Double Espresso - Gaggia Baby with Rocky Grinder

I am entering new territory.  I have done a video once before, but this lays bare my ability to make quality espresso.  Please, don't judge too harshly!  The espresso tasted creamy but a bit bitter.   The beans used were Starbucks Mexico Shade Grown.  It's a lighter roast than the other products they sell, but you can't dress an ugly duckling into tails.

Notice the quality swirling after the shot was pulled.  Professional through and through.  

Less is More: Coffee Dosing and the Espresso Machine

Wow!  Dosage can drastically change how espresso tastes.  While not groundbreaking for some, tasting the results, i.e. the shot in the espresso, made me a believer in buying a scale in the future.  As of right now, I do not know how much coffee I am using for my double shots.  Is there 18 grams or 30 grams in my portafilter?  Many coffee bloggers, baristas, and coffee redditors propound the virtues of a scale in achieving consistency in espresso shots.  I believe it now.  When I used less coffee, I tasted a full body, pear notes, acidic tingling (good thing), and a bittersweet chocolate finish (I started this post, when I had the Archer Farms coffee, not the Illy).  All of this on my 150 dollar espresso machine, the Lello Ariete.   

Before, I "overstuffed" the portafilter and it would have a nasty habit about once every month to be choked and spit out espresso where the portafilter and the O-ring meets.  Even when it didn't "choke," the coffee seemed more bitter.  I realize the choking can be contributed to fineness of the grind, but when I lowered the dosage at the same grind, the Lello Ariete pulled a shot with no difficulty, and it tasted surprisingly better.  One additional benefit of lowering the coffee dosage, is that it is easier to tamp levelly.  Perhaps, this only happens for me, but this could be a factor for the better espresso extraction due to the flatter and more level surface of the coffee in the portafilter.  

What do you think?  Have you consistently used the same amount of coffee in your espresso or other coffee beverages?  Do you measure by weight or volume? (grams vs. tablespoons)  Is it worth the hassle?

Coffee Guide: How to Make Coffee/Espresso Syrup

The following recipe is derived from Coffee Love by Daniel Young

Want to make coffee syrup from your favorite coffee beans?  It's easy!  Follow these short steps, and you will have some fresh coffee syrup to drizzle onto cookies, ice cream, or other comestibles worth coffee syrup.  Point of note: This is my first time making syrup, so if you have suggestions or amendments to add, please contact me.

The following recipe makes a 3/4 cup of espresso syrup.  Espresso syrup is slightly sweeter than using brewed coffee.  If you want to make coffee syrup, use one cup of coffee rather than espresso.

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of espresso (Yes, you read that right.  It took 4 double shots of espresso, roughly)

1 sauce pan

1 whisk

1 small glass or tupperware container for storage

Directions:

1.  Brew one cup of espresso.  This will take multiple shots.  Hopefully, the results will look similar to this:

Trust me, I wanted to drink it.

2. Turn the stove to med-high.  Pour the espresso and cup of sugar into the sauce pan on the stove.  Whisk till sugar is dissolved.  

The sugar is now mixed in.

3.  This is the tricky part.  I read in my recipe book that the mixture should be heated right before boil, and reduce for 7-10 minutes.  I found that the mixture did not reduce at this temperature quickly enough.  I attempted a "mini-boil," by turning up the heat, where it reduced for another 10 minutes. 

Mmmm, espresso syrup

4.  As the mixture reduces becoming viscous, it is a matter of preference when you want to remove the pan.  The longer it reduces, the thicker it becomes. 

5.  Wait for it to cool (~4-5 minutes).  Pour the syrup into a glass or tupperware container.  Place in fridge.

Conclusion: Woolah!  Now, you have 3/4 cup of homemade espresso syrup.  The taste was quite strong and sugary.  If I did it over again, I would cut the sugar to 3/4 cup and lessen the amount of reducing time.  Hopefully this would retain more espresso flavor. 

Death by Caffeine: The Trenta

 

"Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy."  -Paracelsus

If I slurped 141.82 shots of espresso I would die.  This is according to Energyfiend's online applet which figures this out by asking for your weight and your favorite caffeinated beverage.  Then, it calculates the fatal amount of caffeine for you.  There is an impressive array of coffee beverages to choose from ranging from "brewed" "instant" "espresso" or "decaf."  Additionally, there are other options such as Red Bull, Energy Star, et al.  According to the applet, the Starbucks Tall coffee (12 oz) would kill me after 42 cups.  Trenta anyone?

