Since starting my new job, I’ve been searching the downtown blocks for a really great cup of coffee. I’m looking for (1) a quintessentially awesome cup of drip coffee and (2) a perfect latte. So far I’ve explored several of the local alternatives and can happily report that I have located a very fine latte.
The latte frontrunner is Cherry Street Coffee on 3rd Avenue. They have a lovely 3-group La Marzocca and the baristas all seem to be highly skilled at producing both a great shot of espresso and beautiful fine foam.
I haven’t found a really great cup of drip coffee yet. There are a few places nearby that have Clover machines and I intend to give them a thorough exploration in the next few weeks. But for espresso drinks, take a bow, Cherry Street! You’re a winner.
Anybody who knows me has probably heard me relate how much I love working for Starbucks.
During the past few decades I have worked for a number of companies. My past experiences have been generally positive and have provided opportunities for me to learn. They helped me define my requirements for long-term employment requirements based on certain characteristics:
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I’m a pretty serious coffee geek. In the past few years I’ve learned a lot more about coffee than ever before, and there is still much to learn before a coffee Jedi am I. One of the side effects of being in this geeky crowd is that you may find yourself in the middle of a debate about the correct technique for tamping your espresso shot. Once you’ve gotten your coffee perfectly ground, and dosed into the portafilter, it has to be tamped before the shot can be pulled. The accepted standard for tamping coffee in a 58mm portafilter involves the application of 30 pounds of pressure, using a flat-bottomed stainless steel tamper.
You could go all crazy and get a tamper that has an exotic wood handle or even a built-in force gauge for making sure your barista powers are perfectly calibrated. But I’m pretty fond of the standard stainless steel model, and am learning to consistently deliver a uniform pressure to the grounds. Half the fun of coffee is the ritual…
