Archive for August, 2008
My Dear Coffee Addiction
Cafe Ladro and Macrina Bakery, originally uploaded by andai. You know you drink too much coffee when you can sit through class, meetings, events etc. having drunk a double tall, a couple of espresso shots or a mug of paint thinner strength coffee and yet struggle to stay awake. I have friends who tell me that if they drink a cup of coffee in the afternoon they'll have a problem falling sleep later that evening... are you kidding me! When I drink really strong coffee, the most I can hope for in terms of staying away and alert is two hours tops and even that is pushing it. So how is it that come to be that coffee or maybe more precisely caffeine does not really have to much of an effect on me? I think it comes from my younger days growing up in Kenya. I come from a tribe (and culture) where we drink tea ALL, and I mean ALL the time. And that includes an nice strong cup of English Breakfast tea right before my bedtime. I remember once when I was older and I spent a few days at my grandfather's place, my [...]
Bella Dolce, Great Italian Style Espresso on Madison Valley
The Best Scones You'll Ever Eat in Seattle..., originally uploaded by andai. Bella Dolce, which is located a couple of doors down from Essential Bakery right on Madison Valley, is a small but great Italian style bakery and cafe that I will often stop by in the mornings to get a latte and sometimes one of their scones. The owner of the place, Joan is a great lady who is pretty friendly and makes great baked goods and lunch items. Before I talk about their coffee, I have to say that Bella Dolce makes the best, and I really mean the best scones I have ever eaten. These scones are totally to die for! They are not huge, they are about a little smaller in diameter than a crumpet, about ¾ of an inch thick but don’t let the small size fool you because these scones are extremely filling, moist and delicious. But that a post for another day… let’s get back to the espresso… I really like Bella Dolce’s coffee. They do make an enjoyable latte with great taste and flavor. A big part of their great coffee is [...]
Sciue, Clearly Vancouver's Best Coffee
Sciue Coffee, originally uploaded by andai. Sciue is probably my hands down favorite 'coffeehouse' in Vancouver BC. Sciue, pronounced Shoe-eh is actually Italian (or Roman) slang for Good & Fast... This excellent Italian bakery Caffè was started by two Italians from Rome, Davide Bonamici and Alessandro Fonseca. Davide was one of the former directors of Torrefazione, which is the coffee chain that Starbucks bought (via their acquisition of Seattle's Best Coffee Company) then turned around and shut down. This I think was foolish on the part of Starbucks, but the silver lining is that mistake actually created a number of great Italian style cafes in Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco New York and of course Vancouver BC. There are four things that I like about Sciue. The espresso drinks are excellent. Whenever I stop by, I always order a latte and I can tell you with absolute certainly, these guys know how to make an excellent latte. After you've had one, you'll wonder why you ever patronized Starbucks. [...]
Oh Joy! Coffee Myths Debunked, Another Drink Please!
Coffee. America's fourth most consumed beverage and the object of a ritual that is faithfully performed every morning in households, coffeehouses, in offices and in cars all across America. Drinking tons of the stuff, 'knowing' its not great for you but at least it keeps you awake, coffee (and other caffeine laden beverages) has been the ever faithful friend of many a sleep deprived collage student, the overworked, two weeks behind schedule code monkey writing pointers, linked lists and various algorithms. Coffee has also been the subject of many studies touting its health detriments. But now it turns out that coffee may not bad for you after all. According to this article in the New York Times, which examines six common 'myths and misconceptions' finds that although there is some form of truth to many of the beliefs, there are ways to offset the same effects. For example, coffee has been linked to bone loss, however, they find that studies suggest that this bone loss can be offset by adding as little as [...]
Tutmak Warung Kopi
Tutmak Warung Kopi, originally uploaded by andai. Tutmak Warung Kopi is a great restaurant I visited back in June 2006 when I spent a couple of weeks visiting Bali Indonesia. This restaurant is in the little town of Ubud, considered the cultural center of Bali. Ubud is a place I would certainly recommend that you spend at least 2 to 3 days if you do get the chance to visit Bali. Ubud has a lot of great restaurants and Tutmak Warung Kopi was one of my favorites. They are known for their great espresso drinks. Tutmak was one of the New York Times Bali restaurants pick, and they totally raved about the espresso served at this place. I too would highly recommend that you drop by, and not just for a great espresso, but also try out a couple of their dishes too.
