San Francisco dreaming…

I’m jealous !  Maybe I should go visit next month during the Tour of California (comeback tour for Armstrong, Basso and Landis).  wishful thinking.  

http://cleanhotdry.com/coffee/san-francisco-redux/#more-558

wonderfulcafe.ca Poll

January 31 — steves

Officially it’s not until Monday. But today is another Saturday groundhog day. Including an epic spro at steves:

An afternoon nap (this cold has me worn out), followed by Spinervals Hillacious (power is still at least 10 watts off last year) and then start preparing dinner.  Lamb from the market.  Lamb tagine with fennel, onion, and dates.  As it is going to take 2.5 hours of cooking the meat, I make a siphon pot of Stumptown El Sal Santa Rita…  Much different than my first go earlier in the week, this is primarily deep chocolate flavor…

done

Next “big” thing in coffee..

Discovered on Mark Prince’s twitter site:

Here are the instructions (in case you read Japanese):

http://dodrip.net/irekata.html

January 30 — steves

Yesterday this fucking cold had me turned right off coffee. Couldn’t even think about having a ’spro @ Steves or brewing up the Stumptown @ home before I went to work without getting a wave of nausea. Then, I was at Ouro Preto for lunch yesterday but avoided coffee… Then, had a meeting at Just Us at 4pm and I uncharacteristically had a hot chocolate.  Is this the espressosnob ?

Today I figure I am able to try to have a spro this am as my appetite is a bit better, although I’m not that much better energywise.

Intelli in Halifax

Grey coffee is now live and I have put my first order in for:

Finca Santuario, Colombia: El Mirador

Cruz del Sur, Peru

If all goes well, should have next week to try.  Should be through the Stumptown by then.  May have enough to share with any fellow coffeegeeks in Halifax, as I can’t go through 2lbs.

Meanwhile, Intelli just wiped up at the Western Region Barista Championships in LA.

January 28 — smiling goat.

Waiting to review some consults with my resident at rehab hospital. Had some free time to drop in for a spro and to try the Stumptown El Sal Santa Rita on the Clover.

January 28 — Stumptown Ethiopia Mordecofe Sidamo @ home

Decide to ride on the trainer this am (it’s been a while as I was in NYC this weekend).  Did a virtual 23km ride around the rolling hills of Maryland.  

Thus, no time to run to Steves this am, so I figure I will sample the other Stumptown I bought @ NSE: Ethiopia Mordecofe Sidamo;

The card in the pouch says:

Black tea and candied lemon fragrances become oolong tea and lemon hard candy flavors in a transparent cup that finishes with the flavor of raw sugar.

My first go on the siphon doesn’t pick up much of that feeling.  Sweet black tea I agree… Not much of the lemon flavor is there.  Will have to try again or perhaps on the French Press.

January 27 pm — Stumptown El Salvador Santa Rita @ home

Intrigued by the tasting description on the Stumptown card, I bought this El Sal coffee in NYC @ Ninth Street Espresso as it sounded more like an Ethiopia Yerg…

[aromas and flavors of strawberry and raspberry combine with sugar cookies and taste and sensation of chocolate syrup in this cup]

Brewing it up in the siphon, I get a weak strawberry taste with a nice sweet lemon tanginess and a beautiful rich chocolate finish… Very nice cup indeed.

Enjoyed in my new 12oz gimme! cup (sorry I don’t have a Stumptown cup).

January 27– steves

Lindsay’s now quite the barista: