Seattle Coffee Shops

First off let me apologize for a somewhat misleading title of this blog post. Although this post is about the coffee shops I visited while in Seattle, I was only able to go to two of them. So it's not as comprehensive as I would like it to be but the two I visited left a lasting impression.

Secondly, I know that Starbucks started in Seattle but I couldn't believe how many there are in the downtown area. I thought Seattle was suppose to be the top of the Coffee Culture food chain in the USA, but with so many Starbucks in such a small area I was beginning to have my doubts. But not to worry those doubts were put to rest once I got out of the downtown area.


So the first coffee shop I visited was Caffe Vita in Capitol Hill. Since I've heard good things about Caffe Vita and also liked their booth at Coffeefest, this place was on the top of my list to visit.  As I made the 2 mile hike from my hotel downtown to the Capitol Hill area my faith in Seattle as the center of all things coffee in the US was restored as I must have passed a dozen independent coffee shops with about half of those roasting their own beans.  My first impression of Caffe Vita was not a good one. It's a kind of dark and rustic place which too me didn't seem very inviting. Add to that the Barista put my small cappuccino in a to go cup without asking if that is what I wanted. With two strikes against it I took my to go cup of cappuccino and sat at one of the tables. There were a handful of people working furiously on their laptops in the cafe, which showed they had free wi-fi and didn't mind people hanging out.  I did also like how there was plenty of room and nice sized tables for people to work at and that there was also a upstairs area for even more room. As waited for my cappuccino to cool down a little I took in the decor again and started to see things I didn't notice initially. Like the art (see below) on the walls or the huge window that lets you see their gigantic roasting machine in the back of the building or the display case with Coffee Cups from other shops from around the world.

So with feeling a little better about this place I tried the cappuccino.  I was happy that it was well made and tasted good. And although the customer service given by the Barista sucked (also had a hard time buying some coffee as leaving), the coffee was good enough that I would give Caffe Vita a second chance and also my recommendation to others.

My next, second, and final stop was at Stumptown Coffee which was more to my liking.  It was a smaller shop then Caffe Vita but was better lit and more inviting.  Walking up to the counter to order I couldn't help but notice the beautiful La Marzocco Mistral machine that they use.

The staff here was very friendly and pegged me instantly as a vistor attending Coffeefest.  They not only made me a the best cappuccino I had that day but also offered advice about other coffee shops in the area to try out, some advice on the the different beans they offered for sale, and just some random chit chat.  This was a throughly enjoyable coffee shop experience and I highly recommend Stumptown Coffee to anyone who might ever be in the area.

One a final note, I know that a lot of other blogs that review coffee shops have straight espresso in order to determine the quality of beans, skill of the Barista, and taste of the drink.  And one day I might do that, but for now I'm going to stick with cappuccino's and tell you wether I liked them or not.  The coffee shop experience is so much more to me then how well made the espresso is and besides I'm just not the pretentious.

Coffeefest Recap Part III - The Seminars

For Part II of my Coffeefest Recap go here.

I was only able to attend a few of the seminars that were being held during Coffeefest because I was only there for 2 of the 3 days of the conference.  Which is why it is good that the organizers of Coffeefest had the foresight to have their most popular seminars held multiple times during the 3 days.  Most of the seminars I attended were very informative and led by people in the industry who were well versed in the subject matter.  Each seminar was held to just under an hour which seemed to be enough time to cover the subject matter and still have time left for some Q&A.  Since I'm looking to start my coffee business I focused on subjects that pertain to that, but they had seminars that covered everything from Latte Art to Espresso Machine maintenance to Roasting to Water quality to...you get the idea.  So with that here is a summary of the seminars that I attended:

Real Numbers from Someone who Operates a Successful Coffee Company 
The instructor of this seminar was Wes Herman the owner of Woods Coffee.  Woods Coffee started in 2002 and now has 9 stores in the Seattle area.  This seminar covered some of the costs associated with starting a coffee shop and the general monthly operating percentages that should be followed for things such as Cost of Goods, Labor, Occupancy Cost, Store operating, General Costs, and Net profit.  I found this class to be informative and liked that it was led by someone who can bring real world experience to newbies like me.

Opening a new Cafe?
This seminar was led by Tom Palm who has helped open over 700 cafes in his career.  He covered a lot of what to pay attention to during a build out of a new cafe, such building and health codes, building the menu, designing a proper floor plan, how much does it cost and how long will it take.  This seminar was definitely worth the time and made me aware of how important it is to pay attention to building and health codes.

