105 posts later

Maldon Fireworks 8
Originally uploaded by goynang.

I began this blog a year ago. It was never set up to be a hardcore coffee blog (there are many, and they know coffee more than I do), I am just trying to pass along any interesting coffee related news.

105 posts later, more than a third are coffee related entries, and I hope I am doing a fair job to keep you entertained….

Tatjana Simic - Santa Maria

I like this song. It has a nice beat to it, with an eye candy singer that always helps...

Waiting In Line Like Everyone Else.

I have been doing the French Press since my machine went kaput. Once in awhile I get my caffeine fix like I did before I bought my espresso machine, waiting in line…

Merry Christmas, everybody!

All For You by Sister Hazel

The Latte Art Master - Kyle G.

hot chocolate
Originally uploaded by tonx.

This ex-Victrola barista/trainer from Seattle is one of the best barista and latte artists around. His fat Rosetta pours are simply beautiful and elegant. I had tried and failed miserably on such pours, and I have been waiting for someone like Kyle who can show us how to do it. It is about time! Kyle’s partner in crime, tonx (ex-Victrola roaster), got a clip on youtube. I sure picked up some pointers from the mid-pour during his demonstration.

If you are confused about tonx’s description for the video, is because they are now working for Intelligentsia, in LA!

Food Pairing: What To Drink With What You Eat.

Maybe you didn’t want to read what I wrote about food pairing with coffee or cappuccino, but you may be interested to read what the pros have to say.

In the book review section from Fresh Cup's December issue, it mentioned What to Drink with What You Eat, a guide to pair food with wine, beer, spirits, coffee, and tea. I have not read it, so do some DD before you buy this book. Hey, I am just a messenger.

Call On Me.

While I was cleaning out some clutter at my place, I found this old February 2005 issue of Man’s Fitness Magazine, and the link to this Fitness Video. Sorry ladies...Guys, enjoy!

Diagnosis: Not good!

I started up my machine this morning, everything looked jolly; the pressure and the temperature build up nice and smoothly. Once the machine reached its optimal temperature, I performed a dry run, and then turned on the steam valve. Oh my! It was like I had turned on the afterburner of a fighter jet, the pressure stayed above 1.0 bar throughout the duration of 60 seconds. Once I turned off the steam valve, the pressure build back up promptly. I went back to the machine after a short break and found the reading at zero. Dang, not a good sign.

I tried again this afternoon. Turned on the machine, and notta! I couldn’t even hear the heating element working at all. I rechecked the machine half an hour later, and the machine was still ice cold, a flat liner…Not good at all…

Almost New Again.

Well, the vacuum breaker valve has been replaced, but my machine is acting kinda strange. Initially it struggled to bring up the temperature with the lifeless steam (although I increased the boiler pressure setting). After a few false starts, it seems to go back to its old self slowly but surely, with 1.3 bar reading on the pressure gauge, up from 1.1 bar (I can't quantify the increase, but it sounds good to me). I’ll have to wait and see if the machine is truly ready, and I’ll get to play around with the extra steaming power...

Man On The Moon by REM.

Every time I hear this song, I remember the people I worked with, while finishing up my college days and shortly after . Those guys at this Chicago's top patent litigation firm are serious party animals. I am smiling right now, ear to ear, baby!

Leaky Leaky Valve.

I noticed my espresso machine losing the steam pressure in the middle of making my daily cappuccino last weekend. I called the place where I bought my machine yesterday afternoon, instead of selling the parts I didn’t need, they gave me a check list to go through.

Today, I removed the casing for the first time EVER to check the parts that help produce the tasty cappuccino I enjoy everyday (I know, I know, I am not a true coffeegeek), and I found the culprit – leaky vacuum breaker valve. I could hear the pressure escaping from the valve, and the condensation running down on it. I also took the opportunity to increase the pressure boost. More steaming power! Yeah! Arrr! Arrr! Arrr! I hope I’ll be able to replace the faulty part without breaking the machine. The truth is out, I am not handy!

How To Save A Life by The Fray.

When ABC first aired Grey's Anatomy in 2005, I was not a bit interested (however, I like the movie, “Gross Anatomy”.)

Now I find myself engrossed in the 3rd season of this primetime medical comedy drama, and its awesome theme song is always a plus.

