from http://www.alexduetto.com/
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Tag: coffee
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Latte Art 2010 12 09 – I’m thankful for having a daughter who openly communicates with me -
starting the day off with a decent, frothy, light cup of espress from Blue Bottle -
The photo is of Reg Barber tampers I saw in Risterit in Denmark.. ooooo.. soo cool. I’ve been hearing about these babies on coffeegeek all week.
Ok, I’ve been obssessed with coffee lately. Listening to coffeegeek and http://www.portafilter.net podcasts talking about professional baristas, bean roasting, barista competitions. The 2006 barista champion actually works in Copenhagen. So I contacted a blogger I found when I was in Copenhagen and got recommendations for great espresso and off I went with my Brompton. I didn’t do any sightseeing, just hunting down espresso.
First on the list was Risteriet (www.risteriet.dk). The store is small but very coffee serious looking. It sold high end espresso machines, books on history of coffee, $70+ tampers, french presses. So I order a cappuccino to start.. it was bitter.. so I thought I’ll give it another chance. Order a latte, no art drawing and the taste was really average. Hmm, dissapointing. But my blogger contact was surprised I didn’t like it, I’ll revisit again for a straight shot of espresso. 3 stars out of 5
Second shop I visited was not on the list, just a place that looked interesting with a big M as the logo. The cappuccino was served in a huge glass, already a big warning sign.. and the coffee was just average, stale tasting with no good foam. 2 stars out of 5
By this time I’m on my forth cup of coffee and I arrived at Estate Coffee (www.estatecoffee.dk). The signs outside is bragging about the 2006 Barista champion works there. But he was not working at the counter. This place is a roaster as well as a cafe. I ordered a cappuccino and it was served with latte art. The coffee and milk was very sweet and smooth. I was reminded very much of Rituals Coffee right in San Francisco. Makes me realize how good we have it in SF with bluebottle and cafe organica and now Rituals. 4 stars out of 5. Why not 5 out of 5? The atmosphere is so so, very quiet, no music.. no coffee culture.
If you know me a little, you know I obsess over food and coffee. *I* didn’t even know how bad it could get. I’m basically ignoring the sights of the city of Copenhagen in search for coffee :-) Ok 2 more cafes to check out tomorrow, then I’ll do the tourist thing, but not before I put another 15 miles on my Brompton.
Ciao!
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I been having a hard time finding Italian quality coffee in Paris. Most places that serve coffee in Paris serve very mediocure cafe creme and cappucino. While in Paris, I’ve been listening to the http://coffeegeek.com/ podcast and making myself long for a good cup of capuccino.
Until one day I stumbled on urbietorbi le bar italien. Their capuccino has very nutty and sweet flavors and the coffee actually reminds me of the quality and freshness of Italian coffee! Also their space is very inviting with ultra modern chairs and a comfortable bean bag sofa that let’s me just lie down and be lazy and read my travel books.
My new love in Paris!
I found one forum explaining why coffee in France is subpar. Another blog with some comments about where to find good coffee.
My personal advice about coffee in France (and in Paris in particular) would be to pick coffee-oriented chains like Illy or Segafreddo, or places like Café de Colombie, where you’ll be served only pure arabica coffee. We French have a problem with our coffee supply. Most of what you get in “troquets” (average cafes and brasseries) is brewed from robusta beans, because of our privileged commercial relationships with our former African colonies (Ivory Coast, Cameroun) that grow mostly robusta. This is a unique situation ; most European countries (with a stress on Italy) and America prefer arabica. Now, though some robustas may be drinkable, most of the time they’re terribly bitter, acidic and rich in caffeine. This accounts for the characteristic (and, to me, horrid) taste of the French “petit noir”. And when the espresso machine isn’t properly maintained, the taste is even worse.
Tony Tam 