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A Random, Yet Deserved, Quote of the Day v. 10-24-08
Space is the enemy here, and geopolitical boundaries seem to be the enemy of our coalescence. Because the entity is known as “Texas” it seems to make sense that we should all be one big happy family. But as the interstate sign makes clear as you cross into Texas from Louisiana, this really is a big, big place. The sign reads: WELCOME TO TEXAS! Beaumont = 15 miles; Houston = 150 miles; El Paso = 798 miles. Thus, we have to make the best of our situation by grabbing every opportunity for community, no matter how frequency and geographically-challenged and those opportunities are.
- Aaron Blanco
“coming up” - http://coffeepress.blogspot.com
“The Perfect Cappuccino” Movie Screens in Texas!
Some of you may remember our blog post about this movie when the trailer was posted. (ignore the formatting.. the post is from an earlier incarnation of this blog)
Well, today I received an email from Amy Ferraris, the creator of the film, to let us know that it will be screening THREE TIMES in Texas. Be sure to watch the trailer if you haven’t already.
Don’t miss the screening if you can help it. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make any of them, honestly, which is a shame. So here’s hoping most of you can catch it and give us a write-in about it.
Amy writes,
Hi guys,
I’m a documentary filmmaker, and I’ve recently finished a film called “The Perfect Cappuccino.” I’m writing because it’s going to be screening a few times in Texas over the next couple months - the first time is this Saturday in Denton. And I was wondering if you would consider either posting something in one of your forums or creating a blog post to let your members know about the screenings? I think the crowd of people who frequent your site would definitely get a kick out of the film.It’s going to be screening…
–Saturday 9/27 at 11:00 am in Denton, Texas as part of the Thin Line Film Fest (www.thinlinefilmfest.com)
–At the Dallas Video Festival, which runs Nov. 6-9 (www.videofest.org)
–At the Real Films screening series in Houston in early November (www.realfilms.org) - I will be at this screening for a discussion afterward.I’m pasting the text of a press release re: the screening in Denton below. (Excuse the press release-ese, but it has some good info on the film in general…)
Thanks for your help in getting the word out!
All the best–
Amy
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThe Perfect Cappuccino
A documentary about coffee, consumerism and being American
screens in Denton, Texas on September 27, 2008Global Capitalism. One Man’s Fight for Survival. Delicately Foamed Milk.
One morning only!Filmmaker Amy Ferraris’ eucalyptus pictures presents the Texas premiere of THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 27, at the Fine Arts Theater in Denton, Texas. This quirky, first-person documentary screens as part of the 2008 Thin Line Film Festival (www.thinlinefilmfest.com).
THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO tells the story of thirtysomething Amy Ferraris’ lifelong obsession with the cappuccino, an Italian coffee drink that consists of espresso and foamed milk. Having first discovered the cappuccino on a trip to Italy in 1990, Ferraris comes back to the U.S. and is plagued by one seemingly unanswerable question: in the country that put a man on the moon, why is it so hard to find a decent cappuccino?! Ferraris’ quest to answer this question leads her all over the country and includes encounters with a wide variety of characters, including average coffee drinkers, espresso historians, cultural critics, political activists, and even one of the founders of Starbucks. Ultimately, the search leads her to the DoubleShot Coffee Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she finds not only sensational coffee but a community of fascinating characters as well. But her happy discovery coincides with a threat to DoubleShot’s very existence: a legal dispute with corporate giant Starbucks.
“Although this film is pretty wide-ranging in terms of time and geography, in the end, the DoubleShot story is really the film’s heart,” Ferraris notes. “The David-and-Goliath story of this tiny shop standing on principle and going up against a corporate behemoth really inspired me, and it really made me think.” Although it maintains a light-hearted tone, THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO raises some serious questions. Why is the Starbucks chain-store model a uniquely American approach to coffee? Is there something in our character, as Americans, that pushes us toward expansion and mass standardization? Is this human nature? Is it American nature? Are we a culture that values business enterprise? Or a culture that is ruled by it?