Kathy, thank you for opening my eyes to this captivating show. (Kathy is my former manager on the trading floor at CBOE in the 90's, until she was promoted to head our corporate office in NYC. Earlier this year, she came back to be close to her family, and she sure brought the energy and life back to our Chicago office again!)

For a limited time only...

I am going to keep this for a week, then take it off..
It is too funny, so I decided to keep it.

The $50,000 Espresso.

Well, this "Espresso" is not made for drinking. It is a Book-on-Demand vending machine that can print in any language with the full color covers, glue, bind, and ready for you to read in less than 7 minutes.

Now, all you need is an espresso that you can actually enjoy while reading your newly minted book.

Carnaval de Paris by Dario G.

This song represents the 1998 World Cup in France, and a good one, enjoy!

Christmas Market 2006.

Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

My sister came downtown to see the Mayor of Chicago lights the city's Christmas tree. I took this opportunity to go with her and snapped some pictures. There was a firework show on top of the City Hall immediately after the tree was lit. It was quite spectacular.

The annual Christmas Market at Daley Plaza has the same feel as I remembered from a trip to Germany years ago. The sound, the smell of food in the air, and the holiday spirit. There are scores of Christmas ornament vendors coming from Germany to sell all kinds of ornaments to dress up your Christmas tree nicely, while the food vendors sell sausages bratwursts (thanks Chris) on the rolls, pancakes, strudels, and pretzels as you are taking a break from your Christmas shopping...

Crowded House - Weather With You.

The first time I heard this song was from the series finale of MTV's Real World - London. I never could find out the name of this song nor who sings it. A couple of days ago I heard it again at CVS. Thanks to Google, I can listen to this song anytime I want.

Got Money To Burn?

How about this $1000.00 cup warmer? Okay, okay, it is only $999.95 and they even toss in the free shipping.

I rinse my cups with the hot water, and it is just as effective. On a positive note, this cup warmer is not that bad looking.

Hi Lindsay! Hi Matt!

When I heard the Queen of Latte Art is coming to Chicago, no one with the right mind would pass up the opportunity to meet her. We arranged to meet at Intelligentsia’s Millennium Park store this afternoon.

There were some heavy duty text messagings between MikeP
and I, as I was running a bit late (okay, me, I can’t text messaging). That awful AT&T supposed to drop off some network circuit components but they never showed up! Can you believe it?! By the time I got to intelligentsia, they were done with their coffee already. We chitchat and we later moved the conversation over some pizza pie at Lou Malnati's.

It was great to listen to Lindsay about her travels around the world, and how Matt moved to Vancouver with 2 suitcases in search for the great coffee and he wound up working for the much celebrated baristas’ coffee shop, Elysian Room. I always play safe, but I truly admire for their adventurous personalities to go out there and do what they love to do.

Available At Your Favorite Newsstand.

Got my copy in the mail today...Matt from Intelligentsia was being quoted in the upcoming December issue of Men's Health Magazine! On page 75, you will find Matt as he gives his pointers to the finer shots of espresso.

Also in this special issue, there is a list of "The 100 Best New Products For Men". Forget about Zune, I like No.22...

Officially Out Of The Slump!!!

Latte art is one strange creature. Some days you have it. Some days you don’t. The harder you try, the more elusive it gets. I was unable to pour the simplest latte art, the heart, until today...Wheeew...

There is a hole in the crema, because I steamed the milk after I pulled the shot. The shot and cocoa mixture just sat there and wait...

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger

Just got back from an Irish bar, The Kerryman. A little Thursday night unwind with friends from my building over a couple of beers, and this song was on, which is one of my favorites...

Robbie Williams - She's The One

It was originally written and sing by World Party.
Yeah, this song is girly, but it sounds good...

Nessun Dorma!

Sure, there are fancy, if not, fancier fonts available, but they can be so over-the-top, and a nightmare to read.

I am looking for fonts that represent integrity, passion, and quality. I came up with 6. Which one do you like?

Word Of The Day: Cappuccino.

monkshead cappuccino
Originally uploaded by espressobsessed.

Check out this beautiful cappuccino poured by my buddy JimmyO...The color is just amazing...Beautiful with the Capital B!

