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New Book…Looks Like Fun
Killing trees with coffee, I think, is an acceptable trade-off. Especially if you use recycled trees or fake plastic trees, and if you recycle your used coffee grounds into your compost bin.
Now comes this from, fittingly, a Berkeley publisher: What appears to be a fun new book in the super-macro-food-pics mold that is all the rage today, complete with a delectable line-up of deliciously done drinks.
The book is entitled, Coffee Drinks, by one Michael Turback, and, at 112 colorful caffeinated pages, is a bargain at under $15.
Coffee, Culture, and Music
Music has long been a big part of coffee house culture for many people. The morning brings about the need for energizing comfort in a cup, and the evening brings the desire for social interaction, and a little local culture for many coffee house patrons.
Naturally, we like to focus on coffee quality as the high priority around here, but how many play host to local or traveling musicians? A shop here built their name as sort of a venue, and the coffee quality came later. Reverse order, if you ask me, but still… far better to be late than to have missed the boat entirely.
I often enjoyed the “culture” found in a bustling coffeehouse warmed with the sounds of a one-man(or woman) folk band, or a jazz/funk/experimental quintet, or anything in between seemingly breaking the social ice, not offering even a chance for it to form. Everyone is there to have a good time, and everyone knows it. Everyone also knows that the air will (usually) be smoke-free, and that the likelihood of a loud drunk ruining the fun is extraordinarily slim, at best.
The undefined, yet undeniably present cafe culture in the United States is what drew me to the specialty coffee scene years ago as a young teen. Back then, I didn’t know anything about the coffee. What I did know is that all of the retail spaces that made me feel at home had one thing in common. That one thing was coffee. This only further fueled the spark of respect I inherently possessed for the beverage. Eventually, this respect blossomed into a desire to learn, to understand, to know, and to spread the enjoyment of quality coffee.
How does this all relate? For a lot of people, they are not drawn in by the bean, but by the culture surrounding it in certain retailers.
We’d like to know. Is the availability of live music in a coffee retailer much of a priority for you? Honestly, it is no longer a high priority, but I still enjoy going to a shop that not only knows how to serve a good cup of coffee, but also plays host to numerous musicians looking for an audience.
If you find that it is, or was, a priority for yourself, where did it begin? Where do you go now?
Home Espresso Animation (taken from H-B)
I was surfing Home-Barista.com earlier today and came across this entertaining video.
I got a good chuckle out of it, so I thought I’d share with the Texas Coffee Community.
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyDxg43jW5s]
An espresso love story.
This is a pretty old video, but I saw it again today and thought I’d share it with you all.
Barista Competition Score Sheets
The Scoresheets and registration forms for the SCAA’s South Central Regional Barista Competition are now available.
Check our own SCRBC page to download them, or go to the official SCRBC website.
I hope this competition turns out to be a huge success!
What kind of coffee are you?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen this around, but I thought it would be fun to see how Texas Coffee People score.
| You Are an Espresso |
 At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energeticAt your worst, you are: anxious and high strungYou drink coffee when: anytime you’re not sleepingYour caffeine addiction level: high |
I’m an Espresso… apparently. I certainly do have a high addiction to caffeine. I’d like to think I have better crema, though. :/
And Now, for Something Completely Different
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myl33ZLkhB8]
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TX-Coffee Partners
EspressoTrainer.com