coffee collection

Miami beach Pinocchio

Intelligentsia coffee in Chicago

Sunday morning

What do I look forward to the most on the weekend? Spending a peaceful, quiet Sunday morning with a skinny latte and the Sunday NYTimes

......

Sunday morning, sunshine dreaming

All night dancing

Christmas morning, candles burning

All night dancing....

Cloudy morning, ice cream toppings

Music’s playing

High street shopping, chocolate cravings,

Baby’s crying

excerpted lyrics from Utada Hikaru's Sunday Morning

Espresso in a culinary context

When Michele and I were visiting NYC last month, we went on the search for good espresso bars...and luckily, we stumbled upon Cafe Grumpy, which was very close to our hotel.

A small hidden gem, this cafe welcomed us with sounds of people chattering and foamers screeching when we opened its doors, and we were greeted with rich aromas from coffee beans and scents of freshly delivered Sunday Times.



Crowded with hip, young coffee- buzzed New Yorkers cupping their mugs, although all seats were taken, a kind man pointed to us that the bench outside was unoccupied, (and the space was just enough for 2), so we sat outside and enjoyed espressos in our laps and listened to the rare peaceful composure of the city on a Sunday morning.



Cafe Grumpy was featured in the New York Times, an article named "Espresso's New Wave Hits Town"

It reminds me of why we love artisinal coffee, from the roast, the dose, the tamping, and the latte art. I always savour the heart or leaf made from the steamed milk, because it really does make my latte taste better... it feels like careful attention and love from the barista!

There are four critical components to preparing espresso: it must be freshly roasted, freshly ground, properly dosed, tamped correctly and monitored during extration. If done correctly the resulting espresso will be smoother, more romantic, and more flavourful, the crema will be darker and thicker.

Catalina coffee

We have found a new love, here in Houston: Catalina Coffee

It's so far the best espresso we've had in Houston. The staff are laid back and friendly, and the baristas are true artisans. The place is simple, clean, not pretentious, so the attention is all put in that one cup of great espresso-based drink....

The true test is ordering an iced latte, and it's one of the best I've had. I really don't like it when iced coffees are watered down, but Catalina's iced lattes are still rich and strong. My dad used to make fun of me saying that those who take iced coffees are not really coffee drinkers...but hey, it's getting pretty warm here in Houston, and with my wisdom tooth pain....a good cup of iced-latte from Catalina really makes my day.

O Brothers K, Where Art Thou

When Michele and I moved to Main St, Evanston, we fell in love with Brothers K coffee shop. While he grabbed a cappuccino every morning to go, I occasionally treated myself for a skim latte to go on weekday mornings. However, we were always there on weekend mornings.

Come Saturday and Sunday morning, and we'd happily stroll to Brothers K and enjoy a warm espresso drink, soaking in a relaxed weekend morning. We'd bring our own books, sometimes the NYTimes, or we'd just chat away and people-watch...or play with our new iphones...

Going to cafes is really one of my favorite past times. We often immersed ourselves in coffee shops in Evanston...our dear, lovely Evanston! At IMC, we used to hang out at Peets in the afternoons, studying and gossiping away, pouring our hearts out over lattes and smoothies...Then there was the late night studying for finance at Ambrosia, and oh, meeting up with the Thai girls at Kafein one late summer day...what sweet memories we had at these cafes!

While Michele was away for the summer, I always remember Xin Pei making lattes for us early morning..and that was very sweet. Enjoying espresso in the mornings with dear ones have become one of my sweetest memories.

We have left Evanston and are still on the search for our favorite cafe and espresso in Houston...suggestions anyone?