Tea 101
This seminar was held by the owner of Maya Tea Company out of Tucson AZ.  This covered all the basics of Tea.  I found out where tea comes from, the different types of tea, how to correctly brew tea, and how tea can enhance the product offering in Coffee shops.  I found it very informative and made me very thirsty.

A Fresh Marketing Strategy for this Economy
This seminar was put on by Burce Milletto who is the President of Bellissimo Coffee Info Group and also one of the owners of Water Avenue Coffee.  Although billed as a seminar that will teach new marketing strategies, I did not learn anything new.  I'm sure there are people who did find value in the presentation(as this seminar was packed), but when your new marketing strategies are to use Facebook and Twitter, build your brand, and know your customer, it's really not that new anymore.

As I said above, for the most part all of the seminars were very informative and I learned a lot.

Coffeefest Recap Part II - The Show Floor

You can read the first part of my Coffeefest Recap here

Espresso to the Rescue

So with the Barista Training complete, it was time to hit the show floor and see what this whole Coffeefest thing was all about. I've been to a lot of trade shows in my time, some smaller and some larger then Coffeefest, but none as much fun. Of course a lot of my excitement could have been fueled by the dozen or so shots of espresso I had at the Barista training. And this just continued on the show floor as every other booth was serving either espresso, or lattes, or cappuccinos, or sort of caffeinated drink or food. There were all types of vendors there, from Roasters to Espresso Machine Makers to Bakers to Coffee Shops to Tea Suppliers to Gelato Makers to General Part Suppliers to pretty much anything to do with coffee that you can think of.  There was even an old ambulance that was converted to a mobile Espresso truck for sale there (picture to the right).

One of my favorite booths was the Cafe Vita booth where they were doing some very tasty pour overs using Coava's new Kone Coffee Filter.

They were also pulling some amazing shots from this manual espresso machine, which I found to be quite a visual experience.  I'm sure this is probably old hat to most in the coffee industry but I've never seen anything like it before.

I also enjoyed my time at the La Marzocco booth where I got to have some hands on with a 3 group Linea espresso machine with a automatic shot timer embedded in it (which came in very handy).

Other booths I really enjoyed were the Dippin Dots booth, the Seattle's Favorite Gourmet Cookies booth, the Synesso booth, and the Dillanos Coffee Roasters booth.

Everyone I talked to was very friendly, helpful, and patient with all my questions no matter how stupid they were.  I just wish I had more time to spend at each booth as there was just so much to see and learn.  So far Coffeefest has far exceeded any expectations I had and I still haven't even been to a lot of the classes I want to attend (that will be Part III).

Coffeefest Recap Part I - Barista training

I first came across Coffeefest a few months ago when just browsing the net about different coffee subjects.  There are 4 Coffeefest trade shows every year that bring together all aspects of the speciality coffee industry into one place.   This was the last one for 2010 and it was held in Seattle at the end of October.  Although it was still months away, I was intrigued.  It sounded like fun and would be very informative for me.  However I really didn't plan on ever going, just because of the cost of the trip didn't seem prudent at the time.  But as the date got closer and closer I slowly changed my mind and with a week to go I pulled the trigger and purchased a ticket and booked the travel.  I also signed up for a Barista training course that was advertised as a course for all levels that will teach the basics of making espresso and espresso based drinks.  The class consisted of about 16 people and was conducted by one of the owners of Coda Coffee (a Denver based coffee roaster).  It was about 1 hour of lecture and 3 hours of hands on training.  The lecture covered all the basics in making espresso and frothing milk, but what I was really there for was the hands on portion.  There were two espresso machines so the class was split in two for the hands on.  As this was the first time I would be using a commercial grade espresso machine and I was super excited.  We were using a Nuova Simonelli Espresso Machine:

This machine has two groupheads with a push pull steam system, that was pure awesomeness!!!  It took my group about 10 shots before we dialed in the correct grind size to start pulling good shots.  We each took our turn and with the guidance of the instructor I was very happy with taste of the espresso I was making.  After everyone had about an hour with the machine making straight espresso we moved on to how to properly steam and froth milk.  I loved the push pull system on the Simonelli.  Instead of the turning a knob to get steam like most espresso machines (including my  La Pasquini Livia 90), the Simonelli has a lever that when pulled down delivers a full blast of steam.  This made it very easy to learn the proper steaming and frothing techniques.  Now it was time to put everything together and make some drinks.  I made several Latte's and Cappuccino's during the last 30 minutes of the class and by the end I felt I was making some very tasty drinks.

