Coffee Shop Journal

“This isn’t your usual Jamaican Blue Mountain.”

Madame smiled. “No.” She raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Can you guess?”

For a moment, neither of us spoke as we continued to savor the flavor of this absolutely remarkable coffee, brimming with kaleidoscopic nuances of fruit. The taste was clean and sweet, yet densely rich with hints of blueberry, wine, and spice. It was bright and spirited yet at the same time deeply resonant and balanced. A coffee this complex and alive with fruit almost had to carry a very slight fermented tinge, and it did, but to care would have been like criticizing Da Vinci because he left a stray stroke of paint on the Mona Lisa’s frame.

“Is it Ehtiopian?” I asked.

“You’re guessing?”

“To be perfectly honest, the aroma is familiar only because Matt roasted a top secret batch of whatever this is after he came back from Ethiopia, but I’m still not sure what it is. Of course, your son wouldn’t tell me squat.”

“It’s Harrar. Wet-processed.”

“It can’t be.”

“Oh, but it is.”

Grown in small farms in the eastern part of Ethiopia, Harrar was one of the world’s oldest and most traditional coffees. Unlike its more elegant and high-toned wet-processed cousins in other regions of the country — Ghimbi and Yirgacheffe (a.k.a. Sidamo)– Harrar was traditionally a dry-processed coffee, meaning the coffee cherries were picked and put out in the sun to dry, fruit and all, as they had been for centuries.

Such simple dry-processing (or “natural”) methods emphasized bold fruit notes. But the fruit taste could come off as overly wild and fermented. Here, however, the wild fruit character had been tamed. The taste was more balanced, with a longer lasting body than a typical Harrar. And it was far more aromatic. The floral and fruit notes remained intact from the first sip through the last (a real trick in a dark roast). And, as th cup cooled, these flavors assembled themselves differently with each taste. It was a coplex and beautifully structured cup, a coffee for those who wished to sip rather than gulp. A coffee worthy of contemplation.”

– excerpted from Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle

Just because once in awhile we all need to remember what fuels our passion!

David and I are gearing up for our own Catalyst road trip. Tomorrow morning we head to Atlanata, and Wednesday night we will join with thousands of others for Catalyst 08. Stay tuned for as many blogs as we need to communicate a few of the ideas flowing aound Catalyst.

One of the things I enjoy about Catalyst (and Q, for that matter) is the chance to meet people who are using their passions to change their world. This video, from The Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company, was sent out by the Catalyst gang in preparation for the week to come.

Drink Coffee. Do Good! from Catalyst on Vimeo.

I thought that these search engine terms were interesting. They really aren’t a bad list of things to be known for. Some days — as most of you blog writers know — the search terms are downright bizarre. And if you go back to hunt for how in the world someone found Coffee Shop Journal by searching on “Places to get drunk in San Diego” or other such bizarre phrases, you can never replicate the steps.

No, that wasn’t  a real search term on Coffee Shop Journal, but I’ve had similar ones.

And I know that was a lame post…but I was intrigued by it.  I’m also worn out by “deep thoughts.” Right now all I’m thinking about is how I’m going to put together the wardrobes we bought from IKEA yesterday. Do you know how many small parts are in that package?????

All help is accepted!

Have you heard about the mysterious new machines coming to Starbucks? They are called the Clover machine, and they elevate brewed coffee to the same status as an espresso drink. Each cup is made one amazing cup at a time in this barista-run machine. It uses a combination of a vacuum and french press to extract amazing flavor out of the beans used in the machine. Starbucks has also released a special line of beans to go with the Clover, capitalizing on its ability to deliver a bold, smooth cup of coffee every time.

Before we left Florida on this latest trip north, Jeremy (our friend, Starbucks barista ,and manager at the Starbucks outside of Macy’s)  told us about the new Clover machines. Right now they have been rolled out in Seattle and Boston. Unbelievably, several of our favorite Sbux have the new machines, so David and I scurried over there today as soon as Jeremy sent a store list. I enjoyed the fact that the store we visited used to be a Friendly’s ice cream store…the very one where I spent my teenage-after-youth-group years.