Well, I went to Intelligentsia in Lincoln Park today with a hope that they could blend me a pound of Wells Street Espresso Blend, but they didn’t have the major component of this blend to do it. So I settled with a pound of my favorite Black Cat. Don’t feel bad for me however, I got a tasty cappuccino with a beautiful heart art from Amber, the 3rd place winner of 2006 US Barista Championship. She is a sweetie!

Wells Street Espresso

Everything related to coffee catches my eyes. I received a Crate&Barrel catalog in the mail a few weeks ago and I saw it, an exclusive private blend for Crate&Barrel by Intelligentsia. How can anyone not want to try it after being seduced by the description such as “with sweet hints of almond, peanut, chocolate and caramel. It's created from a masterful mix of carefully sourced high-grown Arabica coffees from South and Central America.”

There is a CB store near by me, but I tried to avoid the tourists and the shoppers who congested the sidewalk along the Michigan Avenue or The Magnificent Mile on the weekends. I got a day off today and I made a special trip just for it. The only problem is that I didn’t know how to decode the roast date on the bag (yes, I read a post on decoding on coffeegeek.com before, but I forgot the details). So, I am going to Intelligentsia tomorrow and hope they can blend one for me...

Watergate - The Battle (DJ Quicksilver Remix)

Girls with red hair always intrigue me. Then again, so do the girls with healthy sun tan...

Must-Visit Website!

Got this awesome find from James’ jimseven blog. Here you will see my favorite baristas in action, beautiful Amber and Matt the 2006 USBC champ. Billy Wilson whom gave me pointers on how to pour latte art, also made his appearance. Clips of pulling shots, pouring latte arts and interviews. Good stuff!

DO NOT MISS Coffee Video Magazine!

Road to USBC 2007, Round 2.

Jon Lewis (2nd) Billy Wilson (1st) Kevin Fuller (3rd)
Originally uploaded by American Barista & Coffee School.

Northwest regional that includes Alaska, Washington and Portland has a new champion, Billy Wilson, from Albina Press in Portland, Oregon.

His jellylike pearls signature drink is call, "Espresso Caviar", which I guess looks similar to these little globules. These tiny coffee flavored babies require a syringe to produce, it is quite interesting (thanks to Ben from Chemically Imbalanced for many informative links).

According to one of the top finishers, Kyle Larson from Stumptown Coffee Roasters predicts a tough challenge for all competitors at the US Barista Competition in Long Beach, CA next April. So I guess there will be 3 finalists from NWRBC and 3 finalists from GLRBC fighting for the crown of the USBC 2007. : )

Some pictures from the NWRBC uploaded by American Barista & Coffee School and OldTimeyDave.

No Sleep!

Pavarotti’s strong and powerful voice gives me the goose bumps each time I hear this song.

Dj Toxic- Secret Melody

If I had a coffee shop, I would play this song out loud while pulling shots...Maybe just during the clean up after the close, yeah it is better that way...

Something Old & Something New.

Something New!

I am not quite sure what to make of it. It is a new dosing tool developed by the 2003 World Barista Champion, Paul Bassett. I guess each unit is to decrease certain grams of grounds from the portafilter. Interesting nonetheless. If anybody cares, my dosing technique is first overfilling the portafilter, then tab it on the fork and level the grounds with my index finger.










Now, something old (Well, not really).

This espresso map will guide you to some awesome coffee houses near you or when traveling in North America. I have not been to all of the places, but most of those I had visited are included.

Food Pairing: Cappuccino & Food.

Foam, gooood!
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

Continuing from my previous post about Food Pairing: Coffee & Desserts, this time is about cappuccino and food. No! No! No! I am not talking about those 12oz, 16oz, or 20oz extra foamy lattes. Without getting too specific, the traditional cappuccino is served in a 4.75 ~ 6.5 oz ceramic cup, and by the definition of 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foam.

In September Fresh Cup Magazine, it pointed out, “throughout Italy, a cup of cappuccino is usually accompanied by what Italians call a brioche.” Also in the article, some coffee pros share their favorite food with their daily cappuccino such as a chocolate-filled pastry, a small piece of single original chocolate and a chocolate espresso soufflé.

I like my cappuccino (Intelligentsa's Black Cat Espresso Blend) with a couple of chocolate Milano cookies or a slice of the cinnamon swirl bread or a double chocolate donut from Dunkin' Donuts.

Chicago 2016

There is no better place to host the summer games than our beautiful city in year 2016.

Fast Enough For You??

