January 2012
1 post
First espresso of the year
Location: Empire Espresso
Roaster: Kuma
Price incl. tax: $3.00
Taste: sweet acidity + tobacco
C&P: tasty crema on the first sip
Personality and atmosphere score: 2
2011 year end
Coffee
This year consolidated the trend away from espresso towards manually brewed coffee. The portafilter.net podcast explains that this is a way to make specialty coffee more accessible to the general public. Whereas last year Chemex and Hario were the favorites, what Seattle baristas are really excited about now is Clever, aeropress and siphon.
Fortunately there are still plenty of...
December 2011
6 posts
Home cupping
Epic
Celebrating the 200th espresso since the beginning of the year.
Customer service
- What can I get started for you today?
- I would like to have an espresso for here?
- Just the espresso? Just a single shot?
- Yes, please.
- Would you like to have some whipped cream on top?
———-
- What can I do for you today?
- I’m thinking …
- Something delicious?
- Yeah! I’ll have a vanilla latte. Which pastries do you have?
Facebook
The Beginning of the End of Facebook?
A 15 year old agrees:
“When I logged in, there used to be 200 notifications, now there is none. I have 500 friends, nobody can keep up with that and in fact I don’t care what most of them are doing anyway, they were just acquaintances. I don’t go there that often anymore.”
Urban Coffee Lounge
Outstanding Stumptown Guatemala El Injerto!
November 2011
1 post
Caffé Cesura //
In musical notation, a cesura, represented by a pair of forward slashes, is an interruption during which time is not counted.
The Stumptown Guatemala Finca El Injerto was one of the coffees used at the NWRBC 2011.
October 2011
1 post
Another popstar leaves the scene
September 2011
2 posts
Seattle Espresso 2011
Although by-the-cup pour over brew methods have replaced the pressure profiling trend this year, the Seattle espresso scene is still alive and changing for the better. The variety of amazing flavors being extracted is increasing mainly, but not only, due to the introduction of new roasters.
Besides being the official representative of Handsome in town, Tougo offers occasionally Intelligentsia and...
Milstead & Co
This was like Salvador Dali’s Garden Party. Everybody was there: Ada, Andrew, Alex, Michael; Dan, Cole; Brady; Ryan, Brett; Velton, Mark; Brian; Neil; Vita, Zoka, UCL and many more.
About the Kalita, Nick Cho says it’s all about the geometry that allows an even extraction of all grounds. Wrecking Ball coffee bags were also available. And the cafe might open next Monday or Tuesday...
July 2011
3 posts
Tacoma coffee madness scouting trip
The first stop was not on the plan but I could have come back home after visiting it and the trip would have been already worth. Not only was it the best one, it was amazing in itself. Bluebeard just opened last April.
6th Avenue seems to combine my two interests: there is a vinyl record store close to each coffee shop. Walking from the East to the West:
Bluebeard (2201 6th Ave)
Roaster:...
concrete poem for the twitterages
Journos have convos:
- listerous posterous! - storify spotify! - instapaper instagram!
bit.ly ow.ly visual.ly
Serious.ly?
Half year espresso statistics
In the first half of 2011 I’ve had 110 espressos in 71 different coffee shops in Seattle and around the world, one every 2-3 days. That would be an average of 70 dollars per month well spent with coffee fun, double the Seattle average.
The most visited coffee shops were:
Urban Coffee Lounge (11 times)
Tougo (7 times)
Seattle Coffee Works & Vovito (6 times each)
Stumptown Pine &...
June 2011
2 posts
Burien Press
March 2011
1 post
This is how it should be
January 2011
2 posts
2011
What I would like to do in 2011 - instead of trying out a lot of new coffee shops - is to explore and get familiar with the taste profiles of the different espressos that the best local roasters offer.
This chart is from the print version of the Seattle Magazine’s Ultimate Coffee Guide from October 2010. Is it accurate?
The End
Results of my year long project of weblogging:
179 espressos (almost one every other day)
12 shows (one per month)
9 books (far from one book per week)
No plans for 2011. I need to spend less time in the internet.
Discontinued Seattle coffee blogs:
Coffee City
Coffee Hero
Caffeinated Seattle
Last show of the year
Kasey Anderson and the Honkies opening for Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs at the Tractor, December 30
The Maltese Falcon
Book #9 of 2010
December 2010
18 posts
Urban Coffee Lounge
This is certainly my favorite coffee shop. It was the first and the last one I went to in 2010.
Most visited in the year:
Urban Coffee Lounge (16x)
Zoka Kirkland (8x)
Equal Exchange Espresso (7x)
Vovito (5x)
Seattle Coffee Works (4x)
Cugini Cafe
cugini means cousins
Fonte
The Elements of Journalism
Book 8 of 2010: The Elements of Journalism - What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect - Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel
The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.
Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.
Its first loyalty is to citizens.
Its essence is a discipline of verification.
...
Espresso Buono
5106 196th St SW, Lynnwood
After asking, I was informed that they use Batdorf & Bronson, medium to dark roast. No need to break rule #2
Starling
Electric Ladyland Double Album Show
Zoka Kirkland
Thanks Coffee Hero for the coupon.
Le Reve
Vovito
Victrola Roastery and Cafe on Pike
Starbucks
Caffé Rococo
Starling
16108 Ash Way, Lynnwood
Just opened yesterday.
Gretchen's Place
Allegro Coffee
November 2010
18 posts
Urban Coffee Lounge
Colombia El Jordan
Tribute to Harry Smith
Columbia Theater, November 26, 2010
Greg Vandy:
The Foghorns:
Barton Carrol:
Cahalen Morrison & Eli West:
Josh Rabie of Water Tower Bucket Boys:
Levi Fuller:
Shenandoah Davis:
Pufferfish:
Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers:
Gravel Road:
All:
Empire Espresso Bar
Espresso at 8 PM? Why not?
Seattle Coffee Works El Salvador SOE - does it taste like lemon?
Urban Coffee Lounge
Starbucks
Trabant Pioneer Square
Second time this week I forget to ask to stamp my Disloyalty Card, but I’ll come back.
Caffe Ladro Bothell
Neptune
Giving a second chance to Velton’s Panama Boquete Volcancito Single Origin Espresso. Much better.
Pomegranate Bistro
There is hope for decent coffee east of the 405! This Caffe Lusso espresso was not yet within the Seattle top 10 but way better than the typical restaurant-standard espresso and the best in the area so far.
Seattle Coffee Gear
Volunteer Park Cafe
Beacon Hill
The Station
Victrola
Urban Coffee Lounge
Colombia El Jordan SOE