The next time you are sipping your coffee, you will now have a nagging feeling of caffeine's fatal potentiality.  Coupled with the reality that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, (oil is the first) and the introduction of the 30 oz Trenta by Starbucks (which is bigger than the human stomach), we can rest assured that humanity is now screwed.

Best,

Jack

P.S. Now you know I weigh 160 lbs.  Please keep it a secret!

SCAA Flavor Wheel Continued: Guest Coffee Reviewers Wanted

From Metro Espresso: DC's Coffee Blog

From Metro Espresso: DC's Coffee Blog

Citation: Sweetmarias.com Click to expand

In Part Two of the SCAA flavor wheel, the picture is roughly divided into four quadrants: External Changes, Internal Changes, Aroma Taints, and Taste Faults.  I will first state that half of this wheel I do not understand, demonstrating my limits.  Yet, this wheel speaks to the intracy of coffee roasting.  

What is most important to the everyday coffee drinker are the sections, Aroma Taints and Taste Faults.  For example, in "Taste Faults" when one roasts too light not completing the "first crack" the coffee tastes grassy to the tongue.  Unlike rare meat which is yummy, underroasted coffee is not.  In "Aroma Taints," the scorched and baked sections often appear in gas-station coffee or McDonalds.  

I invite Metro Espresso readers to print out the SCAA coffee wheels, and write coffee reviews! (The other is found here)  Send the reviews to duderino102*at*gmail.com and I will post them.  This is your chance to be to featured on Metro Espresso, and demonstrate your coffee love.  You by no means need to be a coffee expert, but one who merely enjoys coffee.  Be sure to include a short little bio that can be included with your review.
    

Return! New Posting schedule, Costa Rican Brewer, and Intelligentsia Video.

Hello all, I have recently begun my second year in graduate school, and took a period to re-acclimatize myself to that what is graduate school. While I cannot be as active as I was in the Summer, I plan on posting once or twice a week on my travels through coffee land as per usual. This way I can still provide content to Metro Espresso readers, but will not feel overly taxed on posts accompanying my academic work schedule.

With that said, I saw this interesting photograph of a Costa Rican Chorreador. The white sack or sock is used as a filter holding the ground coffee. Hot water is poured into the sack, and drips through into the cup below. While I am sure not all Chorreadors look this nice, I do appreciate the nice wood finish. I can only imagine the clean up afterwards.

With that said, cue the immature innuendos.

Also, check out this fancy video featuring an Intelligentsia barista speaking about Espresso. Nice artistic look, but somehow pretentious to my taste.

Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.

Coffee Experiment: Does Espresso Taste Better With or Without Crema? (Part 2 of 2)

Metro Espresso has reached a new milestone: the first video! While not nearly as good as www.coffeenate.com (which you should check out by the way if you have not), making the video was fun. I did it all in one go, so if I seem to be wandering a little bit, it is because I was pondering, searching for words. Enjoy the video! If you have any constructive critiques to make future videos better, please comment below.

Does Espresso taste better with or without crema? from Jack on Vimeo.

Findings for those who can not watch the video:

1. Espresso with crema: Fuller mouthfeel/body, oily, heavier similar to French press.

2. Espresso without crema: lighter mouthfeel, but the flavors seemed brighter similar to a drip machine or pour over.

The Coffee Queen @ http://thecoffeeqweenblog.wordpress.com/ tried out the experiment. She found the espresso tasted more bitter without the crema. Different results! Though I don't know if I could doing this over again, too much espresso right now.

And yes, you see a USPS box on the kitchen table among other things. This is what happens when the Girlfriend is away. Things tend to leave their "proper places."

(I would like to give credit to www.jimseven.com for giving me the idea to do this, and some of the vocab to describe what I was tasting.)

Coffee Experiment: Does Espresso Taste Better With or Without Crema? (Part 1 of 2)

Over at jimseven.com, I recently watched one of his older videos where he argued espresso tastes better without crema. A contentious, perhaps iconoclastic remark, prompts me to do a similar experiment at the Metro Espresso lab. I will follow similar steps as James Hoffman:

Step 1: Make 2 shots of espresso

Step 2: Taste crema alone

Step 3: Spoon it out

Step 4: Stir the espresso

Step 5: Consume espresso sans crema

Step 5 1/2: Drink some water, have some crackers

Step 6: Taste second espresso with crema.