Originally uploaded by espressoDOM


An Americano in a Lamborghini cup by espressoDOM... It is so beautiful and I am about to cry...

My Mine Battles Master Blaster.

Too many videos, so little time...Oh man, somebody stop me!

Hypnotic Tango is one of my all time favorites...The first time I heard this song was back in the late 80's...The new remix version is just as good but HOTTER!

My Mine



Master Blaster

Danse Avec Moi!

I keep finding the videos of the songs I like...Awesome!

DIY Latte

Originally uploaded by Catbagan


There are too many DIYs. You can build your own home, DIY. You can be your own automobile mechanic, DIY. You can invest in the markets, DIY (just don’t bet your farm on a single idea!) When it comes to cappuccinos and lattes, unless you are either a coffee geek or a home barista, I strongly suggest that you DON’T.

Cheap people and the opportunists are everywhere and the most recent headlines such as Ghetto latte and Bootleg latte will give you some ideas about what I am talking about. It makes me chuckle when I read the instruction for making the DIY latte, and it goes like this:

1. Order a doppio (two shots of espresso) in a 16-ounce cup at Starbucks.

2. Fill remainder of cup with milk from the condiment counter.

3. Heat in microwave for 60 seconds. Stir. Heat for 30 seconds.

HEAT IN THE MICROWAVE FOR 60 SECONDS. STIR. HEAT FOR ANOTHER 30 SECONDS???

The conclusion is even funnier, “Taste test conclusion: Store-made latte has slightly more foam; otherwise they taste the same.”

They obviously have no idea what properly textured milk for the lattes or the velvety microfoam for the cappuccinos taste like. I bet once they try it, they will stop DIY, find and run to the nearest coffee shops that steam the milk the right way.

If you insist to DIY, I would suggest doing the iced version. Order a doppio (double shot) in a cup with ice then add milk. Now your ghetto/bootleg version is exactly the same as the one at its full retail price.

Will You Accept This Rose?

Is it just me that the new bachelor Prince Lorenzo Borghese and Joey from NBC Friends look alike?

The new season of ABC’s Bachelor Rome premiers tonight. The Italian girl named Agnese whom he picked is molto bella.

AFF Jump 1: Free & Clear

AFF Jump 1: Free & Clear
Originally uploaded by ciordia9.

Andy, my Coffee-Flickr-Future Coffee Shop Owner buddy in Charlotte, NC, made his maiden and solo sky dive yesterday. He made it looks so easy in the video, it sure was a nice day to jump off a perfectly flying airplane..

Road to USBC 2007.

USBC Edition Syrup
Originally uploaded by ThaRiddla.

Nick Cho of Murky Coffee won the season opener as the champion of the Southeast Regional Barista Competition last weekend. Here is the list for the upcoming regional competitions. Who will be on the next Da Vinci Gourmet syrup bottle? I hope to see Matt doing a repeat. Then again, I like to see Amber from Intelligentsia or Steve Fritzen of Coffee Hound representing US in WBC.

Congratulations to Rob and Chris.

Rob and Chris are my favorite CGs, and both of whom can pour some killer latte art (Rob taught me how to pour latte art). Rob and Chris won the Latte Art Contest in two different categories that was sponsored by Whole Latte Love. Pretty awesome, eh?

Just one coffee related news...

Ghetto latte. This is nothing new, but it is funny to see people (cheap people) always trying to beat the system...

Elton John - The One

I was listening to this song on an old "tape" while driving yesterday, and I kept hitting repeat after the song was over...

Espesso, The Coffee You Can Eat.

I read this from the Tuesday’s Chicago Sun-Times. I had tried Lavazza’s espresso once before and I was not impressed at all (except for the posters of hot Italian women hung on the wall and its friendly staff), but this news report and my curiosity got the best of me. I was going to try it after work on that day, but I had something more important to do.

Fast forward and 2 days later…I went over to the Lavazza next to Chicago Board of Trade on Jackson Blvd, and bought myself one. This solid espresso supposed to be silky and creamy as suggested by the picture and the video clip on Lavazza’s website. The texture of mine was more like a mashed espresso flavored Jell-O. I think it is interesting, and I would like it more if I can substitute with my favorite espresso blends. Like how Jay would put it, “Is it good? Sure, because it is “not” bad…”

Go West!

