February 2010
20 posts
Espresso Coffee Professional Techniques
This is my second book of the year, so it will be most likely one each month instead of one each week, what is already an improvement compared to last year.
I bought it to read about how David C. Schomer went through Italy learning about espresso and discovered so much more. He applied a scientific method of measuring and controlling variables of the espresso preparation but this is only one...
January 2010
14 posts
Bedlam Coffee
There is a nice living room atmosphere in the front and a meeting room in the back. The menu is displayed on a screen and the Space Needle sculpture is very interesting. I don’t know about the coffee because I always end up ordering something with a lot of flavor like lavender or nutella mocha with whipped cream.
Nollie's Cafe
This place just opened this week. It is very pretty and the staff is friendly and enthusiastic. I didn’t like the espresso in the paper cup, but I failed to say “for here”.
The Sun Cafe
The sign “get Stumptown coffee” on the NW Market Street led me to this neat space with well prepared espresso. I wanted to stop by every time I saw it and today I learned it has been there since 2008. Nice reference to the Sun Records logo.
Montreal espresso hike
Montreal has also a “troisième vague” coffee scene. I had the opportunity to visit four of them and the espressos were all good.
Café Myriade
I started the day with the best one. Owned by Anthony Benda and Scott Rao, they have 49th Parallel and Intelligentsia coffee. The coffee shop is small and was full of young people in the morning. I think Anthony was the one to rush and direct...
No coffee in Vancouver BC
When I missed my connection flight in Vancouver and unexpectedly got three hours to spare, I immediately thought about going for an espresso downtown. Instead of riding there and looking for coffee shops blindly, I connected to the airport WiFi and researched a couple of reliable sources that had been there (hero, chat).
I marked the locations on a paper map to carry with me (I didn’t...
Roy Street Coffee and Tea
What I liked most about the decoration were the wood trays with coffee beans and tea leaves and the mural in the back. And also the blues soundtrack.
I just wonder if there wouldn’t be a way to hide the pipes on the ceiling. At least it was all painted black for a cavernous rock club vibe, while at Vivace they were shiny silver giving an industrial kitchen feeling.
I thought I was the...
Seattle Coffee Works
I feel at home in this coffee shop, been here several times and learned a lot. Sebastian is always enthusiastic and Katie prepares every drink with love.
I believe a good part of their revenue comes from shipping roasted beans to tourists who visited the Pike Place Market, stopped by and want to continue having the good quality coffee Seattle is known for.
Elvis Birthday Night with the Roy Kay Trio &...
Conor Byrne, January 9 2010
Opening by the Roy Kay Combo:
1. That’s Alright Mama (Roy)
2. Blue Moon of Kentucky (Marshall)
3. Milk Cow Blues Boogie (Liam Fitzgerald)
4. Just Because (Roy)
5. Mystery Train (Jorge Jarda)
6. I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine (Marc Bristol)
7. Trying to Get You (Nick Streeter)
8. My Baby Left Me (Billy Dwayne)
10. All...
Espresso Vivace at Brix
The picture doesn’t show, but I found this space nicer than I expected, maybe because of the historical references in the decoration (or the good company). Considering it was pretty crowded and had a long line on a Saturday morning, I agree that the market for great coffee in Seattle is not saturated, although there is at least one outstanding coffee shop in each neighborhood.
The...
13th Annual Seattle Invitationals
Club Motor, January 8 2010
I must say I’m disappointed with tumblr because I can’t upload videos within the text as easily as photos.
Opening by The Kings:
World Champion Impersonator Robert Washington:
My favorite contestant got 4th place:
Maple Bacon Doughnut: “the taste of love”.
Juliet, Naked
Somebody talked about the objective of reading a book a week in 2010. Since I had just started reading this one I thought I might give it a try. I don’t want to count pages or “get it over with” as soon as possible because reading is supposed to be fun, not a job. But by lucky coincidence, I finished the the first book right on schedule!
I haven’t read any other book by...
Drugstore
Drugstore was my favorite band for a while after I got their first EP in London in 1994: the sad melodies, the rough voice, the right amount of distorted guitar.
I have pretty much all of their records and watched them play in Munich on May 26 1995 when I got the chance to talk a little to Isabel Monteiro. I recorded the show on a VHS-C cassette that I wouldn’t be able to play today...
Urban Coffee Lounge
Starting the year with an espresso prepared by @Lay_Luh before she moves to Portland.