Step 7: Ponder... (I'm not sure he pondered, but I will)

Step 8: Write down thoughts

While I cannot recreate his slick accent, I am intrigued whether it will be a noticeable difference or not. Unfortunately, I will be out of the apartment all day, and will have to conduct this experiment tomorrow.

My question to my readers, what are some of your tips to make better espresso without buying new equipment? Have you tried spooning out the crema? If so, how was it?

Coffee Recipe: Espresso w/ Almond Shavings

Wanting to jazz up my espresso tonight but not necessarily wanting to steam milk, I shaved two almonds using a cheese grater. After I made the espresso in my aesthetically pleasing but inefficient espresso cup, I spooned the shavings onto the crema. I hoped they would remain on top, and some did, but many of the shavings sank. Nevertheless, it produced a neat little effect and plated the two shaved almonds on the bottom.

While it added some taste to the espresso, it wasn't as big as I thought it would. I am not quite sure if baristas have a name for this, but I thought it was novel.

Have you ever tried to spice up your espresso with something? My next idea is to put a slice of habanero at the bottom to see if the chili heat compliments the espresso. Hmmm?

Pictures:

The Wall of Coffee: Navigating Superstore Coffee Selection

Is this a familiar view? The "Wall of Coffee" is intimidating with the many brands, varieties, ground, whole bean, cans, vacuum bags, plastic dispensers, varying sizes...etc.

It can overwhelm any person new to coffee, wondering how something so simple as coffee can be so confusing. In this post, I want to guide Metro Espresso readers through navigating the superstore selection of coffee.

Pictured left is the coffee selection at the Arlington Whole Foods. They offer a better selection of coffee than Safeway, Giant, and Shoppers.

Tip 1: To get better supermarket coffee, go to Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, they will offer better coffee and a likelihood of semi-local coffee. Giant and Safeway tend to offer Starbucks, Peets...while o.k., we coffee lovers demand better.

Tip 2: While tempting, skip the plastic dispensers full of coffee. (Pictured top left) You don't

know how long those coffee beans have been sitting there interacting with the oxygen muting the coffee's wonderful flavors.

Tip 3: Buy whole bean coffee, on the bag it should say whole bean or ground, but it is quicker to feel the bag. Whole bean is fresher, and if you are reading this blog and haven't bought a burr grinder. What's stopping you? This is the single most important thing to buy if you want fresh coffee.

Tip 4: Look to see if the coffee has a roast date on it. If it does, that means the roaster takes pride in its freshness. Out of all the coffee at Whole Foods, only one had a roast date on it. If it does, its most likely a keeper.

Tip 5: Look for local or semi-local roasters, they may not have a roast date on them, but will probably be fresher than DD, Starbucks, and Peets. M.E. Swings is a local roaster in DC, while it didn't have a roast date on it, its probably better than the national brands.

Tip 6: Most vacuum bags have a small valve. To get a sense of the aroma and the bean, one can squeeze bag while smelling near the valve. This lets you preview the goods without buying it! I often do this, while the Girlfriend shops for groceries.

Tip 7: Grab from the back, the stackers put the new products in the back behind the old stuff first. For example, the coffee I bought with the roast date on it 7-15 was behind the coffee with roast date 6-30.

Using these few tips, one should be able to navigate the "Wall of Coffee" and get decent coffee. One shouldn't really have to pay over ~$10-11 unless it has a roast date on it or its a 1 lb of coffee rather than 12 oz.

Coffee Drawing: Moka Pot

On a lazy night, I picked up a notebook and drew some coffee objects. A few days ago I posted my espresso machine drawing, but my moka pot came out a bit better. Though I am not quite sure if the shading on the bottom left side of the moka pot is correct. It should probably be all dark. I like how the handle turned out, and the proportions seem to be in order.

I did draw a Turkish Ibrik, but its circular shape was harder to draw. That may have to remain unposted to spare me some embarrassment :-).

If you like these coffee drawings, make a request in the comments section or tweet me @ metroespresso, and I can attempt to draw them.

Espresso Drawing

I drew an espresso machine punching out a shot of espresso. I haven't drawn in a while, which may account for the problematic shading. Nevertheless, it was fun and only took about 30 minutes. Have you ever been inspired to do something creative with coffee? Please sound off in the comment section! I am curious to hear from others. If you can scan it or take a picture of it, send it to me and I can put it up on the site. My email is duderino102 at gmail dot com.

