blue bottle coffee

We walked over to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market this morning, unbenownstly unprepared, with only one cloth bag in hand, ready to face the seductive lures of summer ripe peaches, flour-dusted golden loaves, and deeply violet-hued fingerlings. On top of all these temptations, Mr.S and I, for the almighty love of the bean (the coffee bean, that is), stood in line for over 30 minutes at the Blue Bottle Coffee Company cart. Throughout our wait, I looked at the people around me, standing around patiently for $3 cups of lattes and $2 cups of made-to-order drip coffee. I couldn't help but wonder, is this all really worth it? Is the length of a line directly proportional to the quality of the product being waited on to be consumed? Why were we punishing ourselves by standing on a queue that had hardly budged in 20 minutes? Ahh, too many questions from a caffeine-starved brain...

When Mr.S handed over my cappuccino, I yelped (yes, like a terrier) a small "Oh!" of pleasant surprise at the brilliant coffee art.

And then I sipped. Very nutty, pleasant and smooth were some of the first thoughts that came to mind. All of Blue Bottle's espresso drinks use a ristretto, double shot and steamed Clover milk. The had nuances of hazelnuts and a subtle sweetness that was enhanced by the milk. I reveled in my delightful morning cup while snacking on their complimentary almond macarons (flavors vary weekly).

We watched the barista for awhile as he prepared custom made drip coffee for customers. He reminded me of a DJ, spinning, with all his tech-y equipment and layout.
He uses a filter drip system, a rather rudimentary one in this case of paper filters and cups, to essentially make coffee extractions. (The original technique uses bunsen burners, glass tubes and flasks for an extremely scientific and exacting process.) The grind and weight of the beans, volume of water, temperature of water, timing of extraction are all key components to a single cup of brew. No wonder people are consistently lining up week after week. This is definitely not your cup of Sanka.

Currently Blue Bottle operates a small cafe on Mint Street over Mission and 5th, as well as a kiosk in Hayes Valley. And of course you can find them Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market, just be prepared for long lines. (Bring a book!)

longest starbucks order?

On the occasion, I make a Starbuck's run. Today I ran out of milk at home, and didn't feel like drinking any of the usual weak stuff at the office. The one on the way to work was packed this morning with caffeine and sugar-starved souls (me being no exception), I even had trouble finding a parking spot! The lines were long but moved relatively quickly.

The reason I'm rambling on about this is because I'm always self-conscious that my usual drink order runs on the long side. I'm typically not such an eccentric espresso drinker, but honestly, Starbuck's has kind of spoiled me by accomodating all my particular drink needs. I usually always get the same thing: "double, tall, nonfat, extra-hot, wet capuccino." Having worked once as a barista in a coffeeshop, an order like this on a busy morning would have had me steaming at my ears.

Today however, I didn't feel so bad. The woman in front of me literally ordered something to the following effect: "quad, venti, half-caff, one pump sugar-free vanilla, two pumps sugar-free hazelnut, extra-hot, ristretto latte, with half soy, half lowfat organic milk, with two paper cups." Who does that?? Needless to say, I was more than a bit peeved at her custom drink order, but the guys behind the counter surprisingly, remained nonplussed. I'll never know if they got her drink exactly the way she wanted it, but she walked out of the store, drink in hand, with no complaints.

This leads me to the question- what's the longest coffee drink order you've ever heard, given, or received?

image from starbucks.com

the daily grind

On any given Saturday morning, you may find me and Mr.S at the Daily Grind in Fells Point patiently waiting in long lines for the two things that signify the official beginning of the lazy weekend, my coffee and muffin. But not just any regular combination. I always order a double nonfat cappuccino, extra hot with an apple bran muffin.

The Grind uses beans from Key Coffee, a local Baltimore roaster. Just from observing the quick turnover rate of the inventory that comes through, you know that what's in your cup is fresh. It's robust and smooth, with low acidity. I have not tried their decaf brew, but I bet it's similarly pleasant. The foam that sits atop my capp is always staunch and unyielding to any wooden stirrers' attempts. The muffin is my favorite, mildly sweet, dense, and full of bran, wheat germ, and chunks of fresh apple. (I've tried to recreate the recipe at home, and have yet to pinpoint the correct combination of ingredients.) They are baked from a local wholesale bakery called A Scone Co. and also come in blueberry bran. There was a period of about 6 months last year (which I refer to as the Dark Ages) when the Grind stopped carrying them, because they had switched to a new baked goods supplier, but have just recently brought them back again. Thank god! My Saturday mornings, and occasional Fridays, have been restored, giving way to oh-so-delightful weekends.