BHC Round 1. Trophy Cupcakes vs. Chocolate Box Part II
Battle Hot Chocolate, originally uploaded by andai. In an effort to find Seattle's best hot chocolate offerings, I have embarked on a series of tests that I prefer to more appropriately call, The Battle Hot Chocolate. In the first round of the battles, I will be trying out hot chocolate from the following places Chocolati Chocolate Cafe Trabant Coffee & Chai Dilettante Chocolate Box Trophy Cupcakes B & O Espresso Le Pichet Some additional places I'll be checking out are mentioned in this Food and Wine section article in the Seattle Times. After a false start, the first round of Battle Hot Chocolate is Trophy Cupcakes' House hot chocolate which beat Chocolate Box's Chocolate Vitale Hot Chocolate. Well, it turns out the battle wasn't even close, the clear winner of this round was Trophy Cupcakes. The difference between the two is pretty stark to say the least. On the one hand, the Vitale Hot Chocolate was extremely chocolaty which means that if you order anything larger than the 8 oz cup, you [...]
Murchies… Serving Tea & Coffee Since 1894
At the Murchies Tea Salon, originally uploaded by andai. Murchies... I have heard quite a bit about Murchies Tea & Coffee and their vast selection of fine teas and good coffee. I had also heard about their famous high tea which I assume is served in their Tea Salon. So I was pretty much looking forward to trying out their coffee. Before I talk about my latte, let me talk a little about Murchies. John Murchie founded the company in 1894. Their website does not really go into any interesting details if you are trying to find out more about the history about the company. But they do have the usual blah, blah corporate speak about how they serve excellent tea, made from the finest, highest grade, fair trade tea and coffees blah, blah etc. Nothing new there. But whatever reason was, the company filed for bankruptcy in November 2007. Some have speculated that the company has essentially become stogy and out of touch with the direction of the specialty coffeehouse industry. Regardless, some wealthy [...]
Is the Clover Capable of Saving Starbucks?
Wired Magazine is running a very interesting article in it's latest issue titled, "The Coffee Fix: Can the $11,000 Clover Machine Save Starbucks?" In a nutshell. the Clover for those of you who don't know, is this super amazing coffee machine that you can minutely adjust the water temperature, the timing etc and when done write supposedly makes some really awesome tasting coffee. With all the nonsense that has been going on at Starbucks over the last few years and their efforts to get back to basics, i.e actually make coffee instead of hocking CDs and sandwhiches, maybe the Clover is what they need to save them. Mathew Honan, the author of the article spent some time in Seattle talking to Zander Nosler, the inventor of the Clover and one of the founders of The Coffee Equipment Company (CEC), the company he formed to manufacture the Clover. Unfortunately, CEC was sold to and is now owned by Starbucks. Apparently Howard Schultz was so wowed by the machines and the coffee they produced that they decided to by [...]
Canadian Maple Delights Coffee
Canadian Maple Delights Coffee, originally uploaded by andai. I happened upon this 'couple' in Vancouver's Gastown district sitting on the street bench drinking coffee. When I asked them where they bought their coffee, they pointed to the Canadian Maple Delights store that was right behind them. I then noticed that they were not really a couple, but co-workers from the Maple Delights store since they were both wearing the same uniform. I wasn't in the mood for espresso at that time, but I thought I'd pass back later and try them out. I stopped by later that afternoon to chat with them and try out their coffee. The concept of their offerings is very simple. They have gelato and other sweet treats all sweetened with Maple sugar. In addition, they also have your ordinary everyday espresso selections, some sweetened with Maple sugar. I tried a sample of their gelato and I found it to be way, way too sweet. No way would I want to have gelato there. I also ordered a latte, which I tasted before I added Maple [...]
Battle Hot Chocolate Round 1. Trophy Cupcakes vs. Chocolate Box Part I
Battle Hot Chocolate, originally uploaded by andai. This is the first of the battle series which I will be posting from time to time. The aim of the battle series is to drink and compare two beverages from different coffee, tea or chocolate houses and see which one triumphs over the other. The first of the battle series will be ‘Battle Hot Chocolate’. The contenders are Chocolate Box’s Chocolate Vitale Hot Chocolate and Trophy Cupcakes’ signature ‘House Hot Chocolate’. Unfortunately, this battle was a non starter. I was able to get down to Chocolate Box which is on Pine St one block east of Pike Place Market, downtown Seattle and get a cup of their extremely chocolaty Chocolate Vitale Hot Chocolate but no such luck at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford. They were out of their signature House Hot Chocolate. I guess Saturday was a busy and hectic day and the bakers simply did not have time to make another batch of the drink. I asked the barista if they would have any on Sunday, but she didn’t [...]