.

Coffee Trip: NYC

While visiting NYC for a weekend, my friend and I found ourselves at the Stumptown annex cafe on W 29th between 5th and 6th avenue. Located on the premises of a hotel, it occupies a small space providing standing room only to drink your coffee beverages. One can go into the hotel lobby I suppose, but that's weird. It was standing room only for my friend and I! I was suffering from coffee withdrawals because my friend does not drink coffee, which meant that he does not own a coffee machine of any sort in his apartment. (Lamesauce on him) When we finally arrived, I was shaking from withdrawals. Well not really, but I was looking forward to some coffee.

I ordered an espresso for there and a small latte to go. Here is the picture below,

The espresso tasted nice, but I am finding that many of the top espresso cafes serve about 1 oz rather than 2oz's worth, especially when I ask for a double. It seemed a bit too fleeting even for espresso. Has anyone noticed this or is this relatively standard? The barista made a great rosseta and the milk was steamed to perfection for my latte.

The espresso was 2.50 while expensive, not nearly as wallet breaking as an espresso I had yesterday in DC at 2.75! That is ridiculous, but that is another post. The cafe had the classic Stumptown look with the simple menu and old fashioned garb. The service was pleasant and quick, but nothing out of the ordinary. Here is an action shot my friend took of me:

Here is the chance to offer up some critiques on my espresso drinking routine! Am I making any faux pas? :-)

Overall: A fun place to go, but not one that I would go back to regularly.

Besides going to Stumptown, I rambled through Central Park, though not quite good as St. Louis's Forest Park, visited the impressive MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), and unfortunately went through the disappointing Smithsonian's exhibits of the American Indian near Battery Park. A fun trip overall.

Come back soon (~this weekend), I will be reviewing a local coffee roaster/cafe located in Alexandria.

Coffee Review: Rappahannock's Guatemalan Antigua Panchoy

Welcome to the first Metro Espresso review of local coffee. The first review comes from Rappahannock coffee on Columbia Pike in Arlington. You can check out their website here.

Disclosure: I do not receive free coffee from the roasters, but buy it from them without their knowledge of it being reviewed. In this manner, I hope to recreate what a normal

consumer would buy from each establishment.

The coffee is graded from of 1 to 5 based on the following criteria:

1- Horrible/Bad: Does not deserve to grace any types of brewing methods. Most likely extremely stale, burnt..etc.

2- Meh: Generally displays uneven characteristics or muted flavors. The overall taste does not blend well, and could be improved up. Stale

3- Average: A well crafted coffee with either a one-dimensional flavor or hints of one. Moderately fresh.

4- Good: Demonstrates a good combination of flavors and is freshly roasted.

5- Excellent: Similar to 4, but demonstrates a complex arrangement of flavors and exceeds in quality from similar coffees.

Value is added into the preceding criteria for the final review score.

Brew method: Most reviewers use French Press as their main method of brewing to review coffee, but as I believe any coffee shop should be judged by their double espresso. Espresso acts as a base to many coffee drinks, so reviewing it as mainly an espresso drink is my main concern.

I will refine the criteria in future reviews, but it is a good start to review the local coffee selection.

The barista informed me Rappahannock roasts once a week on Mondays. I recently ran out of the excellent Sumatra Mandheling from Northwest Coffee Company, I needed more coffee. I chose the Guatemalan Antigua Panchoy for a Central American bean.

Aroma: Opening up the bag, I discerned a spicy, floral aroma like a potpourri. After the initial smell, I discerned a hint of chocolate. After grinding, the beans released a potent, syrupy smell.

Taste: Initially, the espresso hits you with a bright, floral taste, followed by a syrupy flavor very similar to Intelligentsia's Black Cat Espresso. While it may not share BC's complex taste, it is eerily close. Unlike an earthy Sumatra, the Guatemalan had a thin body, emphasizing the vivid flavors.

Visual: The espresso displayed a deep, orangish-red color similar to auburn. The spent grounds were quite red!

Final Thoughts: Rappahannock's Guatemalan Pantigua Panchoy is a tasty espresso with a clear, pronounced taste, but lacks a body to compliment the flavors it has. Similar to Black Cat espresso, this Guatemalan coffee would be better suited as a base to a latte or cappuccino to give added flavor. Also, French Press would lesson the extreme sweetness. To take artistic licence, the flavor is arrogant and loud, yet beyond its flamboyant facade, it lacks a strong foundation. At 13.99 per pound, it is a bit pricey for me lowering the coffee's overall value.