Go West!
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

I think it is okay for me to mention what has been out in the public already. I am extremely excited for the people who will be involved in the new venture!

Sumatra Lake Tawar

I came across this newbie from a professional forum about 2 weeks ago. They argued passionately and quickly compared it to the sweetie, Miss Esmeralda from Panama. Then, a few days ago, I saw it on the shelf while in line for my weekly supply of Black Cat Espresso Blend at Intelly. I will try to see if Intelly serves it on Clover. At $14.95 a pound, it is a great bargain, given that the pros put it in the same sentence with the perfect Miss Esmeralda.

Two for the road...

For all Chicagoans, ABC 7 has a special segment on the thin crust pizza with the true Italian style. If you like wood burning thin crust pizza, go check them out...

It was supposed to be for the employee’s families and friends. Starbucks’ “free iced coffee” coupon fiasco caused the company to stop honoring its coupons. If you somehow have this controversial coupon, the Moose will be gladly to give away its iced coffee.

Jay Rocks!

Some coffee links for Monday, Aug. 21, 2006.

You gotta love Jay. From the 1:16:40 mark and on, of the portafilter.net: Podcast 49.

Starbucks’ shares took a beating on 8/02/06, after its earnings missed the mark. SBUX blamed its inability to meet unprecedented demand for the icey and sweet Frappuccino. I think the problem is the fancy names which SBUX came up for its candied coffee drinks. Try to see how long it will take to say, “a venti, light-iced, half-caf, upside-down Caramel Macchiato with soy and an extra shot of vanilla!

Moldy coffee tastes better. Really? I guess I’ll pass, also I don’t think I’ll ever try the coffee coming out of the civet’s a$$.

Some coffee trivia.

Coffee has many health benefits, but the latest report indicates coffee may trigger heart attack. Oh well, you can’t win all the time…

First there was Kiss. Now Jackie Chan is opening up his coffee shop franchise.

COFFEECUPPERS.COM

Jim Schulman is a coffee guru and an excellent coffee cupper. I’ve met Jim in person on a few occasions; he is authoritative, friendly, and just an awesome guy. I just discovered his website called COFFEECUPPERS.COM. If you are looking for some great coffee to enjoy, start with his website first.

Danny Wilson - Mary's Prayer

I got this song looping in my head for the last 2 hours, and luckily it didn’t take me too long to remember the name of the band and this cool song. This is one of my favorites back in the 80’s, and the best part is that I get to watch this video for the first time. The video is kinda silly, because it was made during the infancy of the music videos, but I like it, it makes me laugh (with it)! The music videos sure have come a long way...

Road Trip!

CoffeeHound exterior
Originally uploaded by pavasm.

Yesterday, after I said I would two years ago, I finally went to see Steve Fritzen of Coffee Hound in a picturesque Midwest town, Bloomington, IL. Steve is a top ranked US barista, he finished 6th in the 2006 US Barista Championship. I got to know Steve from coffeegeek.com at the time I was learning how to pour latte art, and meeting him and his wife, April, for the first time when they came to Chicago as Steve served as one of the judges for Intelligentsia’s in-house barista competition in early 2004.

It was sunny with some scattered thin clouds, a great day for an enjoyable interstate driving, and just a little over 2 hours (about 130 miles), I arrived at the front door of Coffee Hound. The shop is a good size of 1500 sf space, with high ceiling and plenty of room.

Steve, Chris, and I shoot the breeze about coffee and I chugged the shots as fast as Steve could pull. I even got to try some of Steve’s home roasted espresso blend. Steve’s Christmas arrived earlier this year, he just got a HotTop home coffee roaster. I liked his blend. Steve has a very good foundation for his blend, and he is tweaking a bit to his liking. Steve even let me to pull a shot on his 4 group La Marzocco FB/70 and steamed some milk. It was fun, but kind of nerve wrecking under the watchful eyes of a top barista.

Steve’s Coffee Hound is now serving Zoka Coffee’s award winning Paladino espresso blend. A great deal for any Midwesterners who don’t have to fly all the way to Seattle for some tasty treats…Did I mention Steve bakes?!

Direction from Chicago to Coffee Hound:
• South on I-55.
• Off at exit 167.
• Left (go south) on Veterans Park Way
• Right (go west) on Washington St.
• Right (go north) on Main St
• Right side of the street after a block and a half.

Can it? Could it?