Coming to Coffeefest I was happy with my self taught Barista skills and was worried that this class would show serious flaws with those skills.  However this class not only improved the skills I already had but also taught me several new ones that were much needed.

Learning how to pull a shot on a La Pavoni

A few weeks ago I borrowed Sister #2's La Pavoni espresso machine.  Keep in mind up till this point I've only been reading about the in's and out's of making espresso, but now I finally have the equipment to apply that knowledge.  The La Pavoni is manual espresso machine which means that it does not contain a automatic pumping system which pumps the water through the portafilter.  Instead it has a lever attached to front of the machine that you manually raise to allow water into the group head and then lower to push the water through the grounds in the portafilter.  This design gives a barista the ability to better control the shot by applying more or less pressure on the lever when pulling the shot.  It is a learning process to determine the correct grind size and tamp pressure so that when you pull the lever it has some resistance when pulling down but not so much your going to rip the group head off the machine and not so little that lever has no resistance whatsoever.  What you need to do is find a nice balance where you have enough resistance for a steady pull for about 20 seconds.

My process:
1) Fill water reservoir with filtered water
2) Power on machine and make sure the heat switch is set on high.  Make sure the steam knob is closed.
3) Once you hear steam escaping from the pressure release valve open the steam knob to release any false pressure (about 5-10 seconds).
4) Close the steam knob
5) Once pressure builds back up and you hear steam coming from the pressure release valve set the heat switch to low.
6) Grind the coffee, pack the portfilter, tamp, and put portfilter on group head.
7) Pull lever up slowly so that it takes about 5 seconds to get the the top.
8) Once at the top you can hear the water filling the piston in the group head. Wait about 5 seconds for pre-infusion.
9) Start to pull down on the lever. You want steady resistance and a good flow coming out of the portafilter. Ideally from top to bottom should take 20 seconds.


Words of caution
If there is too much resistance (as in you have to use both arms to pull down the lever) stop immediately, turn the machine off, and open the steam knob to let the pressure. Once all the pressure is releases, lower the lever, slowly take off the portafilter and start all over put with a coarser grind or easier tamp.

Also when taking the portfilter off the group head do it slowly to make sure all the pressure is released properly or you will have hot coffee grounds all over the place (happened to me twice).

The La Pavoni I am using to does not have a good temperature regulator so it just keeps heating the water and after about 4 or 5 shots I have to turn it off to let it cool down.  Also the whole thing is made of brass and gets very hot, so watch where you put your hands when operating it.

Summary
I really liked learning how to pull shots on the La Pavoni and it gave me perspective that a semi-automatic machine could not.  The more I use it the better I'm getting and the shots are tasting better and better.  However I seem to pull a bad shot for every 3 or 4 good ones.  It seems to be because my tamp gets harder and harder the more shots I pull, but that's a personal issue.  Other then that it's a great machine that I would recommend to anyone who loves espresso and wants to learn the craft.

Coffee Shop Review - Sambalatte

I heard about Sambalatte about 2 months ago.  At that time it was still not open but they had a teaser Youtube video of the layout of the store that intrigued me.  From the short clip you can tell this unlike any other coffee shop that Las Vegas has seen.  It's located in the Boca Park shopping complex in Summerlin and has been open about a month now.  It's a two story store with the lower floor containing several tables and a few lounge chairs in a very lounge type setting.  The second floor contains more seating and a small library of books.  The decor is beyond your typical Starbucks or Coffe Bean and strives to be upscale but casual at the same time.

However their focus on the decor did not take away from the quality of the coffee that they serve.  They use beans from Colorado Roasters in Boulder City and serve everything freshly ground.  They only brew coffee one cup at a time and use either a siphon pot or a pour over into the cup.  This gives them the ability to offer beans from many different regions and you are secure in the knowledge that the cup of coffee you are drinking was not sitting in a brew pot for an hour.  They also serve pastries, sandwiches, smoothies, and gelato.  All of which looked really good.

Overcome with the amount of choices offered I only ordered a cappuccino because I figured if I didn't like the way that was made it would be waste of time to try anything else.  After ordering I sat at a table to take in the decor and watch the barista prepare my drink.  I was very happy too see that she knew her way around an espresso machine.  The cappuccino was served on a tray with a glass of water and a little biscuit (very posh).  The cappuccino was well made and tasted good.

