Putting a coffee bar in Seattle would be like putting a coffee bar in Rome.

Coffee City | Intelligentsia: 'Putting a coffee bar in Seattle would be like putting a coffee bar in Rome' | Seattle Times Newspaper

Cinematic!

Cappuccino, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.

Urn, Out. Clover, In.

I was at the Broadway store last week and I was told by Mike that big changes were coming. Now I see..Nice!

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/12/intelligentsia.html

One More Reason To Visit NYC.

Dang! Those lucky New Yorkers!!

No Venti!

Intelligentsia will no longer selling those big cups.. I have never had one of those 20 oz-ers. That is a lot of coffee!

American Express Gold Card.

Nick from portafilter.net spotted this AXP commercial on youtube. Go Doug!

The Danes, Kings of Coffee

http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/the-danes-kings-of-coffee/?ref=dining

American Express, Don't Leave Home Without It.

I saw Luc from Intelly Downtown store today. He said that American Express is making a commercial with Doug and the crew at the downtown store. I have to guess it is the Plum card. Pretty cool!

In Today's Tribune.

Like it or not, this is the coffee scene in Chicago.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/explore/chi-071108coffeedetails,0,4730534,full.story

How Do You Like Your Coffee?

I drink my coffee black, but, at the same time, I don't judge how you drink yours. Whatever floats your boat. http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/coffee-pollutant-no-1-cream/?ref=dining

Finca Matalapa, El Salvador.

Kyle G. used it in his USBC routine. I decided to try it when I saw it on the Clover list earlier this morning. It is a very gentle coffee with the mellow flavor and a silky body. I didn’t have food with it, but I think it would go well with Angel Food Cake or even a light sandwich.


To read more about Finca Matalapa click here

The New, 2008 USBC Champion.

Originally uploaded by SCAA Blog.

Kyle Glanville!

Cool Shirt.

Cool Shirt.
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

I have been eyeing this shirt for some times, but I kept delaying to own one because I didn’t need another T-shirt. What changed my mind was its cool design, and I got to show my support to the coffee shops I like. There are a few more on my list, and their coffee I like to try.

Any woo, I ordered a doppio with the shirt, and it was pulled by Jesse at the Intelligentsia Millennium Park Store. The dark chocolate crema with a syrupy body. The temp was perfect to sip without fearing of burning the mouth. The flavor of Black Cat was intense and scrumptious. It was a goodness of the goodness. Since that shot was so good, I asked Jesse if he would compete in the barista competition in his future, his answer was no. I understood his response, because it takes a certain type of the personality to be in front of a large crowd and to be scrutinized by the judges.

Talking about the barista competition, the US Barista Competition is this coming weekend in Minneapolis Minnesota.

2008 GLRBC

This year is my first time not going to be inspired and awed by watching my favorite baristi compete at the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition (GLRBC) in Milwaukee, because I have something else planned for the weekend.

My favorite coffeehouse/roaster in Chicago.

My favorite coffeehouse/roaster in Chicago.
Originally uploaded by Spinnaker007.

I am sure all of us, from time to time, having the oranges that are just juicer than from other times, the watermelons that much sweeter, or the apples that much crispier. You got the picture.

I had a doppio from my favorite coffee shop on my way home, and I was indulged with a beautifully pulled Black Cat Espresso. It was so good that I had to paused, and enjoyed the moment. Thanks Luc!

1st Annual Geekfest.

CoffeeGeek_Event_041
Originally uploaded by Intelligentsia Coffee.

It all started with this post, and thanks to Intelligentsia's big kahuna, Doug Zell, the 1st Annual Geekfest quickly became a reality.

For the starter at 10:00AM, we had our tour in Intelligentsia’s ginormous roasting facility, where we observed a batch of Colombia Tres Santos being roasted. For about 13 minutes, the roasting process turned those little grassy smelly green beans into the aromatic rich brown wonders. We then ushered to their cupping room where Geoff Watts, the director of coffee and green coffee purchaser, explained to us the coffee grading and the green bean buying process, also more importantly to develop a healthy and mutually respectful relationships with the coffee farmers.

I have never cupped a coffee before, so I was very looking forward to it. There were 6 coffees; Peruvian Organic Cruz del Sur, Colombia Tres Santos, Colombia Tres Santos, Micro-Lot: La Planada, Rwandan Zirikana, Rwanda Golden Cup: Melange, and the crowd favorite from Kenya (I am not sure if this Kangocho auction lot was the one we cupped.) The first step of cupping is to smell the aroma/fragrance from the grounds when they are dry, and after the grounds being steeped for 4 minutes with just off the boil water, crack the crust and smell again, and finally actually tasting the coffee. Kenya was the crowd pleaser, but I liked both Rwanda's, and Cruz del Sur from Peru.

So, how do you like your coffee? The most unexpected event for me was the comparative brewing. This experiment was to use the very same coffee, brewed with 4 different techniques; Chemex vs. French Press vs. Eva Solo vs. Technivorm, and surprisingly there were 4 distinctive coffee drinking experience from the same coffee!

The most fun and yet nerve wracking was the latte art throw down, where everyone got one chance to pour and judged. It was tense to perform under many watchful eyes and especially to compete with Matt, the 2006 USBC champ and Amber, the finalist. I gave my best, and they simply blew me out of the water…

The Return Of The Brewed Coffee

Are you espresso-ed out? Not me, but I do enjoy a cup of good coffee from time to time. An article in today's The New York Times, it mentioned Blue Bottle Café in San Francisco will make you a nice cup of coffee with the lab looking brewing equipment. The best part? You get to watch your coffee being made like a science project!

The Coffee Studio

Our coffee friends at The Coffee Studio is in today’s Chicago Tribune! They don’t need me to pump them up, their coffee can do the talking for them. This charming place is a must visit on the Chicago’s coffee shop list.

LaMill Coffee Boutique.

People in SoCal got a new coffee place. LaMill Coffee Boutique, which is less than a mile away from Intelligentsia in Silver Lake, CA.

In addition to your typical espresso based drink menu, it is the first coffee shop in the world to have the United States Barista Competition (USBC) tested signature drinks. I believe Eton is its head barista.

So people in SoCal, please tell me how you like it if you have a chance to visit LaMill Coffee Boutique. Here is a video clip from Metromix.

There Is A New Coffee Shop In Town.

appealing
Originally uploaded by pavasm.

The Coffee Studio is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful coffee shops I have been to. It is contemporary, chic and it is only two weeks old.

Unlike any coffee shops, The Coffee Studio only uses the quality ingredients in its drinks. What was the last time you see a coffee shop uses the organic milk as the regular and not an extra?

The owners, Miguel and Lee can not be more hospitable. I had a double pulled by Miguel, it was quite good, and it was better than some of the doubles I have had at my regular shop.

I like The Coffee Studio. I hope for those who visit my blog can find time to check it out. I am pretty sure that it will become your favorite coffee shop, too.

To read more about The Coffee Studio at MikeP’s blog SMALLCOFFEE