Other Coffees, Other Rooms

Sunday's press pot adventure went really well! I didn't take any photos because it was crowded and I was too busy tasting coffees, but we were very pleased with the offerings.

The Ethiopia (Adado-Abeba) from NOVO Coffee had some of the strongest berry notes I've ever gotten in an African, as well as some lovely florals and a touch of spice. The finish was smooth, and the balance was perfect.

Counter Culture's East Timor (Maubesse) was a savory cup, with a lot of smoke, spice, cinnamon and leathery excitement going on. It was a little overshadowed by the pizazz of the Ethiopian, but was still a fine coffee with a nice, slightly heavier body and clean finish.

ON DECK THIS WEEK: Intelligentsia Coffee's La Tortuga (direct trade Honduras) and a Papa New Guinea.

In other exciting coffee news, this came for me in the mail yesterday, setting my heart to flutter:



A bag of Ritual Roasters espresso, along with a direct trade Gutemala (Finca el Injerto) and some Colombia La Virginia (COE #3)!

Since I likely won't be on bar again for a couple days, I tossed some of the espresso into a spare hopper yesterday during a shift, just to give 'er a whirl.



Oh boy, oh man! What a freaking treat! This stuff is so smooth and rich, with some chocolate and light spice notes, and very little brightness right up front. The aftertaste was awesome—almost as satisfying on its own as the actual shots.

In other news, stay tuned for a new web-adventure from me, while I toss around the idea of building a satellite version of Meet the Press Pot, with a little different angle...

Happy Billy Dee Williams's Birthday, everybody! He's 70 today.