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.