The 2006 Citysearch’s Best Coffee voting result is in, and my beloved Intelligentsia finished second behind Savor The Flavor Coffee House. Can this be true? Can this place’s coffee be better than Intelligentsia? Earlier this afternoon, I made a special trip to check out this year's winner.

Savor The Flavor Coffee House sits where Lincoln, Sheffield, and Wrightwood meet. It turned out that Savor The Flavor uses Intelly’s beans, that explains it! My iced coffee was refreshing for the warm summer afternoon. The owner and the staff were friendly and taking their time to make sure each customer is well taken care of.

I think Savor The Flavor won the Best Coffee award for its customer service as its #1 priority. I didn’t say that Intelly’s staff is not friendly enough, it is quite the opposite. This voting thing is more of a popular award. Whoever can get the most people to vote for them wins. No more and no less. Metropolis coffee finished in 5th, and I know their coffee can easily beat the #3 and #4.

The editor’s winner is Julius Meinl Café. Its pastries are awesome, but I can’t say the same about its coffee…

When There Is Nothing To Say, Say Anything!

Colombia
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

I bet most of the non-coffee drinkers and the majority of Starbies’ customers mistaken with Columbia for “Colombia” coffee.

Now, the fillers. Some are old and some are new...

I can’t believe how little I know about my birthday. How much do you know about yours? That’s right, like me, not very much!

If you want to be rich, all you need is thick skin, cunning - and a work ethic.

Ditching Your Cell Contract. Something we all need to know. Just in case...

Beer takes its place at the table. Let’s not forget about coffee.
Added on 8/5, Some pictures from Stumptown Coffee/Food Pairing at Navarre.

How about tomatoe cupping?

Sash!

Technology is a beautiful thing! I always like Sash!, and his music. I got quite a few of his CDs, but I have never seen any of his music videos until now. It is too bad that I can’t find the video for his “Nessun Dorma” remix.



(In Italian)

Senti
Allora dammi la tua mano
Ti farei scoprire il piu bel
tempo della primavera
La Primavera dell'amore
Io sono pronto

(In English)

Listen
Well then, give me your hand
I'd make you discover the most
Beautiful side of spring
The spring of love
I'm ready

Change Of Pace

Change Of Pace
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

Samba! Taking a break from my weekly Black Cat espresso blend from Intelligentsia. I sure will crank up my speakers while drinking my single origin Brazilian espresso shots. Click here and let's Samba!

Damn Those Spammers!

SPORT SOCCER WORLD
Originally uploaded by yappeichin.

I got spamboozled the last couple of days. I enabled the verification feature to ward off any unsolicited posts. I apologize for any inconveniences.

Funny. Entertaining. Informative.

MARBC 2006 the six finalists with Nick Cho
Originally uploaded by jpscoffee.

Nick Cho (3rd from the left), is one of the Portafilter.net podcast personalities, who is also the bigwig at Murky Coffee. Nick has an informative, but even more so, funny and entertaining coffee blog. Check it out when you have a chance...

So, We've Met, Now What?

I went for a cup of Clovered Hacienda La Esmeralda on a tip-off from MikeP. I asked and ordered a 12oz-er before looking at the price. I almost had a heart attack when I saw how much it was, but too late to back off without embarrassing myself.

The guy who made my coffee let me see the coffee beans and allowed me to take a few whiffs before brewing it. I took my coffee up to my friend’s condo, which happened to be right above Intelly, and I shared it among the people at the party. Those who tasted, liked it. Some said it was sweet, citrusy (orange zest), and creamy (as if the cream was added).

To me, it was sweet, nutty, citrusy, and surprisingly with heavy syrupy body from such lightly roasted beans.

This coffee is not for everyone, by that I mean, this is for only the hardcore, plus 3 standard deviations coffee people, similar to those who pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine, Scotch, or whatever. I am none of the above, and I can be easily satisfied with a nicely brewed cup of coffee.

Matt, The News Maker.

Matt of Intelligentsia, the 2006 USBC champion, and 3rd in WBC, has a taped special that will be on the CBS local news at 10PM this Sunday, July 9th. I am not sure if the local CBS News website will have the real-time video stream or not. If I find the link later, and I’ll post it here.

Added on 7/16.
Better late than never. Now you can see the clip of the special news segment.

This one is from ABC about 2 months ago.