So what’s the verdict? AMAZING. It’s just too bad that the Clover machines are not available on the market for home use! (Starbucks bought the company for their exclusive use). The experience was half the fun: the coffee steeps in boiling water in front of your eyes, forming a crust like you would get during a coffee cupping. It is in a little well, about 4 inches wide. Soon you notice the water level decreasing in the well, and the coffee is getting sucked down to the bottom. Then the press reverses and rises, leaving what looks like a coffee grounds “cake” on top of the machine. The barista swipes the used grounds away and the aroma of your brewed coffee starts wafting from your cup.

It is good.

David and I both found that we didn’t need nearly as much sugar (for me) or cream. The coffee was smooth and bold all at the same time.

Oh, I can’t describe it. But I’m going back tomorrow for another try.

This is part of Watercooler Wednesday at Ethos - a cultural watercooler. Go check it out!

I found this description of the kind of community that happens when people are forced — for one reason or another — to leave their homes and wander through the town! This quote is from the book “The Piano Shop on the Left Bank,” by Thad Carhart. Its subtitle is “Discovering a forgotten passion in a Paris Atelier.” How can you resist a title like that? It is a great memoir of a man who rediscovers his delight of playing the piano for entertainment and private enjoyment. The writing is descriptive, and I almost feel like I am living in the quaint quartier of Paris myself. Which could explain my sudden craving for chocolate croissants.

Summer set in early and the sidewalks in the quartier came alive after hours. In a city where few apartments are air-conditioned, the terraces of cafes and restaurants become the common refuge from a whithering heat in the evening. The long light of June and July encouraged those gathered at the outdoor tables to linger well into the night, while swallows threaded the air with their shrill whistles. Before the August dispersion, everyone in the neighborhood seemed to revel in the slower pace that the heat imposed.

Something about that paragraph just caught my eye. I came away with several thoughts.

1. The people lived in a walkable neighborhood that had services like cafes and restaurants built into it.
2. Something that could be seen as a disadvantage (not having AC), was really an important part of creating a nourishing lifestyle.
3. The heat imposed a slower tempo on everyone — no one could escape it. Community events like heat waves foster a sense of “we’re all in this together.”
4. I want to sit at those cafe tables and chat with my friends until late into the evening. Now I just need to find the right cafe, coffee house or restaurant. And time. And people to chat with.

Doing a google search on left bank cafe’s yielded this review of one venue. It can be found at this site.

When you feel like having a coffee in a classic Left Bank café setting but shudder at the thought of neighboring a group of starry-eyed tourists (which is almost inevitable if you go to either the Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots), I have an alternative suggestion.

A few blocks away from the two oh-so-atmospheric stalwarts of Parisian café life sits a slightly less frequented etablishment: Le Rouquet.

* * *

People-watching here is as good as at the other two and you’ll feel better knowing that you’re not falling into one of the two biggest tourist traps in Paris.

Food is just okay, but that’s beside the point (well, unless you’re hungry). You can simply order a coffee (around €4 at the table; €2.50 at the bar, check Hillary’s advice on how to order coffee) and consider it your license to stay indefinitely. Watch the shoppers, read the paper, write a novel - whatever you wish. It might take you a few €4 drinks to finish the novel, but basically that’s the formula.

Founded in 1922, the café barely changed since its inception. Frommers informs us that the latest renovation happened in 1954. Tant mieux, as far as we’re concerned.

Who’s up for a trip to Paris?

Once in awhile it’s fun just to remember the long “history” of the drink that pulls me into the nearest coffee shop every day! So tonight I did a little tiny bit of research.

• One billion cups of coffee are consumed every day.
• “The whirling dervishes of the Islamic Mevlevi Order achieve religious enlightenment by sharing a ceremonial red pot of coffee, then chanting to Allah and spinning in place for hours on end.” — wow…the spinning alone would mess with my head.
• 17th century English coffeehouses put out their own coinage for customers to use! Hmmm…is that kind of like the first Starbucks card???

And a couple of fun quotes I found to round out your day.

“A morning without coffee is like sleep.”

“Behind every successful woman….is a substantial amount of coffee.” - Stephanie Piro (1996)

“I think if I were a woman I’d wear coffee as a perfume.” - John Van Druten (1901-1975)

“The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannont be expected to reproduce.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1891)

Taken from “Coffee Time” by Patrick Merrell and Helene Hovanec. They are surely friends and companions, even though I have never met them!

