Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I went to Sacred Grounds and while the vibe was good....the coffee was like a more expensive version of coffee you would find at a gas station and there was less of it.I would of liked Starbucks better but thanks for your advice anyways everybody.
I went to Sacred Grounds and while the vibe was good....the coffee was like a more expensive version of coffee you would find at a gas station and there was less of it.I would of liked Starbucks better but thanks for your advice anyways everybody.
This made me smile because of a coffee experience I had recently, not in Ruidoso, but in another little tourist town that shall go nameless in this narrative. I went into what I think was the only coffee shop there, thinking I would get a great cappuccino at this cute little place. Here in ABQ, the closest coffee shop to me is Starbucks or Einstein's, and I prefer Starbucks, but only drink black coffee there, because I cannot seem to get a 'real' cappuccino. I find their cappuccinos more like lattes, and their lattes are more like...I don't know...cafe con leche?
So I decide to have a real coffeehouse cap in this town. There were two ways to order it: 1 shot or 2. I ask the barista what is the difference, was the difference just in the number of shots, or was the milk increased along with the double shot? They were irritated by my query, we were not communicating well, so finally I say "Is the cup for a double shot the same size as the cup for a single shot?" They confirmed yes, and I ordered a single. Disapproval expressed...but I still ordered a single. While making the cap, the barista warmed up to me enough to confide in me that they are so sick of people coming in here and asking for special caps and they can only be made one way! (I'm mostly quoting). I pretended that I did not resemble those remarks and just nodded sympathetically and made soothing noises.
I got my cap. The barista was correct, I should have ordered the double. The cup was small so maybe the espresso pull was weak, I don't know. Very underwhelming. But as I left, I thought about how the Starbucks employees in the drive thru always make me feel welcome and seem so happy I'm there, even when I ask for a pound of Cafe Vienna beans and what they actually carry is Cafe Verona.
Light roasts are in vogue in the independent coffeehouse scene. Light roasts have more caffeine and are described as having a subtle, layered flavor profile. Due to this subtlety (which some may simply describe as weak) these roasts are best appreciated as espresso or Americano or a properly calibrated drip, but no milk/cream, etc. since the intended flavors are lost and there is no heavy roasted component to back up all the mixed in milk.
Generally speaking, if you are accustomed to dark roasts, they will taste weak in comparison (and really are best appreciated as espresso anyway).
Starbucks has intentionally popularized dark roasts (some say over roasted) since they roast in huge quantities and dark roasting can overcome the variance in beans which come along with the economics of large batch roasting, thus covering the problems with consistency in the final product.
Or maybe the examples listed above were really just badly made, weak coffee. :-)
I've been a coffee drinker all of my life, beginning when I was a kid and my grandmother would serve us kids "coffee milk." And twice in my life I've had coffee experiences that influenced the way I make it for myself today.
The first time was when I visited the famous Cafe du Monde in New Orleans:
The second time was living in Milan and experiencing the cappuccino as prepared in both Spain and Italy.
When I moved back to the states in the early 1980s, I bought an espresso machine with steamer attachment made by Krups. My next purchase was bulk roasted chicory from various mail order suppliers. My daily cuppa today goes like this:
Fine grind already-ground dark roast coffee and chicory in a 50/50 blend using a coffee bean grinder. I grind up 2-3 lbs. at a time and keep the bulk refrigerated in a coffee can. While the coffee blend is brewing I warm the milk in the microwave before steaming it to create the signature froth. In a microwavable cup, I add a level teaspoon of chocolate powder, pour in about 20% milk and the espresso, add froth on top, and a small amount of honey for sweetening. I place the completed blend in the microwave for 30 seconds before drinking it because I like it really hot.
Needless to say, I no longer have any interest in the taste of ordinary brewed coffee.
Light roasts are in vogue in the independent coffeehouse scene. Light roasts have more caffeine and are described as having a subtle, layered flavor profile. Due to this subtlety (which some may simply describe as weak) these roasts are best appreciated as espresso or Americano or a properly calibrated drip, but no milk/cream, etc. since the intended flavors are lost and there is no heavy roasted component to back up all the mixed in milk.
This makes so much sense, and it explains away a certain amount of confusion I've had. And I would have loved it if the barista had told me anything along these lines. It's not that I disrespect the barista as an authoritative agent of their coffee...I'm just trying to have something delicious and so often I am disappointed. Which I why I usually just order black coffee, my expectations--or hopes--are not as high.
After I read your post, I remembered a coffeehouse I visited right before I moved to NM. My friend ordered for us, and when it came, it was a very tiny cup, it essentially looked like a miniature cappuccino, complete with requisite heart on foam. But when I tasted it...Oh!!! I don't know what it was. But it was sublime. It was an exquisite ratio of dairy and espresso, but the dairy was so rich, like how unsweetened whipped cream is. When I tasted it, my mind went white and all I could think was "This is what beautiful is." And for that moment everything was beautiful.
So I thought about that experience contrasted with the other one I narrated above, and I realized that every time I'm in line waiting to get my coffee, I'm really wanting perfection. I'm ordering coffee and I'm trying to get it just right, because what I really want is for my mind to be blown and to be beautiful in a beautiful world for just a moment. I'm being so picky about how the cappuccino is made because deep down, I really want to tell the barista: "Give me a perfect moment right now!"
OK, so now I understand I've unconsciously been putting a lot of pressure on the baristas. Enlightenment through coffee? But of course! It's that powerful.
Thank you for this new roast knowledge, it helps more than you might imagine!
Quote:
Originally Posted by joqua
Fine grind already-ground dark roast coffee and chicory in a 50/50 blend using a coffee bean grinder. I grind up 2-3 lbs. at a time and keep the bulk refrigerated in a coffee can. While the coffee blend is brewing I warm the milk in the microwave before steaming it to create the signature froth. In a microwavable cup, I add a level teaspoon of chocolate powder, pour in about 20% milk and the espresso, add froth on top, and a small amount of honey for sweetening. I place the completed blend in the microwave for 30 seconds before drinking it because I like it really hot.
I read this slowly twice. It sounds really good! I say that without knowing what chicory tastes like, but the way you write it, just sounds so delicious. What I'm missing is how do you steam and froth the milk? Do you have an espresso machine?
Is the chicory coffee anything like the pinion coffee that is here? I bought ground pinion coffee once from Sprouts on a whim, and I made it and found it undrinkable. I probably made it far too strong. I really want to like it but so far don't. There's a place near me that advertises pinion coffee and I keep thinking I should stop in there and order it from someone who knows what they are doing in order to give a fair evaluation.
What I'm missing is how do you steam and froth the milk? Do you have an espresso machine?
Is the chicory coffee anything like the pinion coffee that is here?
I said in the start of my post: When I moved back to the states in the early 1980s, I bought an espresso machine with steamer attachment made by Krups.
Chicory coffee is its own unique "Cajun" self. You can buy chicory/coffee commercial blends in most grocery stores. Popular brands most often seen are French Market, Luzianne, Community, and Cafe du Monde.
Like most things, it's an acquired taste and not something everyone appreciates.
When I lived on the Gulf Coast, I was "treated" to Cajun coffee the way Cajun's make it. It's similar to espresso coffee, but it isn't coffee - it's more like mud than espresso consistency. On the job sites, it's usually served in those old fashioned cone-shaped paper water cups - several layers thick.
I said in the start of my post: [i]When I moved back to the states in the early 1980s, I bought an espresso machine with steamer attachment made by Krups.
Apologies! I must have been so dazzled by the morning recipe that I forgot I'd read about the espresso machine.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