Overall I am very impressed by Sambalatte and look forward to my next visit to try more of what they have to offer.  I just wish they weren't located all the way across town.

My thoughts on the Hario Skerton Hand Grinder

One of the most important factors to brewing a good cup of coffee or pulling a good shot of espresso is how well the beans are ground.  This is the one fact that everyone seems to agree on.  As far as I know there are only two types of grinders - blade and burr.  Blade grinders are pretty much frowned upon by any respectable coffee connoisseur, however they are very cheap and for most drip coffee drinkers in the world they do the job adequately.  Burr grinders are the de facto standard in the gourmet coffee drinking world and is the only acceptable way to grind beans fine enough for espresso.  The reason why burr grinders are preferred over blade grinders is that the fineness of the grind is consistent.  Burr grinders crush the bean between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface to achieve this consistency and the fineness is controlled by how close the two pieces are to each other.  Blade grinders  use a spinning blade to chop up the beans and the only way to control the fineness is by how long you let the grinder run.  This not only causes uneven sized grounds but also heat (which effects the taste) and static electricity (which makes the grains stick to the grinder). The  uneven sized grains can range from big chunks to smaller grains.  Bigger grains will be under-extracted while the smaller grains will be over-extracted, resulting in inconsistent taste from pot to pot.

It goes without saying that for my adventures in coffee I would need to purchase a burr grinder.  If it were only that easy.  First off there are two types of burr grinders - conical and wheel/flat.  Where both types will produce a consistent grind, the conical burr grinders are preferred because they allow for slower grinding speed which will reduce the amount of heat during the grinding process. Then there are other considerations such as the speed, dosing capability, the type of grind adjustment available, and of course the price.  In my current situation, price is the most important factor to me.  Unfortunately a good entry level burr grinder costs at least $300 which is out of my price range (at least for a few months).  Of course those are all electric grinders with motors in them, so take that out of the equation and you have something that I can afford.  Enter the Hario Skerton Hand Grinder:

There seems to be a consensus that this is the best grinder on the market for the price (at least at the time I bought it).  I got it from reseller at Amazon for $45 and couldn't be happier.  And you will have to take that with a grain of salt as I have nothing to compare it to except a cheap ass blade grinder that I was using previously.  I've only used it for pour over brewing but have tried multiple grind sizes.  I have no concerns that it can grind fine enough for espresso once I start using my borrowed La Pavoni.  It has a very solid construction with ceramic burr's and it is easy to take apart to adjust and clean.

The ceramic conical burr's produce a very consistent grind and don't float as plastic burr's on cheaper grinders do.

The bottom of the glass container has a rubber ring around it to prevent sliding while grinding, which is very handy and it comes with a screw top lid if you happen to grind more beans then you can use.  The handle is sturdy and the ergonomic design makes it easy to turn.  I only grind about 10-12 grams of coffee at a time and that only takes me about 1-1:30 minutes to grind with the Hairo.

If there is one thing that I don't like about this grinder is that there is no way to determine the grind size without actually experimenting with the manual adjustment to see what comes out.  It takes a few times to figure out not only how each turn of the manual adjustment affects the grind size but also the speed at which you turn the handle to ensure consistent sized grains.

Overall I'm very happy with this grinder but can't wait till I can save up enough to get a Baratza Virtuoso Preciso.

Pour Over Brewing Part II

As stated in my first post about Pour Over Brewing I was going to have my Mom and Sis #2 do a taste test.  Since I'm still developing my coffee palate, I figured they would be the perfect audience since they have been drinking coffee for a long long time, they like it black, and they will give me an honest answer.  So last week I hauled over all the equipment to my Mom's house along with Klatch (Guatemalan) and Intelligentsia (Kenyan) coffee beans and brewed up a few pots with the following measurements:

- 12 oz of water
- Water at 200 degrees
- 5 tbs of coffee (my previous post had it a 2.5 tbs but that was incorrect)
- Coarse grind
- 2:00 - 2:30 mins of total brew time.

The first pot was done with the Klatch beans and I was glad when they didn't immediately spit it out and make me promise not to make another cup of coffee, ever.  However I was also disappointed when they didn't claim it was the best cup of coffee they ever had either.  What they did say is that it was good but it could be stronger.  So I added about a half a tablespoon of coffee to the next pot and they again said it was good.  I then made a pot with the Intelligentsia beans with the same measurements.  These beans definitely have a fruiter taste over the Klatch which they seemed to like better.  While tasting each pot I made with them, I just could not see how this is good tasting coffee.  So a couple of days later and not satisfied with 'good enough' I started tweaking the measurements to see if I could brew something that I would like drinking.  What I figured out was that my grind size was too coarse and I was using too much coffee.  I'm not sure if the coffee I was brewing was over-extracted (bitter taste) or under-extracted (sour taste) but once I adjusted those parameters I was able to brew a cup of coffee that I liked.  Once again this week I will have Mom and Sis #2 try it out and tell me what they think.

