Random coffee love

I've been remiss in blogging lately as my job has kept me very busy and "He" has renewed his interest in brewing beer once again (Can we say "spin-off blog?!"). Consequently our days have been filled searching for lost brew pots, making sure we have stuff ready for my work, and doing other family oriented stuff. Plus, it took much longer than anticipated for the new espresso to arrive so we had nothing to review. After sweating things out worrying that our prized espresso would not arrive until this week, it showed up in our mailbox. We have tried it and will be blogging about it this week.

Nevertheless, I have been out and about drinking beans while I can. Unfortunately I have not been to any new places, just the same trusty ones I usually frequent. I've had a couple more cappuccinos from Thump and while one was pretty good, the other was just okay. Thankfully, it was not bitter though. I gotta give them that. I myself have gained quite the understanding of how difficult it can be to brew a good cup at times. After it took me several pulls and several failed cups of the Redline, I was beginning to think it was my lack of barista skills. However, I have not had this problem with the new brew nor did I have the same issues when we used up the rest of the Doubleshot blend we had on hand. So I can't really say if it was the beans or me. Either way it made me appreciate what it takes to get a good cappuccino.

We have been recording lots of shows on Italy and man does it make us long for Rome again. Everytime they show a shot of fine Italian caffe our mouths starts to water. We can't for the life of us remember anything detailed about the taste of those cappuccinos except that they were some of the best we've ever had. But I wonder if now that we've broadened our palates some and tasted the difference between over and under extraction, would we still be impressed and fall madly in love with the re-tasting of Italian caffe? If anyone wants to fund a trip for us to fly back over there and sample a bunch of espresso for them, we will gladly accept their offer. We will insist we fly in Business Class as that seriously rocks, though!

I should also add that there have been many poignant times this past week where I have been sipping a freshly made cap and thinking to myself what a beautiful place this is and how lucky I am to do what I do (which affords me the ability to work from home). Truly, there is nothing like a yummy cup of espresso and milk on a gorgeous, sunny, warm but not hot, day. Sometimes it feels too good to be true.

Until next time fellow coffee lovers,
~*~*She*~*~

Another blend has been ordered

We are once again getting low on our tasty gold, so we have ordered from another place we've heard good things about. And once again, you will have to wait and see which one that is. I am hoping it will be this week so fear not, a new review shall be up soon.

In the meantime, we backed down our machine from 94 to 92 degrees and cut the brewing time from about 25-30 secs. to 25 secs. in an effort to pull out some sweetness from the Redline blend. Thankfully this has helped. My cappuccinos are no longer bitter but both "He" and I haven't been bowled over by this one. We like it "okay" yet it will not be making our top five list. Maybe top ten--only time will tell. As a side note we are planning to start rating the espresso we try, not just review it. Before we implement this I will first have to figure out the best way to do so. I foresee that happening in about a year or so. ;)

A little vent--the other night I was downtown meeting some clients and decided that a nice cuppa from Thump would hit the spot. So I walked down only to find no one there. It was around 6:30'ish and I was bummed as it is almost impossible to find a place that knows how to brew up a good cap that stays open past 6 p.m. Thump also doesn't list their hours on the door so not sure when they actually closed. Seems like the only places I am aware of right now are Bellatazza (which can be tough finding a spot indoors until the weather allows for cafe seating) and Starbucks. I am so thankful I can go home and brew something yummy up when Bellatazza is packed 'cuz I'm sure as hell not hitting Starbucks.

Jen's Mocha Biscotti

Had a chance to make the Mocha Biscotti mentioned below and this time they came out much better than the last batch. Still, I have a ways to go before I can call myself a true biscotti master. The taste was good, and they "dryness" was close to where it needed to be but some were a tad soft in the middle. I found I had to bake them a tad longer than it called for too. Again, this could all be operator error as I just don't seem to be able to bake biscotti well. I had to leave out the almonds as I didn't have any on hand and I ended up not making the Espresso drizzle simply because I ran out of time (we were having guests over). Next time I'll have to go the extra mile!

I will add that these biscotti did not end up in the trash. Our guests consumed them and so did we! Improving? Why yes, yes I am.

Metropolis Coffee - Redline Espresso

We had a tough time choosing who should be up next for the sampling table, but after reading about this blend both "He" and I decided to give this one a shot. The beans arrived on Friday as slated but we weren't able to pull any until today. Metropolis Coffee is based in Chicago and offers up several different tempting brews. Of course we went with their espresso blend, the Redline. This one pulls thick like the other favs and is as dark as Obsidian Stout from Deschutes Brewery. Metropolis hooked me with their description of the Redline as such:

"Redline Espresso is a truly distinctive and rewarding blend. Its richness runs down the center like a racing stripe, leaving a trail of cocoa, honey, lavender, and a mild merlot-like fruit in the finish. The flavors translate perfectly in milk and are even amplified in sweetness making for a marvelous latte or cappuccino."

They further describe the brewed beans as a Medium Roast with flavors of chocolate, fruit, spice, and honey. The body is rich, well constructed, neat and the acidity is focused and centered. Again, my palate is not nearly that honed yet and I am once again suffering from the blasted head cold that is plaguing the area, but I do get the richness and some of the flavors. On to our thoughts...

Our Thoughts

HIS SIDE: Tastes sweeter than DoubleShots Ambergris but I'll have to make a few more before I decide if it's as good as Stumptown or not.

HER SIDE: I'll have to get back to this one. I made two cappuccinos but both turned out bitter which is a first for me. I'll have to make some adjustments and post later. Bummer.
UPDATED: Finally made a non-bitter cup and have to say that I'm not a big fan of this one. It seems to be very temperamental in that I have a hard time brewing it just right. I taste chocolate but the flavor reminds me of cocoa...like the powder/baking kind. Rich, earthy, but no sweetness. This one is my least favorite of all the ones we've tried.