Miss Panama.

Panamanian actress - Jordana Brewster.

All the talks, writings here and elsewhere, confirm that Panama’s Hacienda La Esmeralda is one fantastic coffee (if brewed correctly). I am not fortunate enough to taste this luscious coffee, but I’ll take their words for it.

BTW, I thought Gisele Bündchen is Brazilian, not Panamanian. (Nick, if you read this, I am sorry for the little jab here.)

Added on 7/5/06.
Click here for the detailed review about this perfect coffee.

Hacienda La Esmeralda, Panama

Interest percolating for rare cup of joe, Chicago Sun Times' June 23 edition. I'll go and see if Intelly has this baby on Clover tomorrow...(Yes, yes, I know the supply is very limited, I hope I am lucky enough to get a cup at their store.)

Small. Medium. Large.

This scary squirrel was first discovered by Mark at coffeegeek.com and shared it among the rest of us coffeegeeks some times ago. I know you gonna like it, too...Watch them all, but don’t forget to watch “Small, Medium, Large” on the bottom row, and second one from the right...

Synesso automatic prototype. You see it here first.

Starbucks targeted over high-fat products. Venti size me vs. Super size me.

Baristas seek licence to drive. I think the Aussies are onto something interesting...

Whole Foods bans sale of live lobsters. They say it is inhuman...I doubt those “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” have ever successfully finished a game of sudoku. As far as I know, lobster is one level above the cockroach in the animal kingdom.

Sudoku.

I am late to this popular Sudoku game, which is a number puzzle can be solved with reasoning and logic. I know I am no Rain man nor have a beautiful mind that matches John Nash’s, but I am just happy to know that I am a reasonable and logical person. I am not sure if I dare to try the most difficult level there is. Like I mentioned earlier, I am no Rain man...

A couple of coffee links...

This Joe's for You? Social class war in coffee? Can we all get along??

Crazy for coffee. Intelligentsia, Metropolis, and a fellow CG Jim Schulman were in a Chicago Tribune’s article.

Da Man. Da Blog...

Tamping
Originally uploaded by CoffeeGeek.

Matt is one of my favorite baristi. He is cool, friendly, and he is one of the good guys. He has a blog called, “one year. one life.” Make sure that you take a look…

So Long Juan Valdez.

Juan Valdez is retiring. Salute to the man who brought us the Colombian coffee.

Capitol Hill coffee shop will give way to Sound Transit. This is a BAD news! Espresso Vivace Roasteria is a beautiful coffeehouse with the killer coffee drinks. This location is the shrine for all the espresso lovers, and if you haven’t been to this place, you better get moving

Audi Roadjet. A car with an espresso machine. How come FIAT didn’t think of it??

Prankster slips roach into coffee, says officer . Do you want some fries with that??

Panamanian specialty coffee smashes world price record . My favorite Intelly got their hands on some of this coffee. Hopefully I get to try some at their shop.


Non-Coffee news

Top 10 Gadgets for the Filthy Rich . No Synesso Cyncra? No La Marzocco GS3?? No Clover???

Yes, I am a speed freak.

www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com


What a day! A busy day with the open wheel racing for about 5 hours worth (Indy 500 & Monte Carlo Grand Prix), sorry, I am not a NASCAR fan.

I hope you guys watched this 500 race because it was the 2nd closest finish in history with the margin of .06 second where Sam Hornish Jr. passed Marco Andretti to take the checker flag.

I have not watched the 500 since the CART split, now with IRL and Champ car, each took a different type of racings (oval vs. road course). When I heard Michael Andretti, Al Unser Jr, and Eddie Cheever Jr came out of their retirements to race, and I was not about to pass this 500.

There were some spectacular crashes early on, but the thrill came in with about 20 laps to go. Each corner is usually wide enough for one car to go through safely at 200+ MPH, but as the 2005 winner Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan were fighting for the position, they overtook a slower car as three of them going through the turn together!

I really thought Michael Andretti was going to win it, with just a few laps to go under the yellow caution flag, but he fell back as the race went under the green again. Michael’ son Marco took the lead from there to the final turn of the race, but he didn’t have the speed to top Sam Hornish Jr.’s late charge, and finished in second place. What a race!

Now it is time to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix that I taped. It is going to be easy to watch because I already know that the sensational Spaniard Alonso had won.