Score: 3/5

Editorial: Coffee and Existentialism

Recently I tweeted a few messages using the hash tag #existentialism to add a certain poignancy and humor to my posts. Here are some examples:

MetroEspresso:Today: Working on a new post about espresso with and without crema concerning taste difference. Is it better w/o crema? #existentialism

MetroEspresso:

I have come to a crossroads: French Press or Espresso. #existentialism

MetroEspresso:

Does wine or coffee go better with classical music? #existentialism

This spur of the moment addition made me consider the connection between coffee and existentialism, if any. Many people have a passing awareness of Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir, the main people associated with existentialist thought. Existentialism's common perception is something similar to popular understandings of nihilism. Namely, life is meaningless and full of mundane, menial tasks. Think of Sysphus's task of pushing the boulder of the hill. (Though Camus considered Sysphus happy, but thats another argument) The "meaningless" interpretation stems from a superficial reading, and derives from Camus's earlier works specifically, The Stranger. Much of existentialist thought derives from iconoclast Friedrich Nietzsche. While existentialism is considered by many to be drab, depressing, nihilistic, and an overall "debby downer." Existentialists, especially Camus in his later works, extensively wrote about how to enjoy life and find meaning in an inherently meaningless world. Coming to the conclusion, that humans can project meaning or throw it upon the world they interact with.

A better way to understand Existentialism is through acting "authentically." What does that mean? Roughly, everyone is born into the world, thrown into existence. We have no say where we are born and it's conditions. After being born, humans can act in good faith or bad faith. Acting in good faith means that living freely and following their interests. Acting in bad faith, one is living unathentically such as conforming, not following your beliefs, or being in a state of some form of slavery. Life's struggle is to reach a life in which one acts in good faith to be authentic. For instance, people born into slavery have a harder life to act authentically than middle class Americans as there are many significant barriers to overcome.

How does this relate to coffee?

Coffee accompanies times of creativity and creation. During the early morning and late nights, a warm cup of coffee aids in artistic expression, i.e. meaning creation. When one hits a creative block, the 5-10 minutes to make a pot of coffee allows the mind to wander away from the project at hand. Allowing one to come back with a newer perspective. In short, coffee is a useful distraction to help people act in good faith. As a useful aid in helping one express their feelings through artistic outlets, it plays an important role. By artistic, I do not think so narrowly as merely painting, drawing, and writing, but more broadly. This may include creating a new device, pursuing one's dream of starting a business, volunteering, or vocalizing your support or dissent via political rallies. Coffee is a vehicle to help one think about one's values and beliefs, and how to act on them.

What do you think about coffee, existentialism, and creativity? Please post below! This my first foray into this topic, but it seems fruitful to begin a conversation here.

Coffee House Review: Cafe Divan

Located on the corner of 34th and Wisconsin in upper Georgetown, Cafe Divan offers relatively cheap Turkish food, modern decor, and, yes, Turkish coffee. Rated as one of Washingtonian's "Cheap Eats," Divan has a wide array of Turkish and Mediterranean food. Yesterday, I visited with the girlfriend and her family for a leisurely lunch after a wonderful tour of the C&O Canal. The walk from the canal to Cafe Divan is about a mile away from M Street, away from the main drag, allowing one to see other parts of Georgetown. Be warned: it is uphill!

Atmosphere: The restaurant's design is modern with wooden accents culminating in a point reflecting the corner location. The menu was quite extensive, and did not have the typical concessions to American food. Here is the link to their website, which has the menu, history, and photos of the cafe and entrees.

Service: Our waiter was pleasant and informative, and managed the continuous peppering of questions coming from my girlfriend and her family. He described the dishes in question, even providing some cultural background to certain dishes. Our lunch spanned about two hours with some slow service, but from what I believe, much like Europe, Turkish culture prizes long meals for chatting and strengthening relationships. When one comes here, be sure to allow some time.

Food: Quickly, the food tasted wonderfully. One can read the Post's review here for more detail.

