a note:

okay, i know that all baristas have their own ways of doing things.
however, i would like to think that serving shots that are not properly extracted is not one of those nuances of barista style.
if a shot pulls like espresso-colored water, it ain't worth serving.
if a shot pulls drop by drop, it ain't worth serving.
i know there's variance with the amount of water pulled through the grounds, and every shot won't be an ideal 25 seconds, and i'm perfectly okay with paying for espresso in the 22-27 second range. but i'm not okay with paying for a 12 second or 15 second or 18 second shot.
apparently, though, the barista at a lexington, ky coffee shop (that is one of the top names in the lexington cafe scene, no less) did not understand that an 14 second (yes, i timed it) shot is not worth serving. and when i asked her politely "um...that double seemed a lot fast. would you mind pulling another please?" she at first looked like she didn't know what i was talking about, and then a little offended.
this shouldn't be the case. when i'm working behind the bar, and a person comes in and knows what a good shot is and what a bad shot is, and i serve them a bad shot (which hopefully i will never be so inattentive to do) i want them to recognize it, politely call me on it, and accept an apology and an drink they're happy with.

thoughts?

in the beginning

[print "hello world!"]

so i'm sitting here designing this blog, outlining my pursuits as far as espresso goes, and i've decided to jump the gun and make a post.

a few quick things:
coffee geek has a podcast!
check out this barista blog. it's super!
hopefully, this blog will be continuously devoted to coffee. i'll try not to get too much into politics, religion, philosophy, etc., insofar as it does not relate to cafe culture, even though the discussion of those and all things are part of what makes someone a good barista and said culture such a good thing.
i would love feedback. questions, concerns, flamebait, or recommendations, leave a comment or myspace message (here), or hell, even e-mail me: cowboybeatsninja@gmail.com . now, without further to do:




i've been thinking about creating some new drinks for kaffe blue. the ones we serve now are great, don't get me wrong, but the most "signature" drink we have is the house latte, which consists honey and vanilla, and whipped cream with cinnamon. as a barista aspiring to help people realize that my profession is culinary (i.e. not just for college-aged free thinkers who smell like patchouli and beat on bongos, who take a week off work to go to bonnaroo), i want to go further. while it may be tasty and a step in the right direction, it seems sort of...vanilla. plain. perhaps i'm jaded, but i'd like to keep pushing the creativity.

so, i think that since it's the holidays i'm going to try to develop a drink involving maple syrup (grade a medium amber) and apples. being as it is the first drink i've ever really planned out, i don't want to go too crazy. and hopefully it will be sort of a comforting seasonal taste that mimics a christmas dinner dessert.

i'll be experimenting with the drink all week, maybe involving some unexpected techniques to get the right proportions out and in balance, so stop by and i'll be glad to let you be a part of the tasting process!


that about wraps it up as far as the first blog goes. i hope you enjoy it and feel the need to tell me just how much. if you're in kingsport between 7a.m. and 4p.m., stop on by downtown at Kaffe Blue and say hey! i'll be there. seriously.