Monthly Archives: September 2013
Intellectual Theft and Becoming a Better Barista
I keep a journal of all of the coffee shops I’ve been to. I take extensive notes on taste, service, and ambiance, make notes of the machine/grinder/roaster they use, and have a rating system (that is still in the works). It’s a book specifically designed for doing this. Because I’m a nerd.
At first, this was supposed to result in a compendium of the best coffee shops in the city. But after my first stop at Black Canary (the OG one, though the one in the Silver Snail is also in the book), I realized that they were little things that I really appreciated. And then I started doing them for my customers.
It started with giving people water with their espresso. It just comes with it now! Sometimes, people don’t know what to do with it, so I explain it to them. That sparks a conversation. I’ve converted…
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Coffee Addiction
It’s hot, it smells good, it’s good enough to have every day, it makes me nervous, and it keeps me up all night. There are many reasons why I worship coffee, but is it really the coffee that I’m falling madly in love with, or is it the caffeine that is hidden inside?
Beginning the day with a cup has become a ritual for me during working days. Especially during my college days, brewing a pot the moment the alarm goes off in the morning was a necessity. Without the immediate kick of coffee, I had difficulty doing even the simplest of activities, like walking to class.
Thankfully, there are benefits to drinking coffee. Not only does it wake us up and keep us energized on even the worst days, but if consumed in moderation (about two to four cups per day), coffee drinkers are at a lesser risk of…
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Coffee: A Love Story
I love coffee. I don’t love coffee because it wakes me up – tea does a pretty good job of that – I love coffee because there is something very romantic about cuddling up at a coffee shop, bringing a steaming hot mug (when I sit at a coffee shop I ALWAYS ask for a mug) of dark roast to my lips, and feeling the steam envelope my face as I gently blow – pursing my mouth just so. Feels like something out an old black and white film doesn’t it?
I eat that romantic stuff for breakfast. It’s my dream to live in a home with a tree in the backyard with a branch, 8 or 10 feet up, that is perfect for lounging up against with a good book – ideally one by L.M. Montgomery (I’m a huge Anne of Green Gables Fan).
I remember my very first…
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