Oh yeah here's the measurements I changed

- Grind size set somewhere between coarse and fine
- 6 oz of water to every 2 tbs of coffee

How coffee benefits your health

One of the many things I didn't know before learning more about coffee is it's health benefits. Sure this is just part ignorance but also a bit of 'I don't drink coffee so what the hell do I care' attitude. I'm sure that I have read articles expounding on these benefits but as quickly as I read them I forgot them (I do that a lot with all subjects). What stayed with me more was all the myths attributed to drinking coffee, like 'it will stunt your growth' or that coffee causes cancer. But recent research shows quite a lot of health benefits for drinking coffee.

- Coffee is a great source of antioxidants and is actually the #1 source of antioxidants for most Americans
- Reduces the risk of Alzheimer's by 65%
- Reduces the risk of prostate cancer in men by 60%
- Reduces the risk of liver cancer by 50%
- Reduces the risk of a stroke in women by 43%
- Reduces the chance of colon cancer by 25%
- Reduces the chance of Type 2 Diabetes by up to 25%
- Increases your metabolism which can be an aide to weight loss.

However over consumption can be potential harmful to ones health.  The articles I read state that up six 10oz cups of coffee a day can be beneficial, but more than that might have negative effects.  Even drinking in moderation can pose the following risks.

- Weight gain from  the extra calories from sugar and heavy creams
- High consumption of unfiltered coffee can increase cholesterol levels
- Increase in heart disease in people with a specific genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body
- Withdrawal symptoms when quitting
- Increased risk of miscarriages for pregnant women

I do like all the positive benefits I have read lately about drinking coffee, but I really have to question the accuracy or even process on how this research is conducted.  Case in point, as stated earlier in this post coffee was linked to an increase risk of cancer in some studies, however it was discovered that the people included those studies were also heavy smokers and when subsequent studies were done with non-smokers the increase rate of cancer disappeared.

Now I'm not a researcher or a scientist or am I saying that the results are inaccurate, but who's to say that coffee drinkers are just not healthier in general or that there is some other factor that is not being considered in these studies that provides these benefits?  I guess if I lose weight, don't get cancer or Alzheimer's or Diabetes I can give credit to my increased coffee intake.  Check back with me in 40 years and I'll let you know the result.

Coffee Shop Review - Sunrise Coffee

In the desert that is the Las Vegas coffee scene Sunrise Coffee is a much needed Oasis.  I won't get into why there are not more independent specialty coffee shops for a city our size (that's for a future post), I'm just glad we have Sunrise Coffee.

Located in a strip mall on Sunset Blvd right next to a tattoo shop is this small friendly shop that serve up excellent coffee and tea products.  They pride themselves on being all organic and use Fair Trade coffee from Klatch Roasters.  I can go on and on about how much I love their Latte's and Cappuccino's, but what truly makes this place is the owners and barista's that work there.  Not only are they knowledgeable and proficient about the coffe and tea that they serve, but are extremely friendly and make you feel at home.  You never feel hurried to leave this place and can easily get caught up in the relaxed atmosphere.  For instance, while lounging on one of their three couches you can read a book from the library or play one of the many board games they have available or surf the net on their free wi-fi or just look around appreciating the local art that adorn the walls.  All this while enjoying one of their awesome drinks and something off of their all Vegan menu.  I love this place so much that I'm there about 3-4 times a week and I'm not the only one as I see a lot of the same people there day after day, which is hard to do with the fickle Vegas local.

If you love coffee or tea, Sunrise Coffee is a must.  Trust me you won't be disappointed.

Pour Over Brewing

My ultimate goal on my coffee adventure is to be able to have the necessary equipement to pull a great shot of espresso.  Unfortunately that requires some expensive equipment that is outside my budget at the present time, so I've settled for trying to learn other less expensive brewing methods.  The frist method I'm using is called Pour Over brewing.  It's just basically pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee beans to make a cup of coffee.  Pretty simple right.  Well for most people that might be the case but I had my challenges.