Coffee: After we finished our meal, I ordered the Turkish coffee I craved. In fact, I wanted it so much I forgot to take a picture of it until I drank half of it! It was quite strong, as I waved away the suggestion to add sugar to it. There may have been a hint of cardamon, but not nearly as much as Cafe Amity's Turkish coffee. The cup held about 3-4 oz, much better than the espresso-like glass at Amity. Had a dark, full bodied taste, though not as strong as a French roast. Unfortunately, I took one sip too many and received a mouthful of coffee grounds for my greediness. Tsk-Tsk!

Conclusions: While more of a restaurant than a cafe, Cafe Divan's Turkish coffee was quite a treat, and cheaper than Cafe Amity at 2.00 dollars rather than 2.50. Oddly the restaurant, (located in Georgetown!), was cheaper than a more coffee-oriented shop. Despite the walk, I recommend everyone to try it out, and enjoy the cultural experience.

For everyone's enjoyment, here is a picture of the fireworks from Arlington:

Coffee House Review: Chinatown Coffee Co.

Often I find myself in Chinatown for a number of reasons;

bar hopping, visiting friends, the Verizon Center, or the Goethe Institut (to learn German). In the heart of Chinatown, lives a Starbucks bustling with people on laptops staring out on the Friendship Gate. I feel like a traitor to my fellow coffee lovers when I buy something there because of the convenience factor. Today, I demanded of myself to search for a new coffee shop, and found Chinatown Coffee Company located on the outskirts of Chinatown at 475 H St NW. For all the non-metro area readers, DC's Chinatown is approximately 2x2 blocks. Not that big. Before I hopped on the bus into DC, I quickly looked over their website, and was pretty excited. Before my impressions, one can read the history of how Chinatown Coffee Co. came to be. Sorry for all the links, but I want to give everyone an education about Chinatown and their coffee!

Atmosphere: When first walking in, one realizes how long or deep the cafe is. What it lacks in width, there is plenty of room along the walls for seating. I peered in and the comfy industrial feel welcomed me in (Is that possible?) with wooden benches and tables spaced throughout the store. Old-school funk played in the background with noise rarely rising above a loud quiet. I visited off hours so it could differ from the morning and lunch rush. Most people were chatting, and a few laptops were out, but the majority seemed engaged in conversation. Seating was ample for a DC cafe, but during the rush it might be hard to find. The temperature was surprisingly pleasant. It wasn't frigid, but comfortable as to not cool off the warm coffee drinks (or at least I think so). A sweater is not needed to spend an hour or two there.

Service: They take their coffee very seriously! If one wants a humorous story, please go back and read the article I linked to about the dreaded triple espresso over ice. Ordering my coffee drinks, I asked a few questions about what coffee they used in their espresso, (Intelligentsia's Black Cat), and what their favorite drinks were. One barista followed up after I finished my coffee to ask how it was. Overall, the baristas offered quality service and personableness for my first visit.

Coffee: Looking through their menu, they have one for to-go and one for staying. You can get your typical espresso-based drinks, but they offer French press, pour over, and free leaf tea in a tea pot. So if you don't want espresso or drip coffee, there are other coffee and non-coffee-options. I ordered a single espresso and macchiato. In a few minutes, I picked them up on the counter in stylish black and white cups matching the industrial design to the cafe. My macchiato was very good. I could discern the strong espresso through the milk with neither the milk or espresso overpowering each other. The single espresso was a classic 1oz affair, so it may be better to order a double knowing that you wont get a 4oz espresso monstrosity. It tasted quite bright with many flavors coming through, namely a syrupy taste, yet lacked a substantive body to it. That could be due to it being a single rather than a double, but my palette isn't necessarily the sharpest. The Intelligentsia Black Cat has a bold flavor packing a really strong taste. Next time, I drink espresso there, I will get a different blend or bean, if possible.

Price: Here is the link for the menu. 2.00 for a single espresso without tax seems expensive, but Chinatown Coffee's baristas know what they are doing, so one is paying for the the extra experience and knowledge (perhaps). They also sell organic bananas for a dollar. Sorry, I thought that was interesting for some reason.

Free Wifi: Yes!

Conclusions: Talking with a friend who works in the area, he loved Chinatown Coffee Co., especially the tea. Looking over the Yelp reviews and knowing how fickle their reviewers are, I can't help but feel a special cafe lives in Chinatown. With that said, you will have to deal with their coffee policies, and an elevated price. I will certainly be headed back to try out the various coffee blends, beans, and concoctions passing by the Starbucks in the heart of Chinatown. And you should too!

