As you many of you may remember, we hosted the "Sprodown" back in June 2009 in collaboration with PACA and got a good bit of people to come in and try this elusive beverage. Rich from Aldo even wrote an article in Barista Magazine about it. It was indeed a lot of fun, and ever since that day, Barb and I have been casually talking about "featuring" different espressos on our bar, however, we've lacked the third grinder. We've on occasions kicked the decaf espresso to the curb for the day, but wouldn't you know the day we're not offering decaf is the day everyone wants it, so that doesn't always work to our advantage. We've tried allocating some funds for it, but unfortunately, something usually pops up that must take precedence. Espresso, when pulled right, is a brewing method that highlights very well some of the unique characteristics in a certain coffee, and when blended with another, can create multilayer of flavors and texture in your mouth. We've really enjoyed pulling Epic from 49th Parallel and it shines well in all of the espresso-based beverages that we offer and is just superb as a double in a demitasse. Over the holidays, 49th Parallel offered their "holiday" blend, a Brazil & the ever popular Ethiopia Yergacheffe Wondo Worka. It was quite different than the Epic, texture wise it was much more syrupy in our opinion and tasted quite fruity in a Porter kind of a way. It was truly beautiful in a cappuccino and I miss it that way dearly. I also remember pulling one of the sweet tooth from Ritual Coffee Roasters back in August or September that tasted really super in a short Americano. Some cafes around the country offer the choice of espresso for whatever beverage you choose, and some pull a specific one for shorter drinks and choose a different blend for "milkier" drinks and we think that's great. We have a nice following of people who enjoy a double espresso and shorter, more traditional beverages and we'd like to think that some of you may like to have a little variety on occasions when it comes to espresso. So, look out for us featuring different espressos from different roasters throughout the year at no specific time and without any particular roasters in mind...whenever something comes out that makes us itch, we'll go ahead and give it a try and let you enjoy it along with us.
With that said, we will be featuring Ritual Coffee Roasters' Evil Twin Espresso which is a blend of 2 Brazil, processed differently (one pulp-natural and one natural), the end product according to their notes is quite tropical: Our favorite espresso shots draw out rivaling tropical fruit flavors
from both coffees—pineapple and banana flavors from Fazenda Serra Negra
contrast with papaya and berry flavors from Fazenda Nossa Senhora de
Fatima, resolving with notes of a 65% Madagascar chocolate. Hello! Who doesn't like the sound of that? It sounds more like a description on the back of a Vosgues Chocolate Bar. We received 24lbs of it on Wednesday and we'll be throwing it in the hopper on Saturday for the first time. We'll be featuring it for about 2 weeks so that we can experience it at different days off roast and see how it evolves.
Comments