Caffe dell'Ufficio
It's nice working at a company with enough "vision" to have an espresso machine on the premises, even if it does neet a bit of tweaking (it's an automatic, and the shots it's pulling are too long). I need to bring in a wide, shallow cup so I can practice latte art.
Being able to pull a quality shot is very satisfying. I mean, yeah, for every one that's perfect, there are many that are only okay (and a few that are just plain bad), but it's worth it to see the bubbles and "tiger stripes" in a lovely, caramel-colored crema and taste that perfect balance of smokiness, berry sweetness, and chocolatey bitterness.
At the last company I worked for, in Portland, a cow-orker and I figured out that between the two of us, we were spending about $100/month on our daily americano fix at the Daily Cafe (how apropos). So we decided to pool our resources and buy an espresso machine (a Rancilio Silvia) for the office.
Unforunately, said cow-orker was laid off a few weeks after we bought the machine. Suckage. I ended up buying out his "share", and now it's my home machine. It's a great machine. (Note: Dream Home will have a plumbed-in Synesso Cyncra.) It's not a super-automatic that does the grinding, dosing, tamping, and pulling all with the push of a button; it does require a bit of patience and understanding. But again, the rewards are worth it.
(I read a recent article on the NY Times website about the resurgence of cafes with a focus on quality; the inevitable backlash against the McDonalds-like ubiquity of Starbucks.)
I miss places like the Albina Press, Anna Bananas, Stumptown, and yes, of course Coffee People, but I've been able to find at least a couple of sources down here that are quite excellent. Barefoot Coffee roasts some great blends (Sweetness is my favorite), and pulls a mean shot. They even have an "exchange program" where they occasionally carry blends from other roasteries (such as Stumptown!) Blue Bottle Coffee is also very good, though I've only had it from their booth at the farmer's market. I've yet to visit the cafe location in Hayes Valley.
Being able to pull a quality shot is very satisfying. I mean, yeah, for every one that's perfect, there are many that are only okay (and a few that are just plain bad), but it's worth it to see the bubbles and "tiger stripes" in a lovely, caramel-colored crema and taste that perfect balance of smokiness, berry sweetness, and chocolatey bitterness.
At the last company I worked for, in Portland, a cow-orker and I figured out that between the two of us, we were spending about $100/month on our daily americano fix at the Daily Cafe (how apropos). So we decided to pool our resources and buy an espresso machine (a Rancilio Silvia) for the office.
Unforunately, said cow-orker was laid off a few weeks after we bought the machine. Suckage. I ended up buying out his "share", and now it's my home machine. It's a great machine. (Note: Dream Home will have a plumbed-in Synesso Cyncra.) It's not a super-automatic that does the grinding, dosing, tamping, and pulling all with the push of a button; it does require a bit of patience and understanding. But again, the rewards are worth it.
(I read a recent article on the NY Times website about the resurgence of cafes with a focus on quality; the inevitable backlash against the McDonalds-like ubiquity of Starbucks.)
I miss places like the Albina Press, Anna Bananas, Stumptown, and yes, of course Coffee People, but I've been able to find at least a couple of sources down here that are quite excellent. Barefoot Coffee roasts some great blends (Sweetness is my favorite), and pulls a mean shot. They even have an "exchange program" where they occasionally carry blends from other roasteries (such as Stumptown!) Blue Bottle Coffee is also very good, though I've only had it from their booth at the farmer's market. I've yet to visit the cafe location in Hayes Valley.