend) Good flavor, nice pull, good stuff.
HIS SIDE: (Brazil) Eh...not so much for espresso. The Kenyan Peabody is excellent but our other grinder sucks so I get way too much "powder."
HER SIDE: (Espresso Blend) Ditto to his side. I am impressed with this one for sure. Not to mention the fact that this stuff was FRESH! Roasted exactly two days before we bought it. Can't get any better than that.
HER SIDE: (Brazil) It passes for when I'm out of a true espresso blend but I definitely prefer a blend over a straight. I think this would make excellent coffee just haven't had a chance to try it that way yet. It should be noted that I burnt my tongue for the first tasting so it wasn't the best way to try a new bean but subsequent tastings yielded the same results--good coffee but kinda boring espresso.
Stumptown Hair Bender Espresso Blend
Stumptown describes their Hair Bender Espresso Blend as such: "This blend consists of five different coffees from the three major growing regions of the world. Rich, complex and full of body, Hair Bender makes a spectacular cup. We use this blend for espresso in our cafés and roastery."
Our thoughts
HIS SIDE: Much stronger coffee flavor than any we've tried thus far. This is one of my favorites. I was surprised at the aftertaste and will be buying more of this soon.
HER SIDE: Way less bitter/acidic than our others have been. Either we're getting better at pulling or this is just idiot-proof espresso. No matter, I'm digging this blend and will be hounding "him" to buy some more.
Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso Blend
Intelligentsia describes the Black Cat Espresso Blend thusly: "A combination of coffees from Latin and South America, the Black Cat blend is a result of our fanatical quest to build the perfect espresso blend. Exceedingly heavy in body with dominant notes of chocolate, caramel, and dried fruit, this blend is complex and powerful with a lingering sweet finish. Black Cat produces a sublime shot of espresso, and is equally dazzling for traditional coffee."
HIS SIDE: Compared to what we've had in the past, this stuff puts it to shame.
HER SIDE: They weren't kidding when they said it pulled "gooey." It was so thick and creamy that I almost thought we did something wrong given our previous attempts. The taste was nice but I think our technique ruined a lot of it given we were still working on timing and ran out of beans before we got that all down. I would love to try this again when we know what we're doing.