Did I miss any aspect in my coffee house review? Please tweet me at Metroespresso, or leave a comment below. I want to thank all my readers for following and commenting on Metro Espresso making this blog fun and enjoyable. I do this because it gives me something to do, and an excuse to chat about coffee.

Metro Espresso Survey: Benjamin

I had a great initial turnout for the Metro Espresso survey and wanted to first spotlight Benjamin from Mocha Joe's Coffee Roasters. I still encourage readers to fill out the survey and send them to me. For details look at the post below or click here. I am excited to see how the responses compare with each other. Without further ado, here are Benjamin's responses:

1. When you buy coffee on the go, who do you patronize? (Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, an espresso cart, Au Bon Pain...etc.)

I try to avoid chains at all cost. I regularly use Yelp or Urban Spoon on my iPhone to find the closest locally owned cafe. You never know what you are going to get but I like trying new places. With chains you tend to get consistency, but if you don't like their coffee it means you already know what to expect. If I'm in a pinch though, I will hit up a Dunkin' Donuts, cream and sugar.

2. What is your preferred coffee-based drink (drip, espresso, moka pot, French press, latte...etc), and why?

For regular coffee at home I prefer a light roast brewed with a French Press. I like the extra body that you get from using a French Press and I think the light roast gives you a wider range of tastes. The French Roasts tend to roast away some of my favorite flavors, even though it does bring out new flavors that some people find desirable. If I'm going to our cafe I almost always get a double short maple latte. I get a double short shot and double short cup because I like the milk to espresso ratio. In large lattes, the milk tends to mask the taste of the espresso.

3. In general, what is your favorite aspect about coffee? Explain (i.e culture, taste, social lubricant)

Well, tasting it... but the history, culture, artistry of roasting and science of brewing are pretty interesting as well.

4. What is your favorite coffee story? (i.e bad experience at Starbucks or amazing espresso)

I was a regular at a particular small cafe for a couple of months and the same Barista always seemed to be working the shift when I came in. She was friendly but totally spaced out and would mess up 90% of my orders. If I ordered a maple la[t]te I might get surprised with a mocha la[t]te, if I got a small light roast I might walk away with a large french roast. The cool thing about it though was that it broke me out of my "regular" drinks and I began to appreciate espresso drinks that I had never tried before.

5. Folgers or Maxwell House? :-)

Ha! I'd rather go without. If it comes down to that I'll just drink water =)

Metro Espresso Survey

(The foam looks so happy!)

In the spirit of creating a stronger community at Metro Espresso, I am asking Metro Espresso readers (meaning you!) to write responses to five simple questions about your coffee preferences. These responses will be featured in future blog posts. If you are new to coffee and feel you don't know enough to contribute; your opinion is doubly wanted. You probably know more than you think! The questions are as follows:

1. When you buy coffee on the go, who do you patronize? (Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, an espresso cart, Au Bon Pain...etc.)

2. What is your preferred coffee-based drink (drip, espresso, moka pot, French press, latte...etc), and why?

3. In general, what is your favorite aspect about coffee? Explain (i.e culture, taste, social lubricant)

4. What is your favorite coffee story? (i.e bad experience at Starbucks or amazing espresso)

5. Folgers or Maxwell House? :-)

Email your responses to duderino102 @ gmail dot com, and be featured on Metro Espresso. Be sure to explain your answers well, but no essays please! If you like Metro Espresso please follow me on Twitter, and ask me any coffee-related questions you have. Thank you!

GPS Coffee: Finding new cafes

Returning from a weekend excursion, I found the GPS a useful tool in locating coffee shops. Any Garmin, Tom Tom, GPS device, or smartphone with GPS capability that can search for POI's (points of interest) will work.

Using the "Search for nearby POI" in the Tom Tom, I typed in "coffee," yielding five or more cafes to visit: all of them being local and non-chain stores. Remember: By typing in coffee, the search will only come back with "coffee" in the business's title, skipping places without coffee in the title. By searching and visiting local coffee shops, it added a nice break from a 3-4 hour road trip, allowing us to visit an off-beat, local cafe. The actual place we visited was a bit disappointing. The espresso was lukewarm! They should have read my espresso cups post, specifically heating up the cups before espresso is brewed. Doing a GPS visit, one may have duds, but for all the duds one quality cafe will be worth the detour.

If one doesn't have a GPS, using Google Maps and searching for coffees places before embarking on a road trip can act as a stand-in.