Described by one viewer as Super Size Me meets This American Life, THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO was a crowd-pleaser at its festival premiere in August 2008, at the Hardacre Film & Cinema Festival in Iowa. Ferraris has pieced together a smart, witty meditation on what our coffee habits say about us, as individuals and as a nation. “The central idea behind this film,” comments Ferraris, “is that when you talk about a ‘perfect’ cup of coffee – or any food, for that matter – you are really talking about much more than how it tastes. Taste is part of it, but there are these other intangible things too – the environment in which you drink it; community, or the people who’re with you when you do; the business practices of the entity who sold it to you… there’s so much to consider.”
Tickets for the event may be purchased in advance at www.thinlinefilmfest.com.
###
To view a trailer of the film, please visit http://cappuccinomovie.com
Media Contact: Amy Ferraris at cappuccinomovie@gmail.com
Production still photos available for publication.
Press copies of the film available for review.
For press inquiries on the Thin Line Film Festival in general, please contact festival director Joshua Butler at joshuabutler@texasfilmmakers.org
The Fine Arts Theater is located at 115 N. Elm Street, Denton, Texas 76201
Happy New Year!
(for those not versed in Italian, Happy New Year)
Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, everyone.
2007 is gone.
2008, Here we come!
Happy Holidays!
From Texas Coffee People, to you and your families. Have a safe and happy season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Channakah, Kwanza, or just the Winter Solstice. (we don’t discriminate here)
Be Merry!
(and may your cappuccinos look nothing like this! )
I’ll be out of town for about a week.
If any of you are traveling, have a safe trip, and
don’t forget to bring some fresh roasted coffee along for the journey.
(I know I’ve got about 1.5lbs. ready)
Chat Nights with Texas Coffee People Proudly Presents: Cole Arendt
In addition to our normally scheduled 7:30pm Tuesday evening chat sessions, we will, from time to time, feature a coffee industry professional as a solitary guest “discussion panel”.
Aaron Blanco has arranged for the first of these special presentations to occure on Dec. 12th, 7:30pm sharp.
The discussion will begin promptly at 7:30pm CST, and will end precisely one hour later.
Our first Celebrity Guest Speaker will be:
______________________________
Cole Arendt
of
New Guinea Traders LLC.
________________________________
If you have not already done so, please Register on the Texas Coffee People Forums beforehand if you intend to join in the discussion. If you have already registered, we would appreciate it if you would log in so that your username is visible throughout the duration of your visit.
If you would like to discuss any specific questions or topics with Mr. Arendt, you may send them to Aaron Blanco, who will be moderating the Discussion. You may reach him at: aaron[at]browncoffeeco.com or by clicking his name above(must be logged into the forums).
This Chat session is open to anyone and everyone interested in participating.
Again, the session is featuring a discussion with Cole Arendt, moderated by Aaron Blanco at 7:30pm sharp(cst) and will last for precisely one hour. We hope to see you there!
The Chat Room is open 24/7, though not always populated, and can be found by Clicking Here.
Tuesday Evenings with Texas Coffee People, 7pm Chats
I have been surprised at the kind of information and knowledge sharing that can go on in a live chat session. It’s amazing how much of a difference real-time communication can make in the detail and quality of shared information.
It is for these reasons, as well as an attempt to foster the Texas Coffee Community farther than on a localized level, that we have decided to organize a meeting of the minds.
Every Tuesday evening at 7:30pm(cst), the TX-Coffee.com forums chat room goes live for open discussion.
Aaron is scheduled to be present, as is Dan. Naturally, I will be on as well.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in on the fun, or merely observe if you prefer.
Click Here to visit the chat room. It may help to orient yourself before Tuesday.
I hope to see you there!
TX-Coffee.com… now in Barista Magazine
With the TX-Coffee.com Mug. (yyyup)
For those of you who are familiar with Barista Magazine probably already know about his little blurb we got.
If you’re NOT familiar with Barista Magazine, you should be!
It’s the only trade magazine with content that actually matters for folks serious about their business (or barista skills.. or just hands-on coffee in general).
If you’ve seen it, you probably also know that the Champ is on the cover.
Congrats James!
I hope this FOAM section helps bring new readers and new enthusiasm for great coffee in Texas.
-
TX-Coffee Partners
EspressoTrainer.com