We are nearing the end of the first week of Starbuck’s introduction of new, healthier for you breakfast foods. I’ve gotta say…I’m a fan. So far I have enjoyed the Berry Stella bars, which are moist and full of whole grains. One small Berry Stella bar can hold me for a whole meal. The fruit and nut bars are fun, too. They remind me of a rice krispie treat gone healthy. I used to make a bar somewhat like the fruit and nut bars every time we had a hurricane approaching. My neighbors learned to love the Hurricane Bars, too, and we all survived on them for a week or two at a time during the nasty hurricane season of 2004.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to Starbucks’ lineup is the perfect oatmeal. I read on one Starbucks site that the development team took quite some time perfecting the steeping and preparation method for the perfect oatmeal. Their goal was to offer a quality product, properly prepared, without impacting the aroma in the store. No matter how homey oatmeal might smell, Starbucks wants its stores to retain their coffee aroma. After all, Starbucks has worked hard to create just the right atmosphere with the right aromas swirling around us as we type away on our laptops or read our books. So Perfect Oatmeal had to learn to behave as a supporting player, not a starring role: great food to eat, but let the coffee carry the day.

Yesterday my friend Julie and I were sampling some of the breakfast offerings when I related the story of Perfect Oatmeal and the perfect aroma. I realized as I was telling the story that life as a church, or an individual walking in the kingdom, is like that, too. We need to determine what our primary purpose is — what aroma is the one we want swirling through our lives — so that we know what other “good” aromas we need to eliminate. I need this lesson. There are so many good projects I can particapate in: people I could help, places I could write about or investigate, friendships I could develop. But all those good things need to come into alignment with my primary purpose in life.

This is the paragraph where I should write what my primary purpose is, and explain how I am making choices to carry out that purpose. I promise you…if I had the slightest idea I would do that! But like most of the people I know, I’ve never really boiled it down to concrete terms. Yes, I want to live in my community and make a difference in the world. I want to point others toward kingdom life. I want to grow and nurture my family. But I don’t know how I want to go about accomplishing those goals. Do I write? Do I read? Do I turn outward or inward? I’m not quite sure what “aroma” God wants for me, but I do know I want it to remind me of my favorite coffee shops: warm, rich in texture and full of purpose.

It’s a big award, and it means a lot to us…David and I are the customers of the week at our favorite Starbucks! I sound facetious but I really am not. It’s fun. So in return… the Starbucks outside of Macy’s at the Gardens Mall wins our Starbucks of the week award!

Continuing with my series of cafe wanderings, I dragged my family into Stumptown Coffee, a Portland Oregon based roaster and brewer. They have five locations in this area, and I was excited to find one and try it! So here are my impressions. I was in their Belmont location, a newer venue in the downtown area. They have four other locations, each with its own personality.

• The decor was industrial in nature. There were tables and a long banquette-type seating with people on their computers, but there was a surprising amount of open space. They had some funky barstool chairs that swiveled in a way that made me suspect they were really motorized and wanted my rear end on the floor. I found this entertaining rather than annoying, but with an espresso in my hand everything is entertaining.
• The aroma in the store was perfect: a great blend of coffees scenting the air and unadulterated with anything else such as food preparation. They had some pastries, but nothing that would interfere with the primary purpose of a great coffee venue.
• The staff was well-trained, friendly and quick. Since there was a line in there nearly the whole time we hung out in the shop, they weren’t super chatty. I got the impression that this is an in and out kind of place, not necessarily a Third Place. I would like to know how their other locations are designed.
• The coffee was good. It wasn’t my favorite blend, and I probably should have had a straight coffee rather than an espresso. On the other hand — and this is one of my pet peeves, so to speak — their straight coffee was available only in thermal carafes. It was not fresh-brewed. Call me a coffee snob, but there you are. I like fresh-brewed.

I enjoyed the ambiance of the hustle and bustle, but Stumptown in this location would not be my hang out of choice if I were sitting with my computer or a book. Next stop??????

I read about this unique coffee shop in the book “Authenticity” by James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II. In trying to create a new blend (pun intended) of services, Union National Community Bank decided to open a full service coffee shop, which can also provide banking services. It is called Gold Cafe.

The book claims that the customer perceives this blend as an authentic offering because it is unique. I would love to see this in action. Would it feel like both a bank, and a coffee shop? Or would it feel like neither? Could the community profit from literally sitting down to a cup of coffee with the people who approve (or not) a mortgage?

In either case, I had to pass this one along. Anyone been here? Join in and let us know what it feels like!!!!