First off you need the some equipment to make this happen.  For me I purchased the Hario Pour Over kit, Hario Skerton Hand Grinder, the Hario Kettle and some coffee beans.  This is the same equipment used at Intelligentsia Cafes, so I decided that was good enough for me.  There are plenty of other pour over systems out there with the Chemex coming highly recommended also.  For the beans I decided to use the Klatch beans sold and used at Sunrise Coffee.  The reason for this is that I would be able to compare the drip coffee they make with my home brew to see the taste difference.

Still with the proper equipment and beans I had no idea what to do next.  After spending a some time on Youtube and some coffee forums I thought I had a good understanding of what to do.  Turns out I did not.

Challenge #1
This is all new to me, so I had no idea between what a fine grind is compared to coarse grind.  And although the Skerton Hand Grinder is awesome it doesn't have any setting on it to tell you what the grind size is.  After a few attempts though I was able to find a good grind size.  For the Skerton that is about half way between fully open and fully closed.

Challenge #2
It is very important for pour over brewing to be exact on your measurements and I was not.  Most instructions will tell you that for every how many ounces of water to how much weight in coffee is to be used.  Well I didn't (and still don't) have a scale for the proper measurement of the coffee.  It took a lot of trial and error to come up with using 2.5 tbs of coffee for 12 oz of water measurement.

Challenge #3
I don't like coffee (see previous post), so no matter how I brewed it, it all tasted bad to me.  After about 3 days and 15 pots of bad coffee, I was able to convince brother JJ to try a sip (he's been off the stuff for about a year now so he was reluctant).  At first I thought he was messing with me when he said it was a really good cup of coffee, but it turns out he was being genuine.  The true test is going to come on Friday when I visit my Mom and sister to have them try it out.

Not only was I able to overcome these challenges I was able to learn new things like what over-extracted and under-extracted meant and how they tasted and how to avoid them.  Now once approved by Mom and sis I will work on perfecting this technique and deciding what to tackle next.

Here is a summary of my Pour Over brewing process

Equipment:

- Dripper
- Filters
- Kettle
- Coffee
- Grinder
- Scale (optional)
- Measuring spoon (optional if you have a scale)
- Thermometer

My Parameters:

- 12oz of water
- 2.5 tbs of coffee
- Coarse grind setting
- Water at 200 degrees
- Total brew time is between 2:00 and 2:30 minutes

Step by step

- Place a dry filter in the Dripper
- Pre-wet the filter and pot with hot water
- Pour out water in the pot
- Grind the Coffee
- Place coffee in the Dripper with the pre-wet filter
- Smooth out the grounds so that they are somewhat even in the filter
- Pour just enough hot water over the grounds to wet the top and start a coffee bloom
- Wait at least 30 seconds
- Slowly pour in rest of the water by starting in the middle and working your way out to the sides in a circular motion
- (Optional) Once all the water is in the Dripper, stir the slurry (the water still waiting to make its way through the filter
- Drink and enjoy

And so it begins......

I have recently embarked on a journey to discover the joys of the many different incarnations of coffee and have decided to record my discoveries for everyone's enjoyment.  My history with what I had previously known as "coffee" is the same as most who grew up on the West Coast in the 70's and 80's.  Coffee was something in large containers from the grocery store that all the grown ups had in the morning to wake up.  It was all about the Mr. Coffee and the Foldgers freeze dried or the Sanka instant coffee.  No one under 40 ever had a cup of coffee or even considered drinking such a thing.  Of course being a kid I asked my Mom once if I could try some and she obliged me.  I have learned over the years that asking to try something my Mom likes is like asking someone to pore molten fire in my mouth.  She grew up on spicy New Mexican cuisine and as a result her taste buds regiester flavors and heat differently then me, my Dad, and my sisters.  She liked her coffee strong, hot and black and was only to happy to let me try a taste.  I remember it being too hot for my young tongue and the taste way to foreign to my inexperienced palate to comprehend and my Mom laughing at the face I made.  To sum up; I didn't like it and decided from there on coffee was not for me.

My next experience with coffee drinkers came from my 3 years in the Army.  Coffee in the Army was only for the career solider; hence the term "lifer juice".  I was never tempted to even try the stuff while enlisted but can't imagine it could have been any better then my pervious experience.  If I was to believe all the complaints from the "lifers" in the service it had to be one of the worst ways for water to be used to make a drink and should be banned and most likely would have been if not for their maniacal dependence on the stuff.

At about the same time I made it back to civilization and started college, Starbucks was expanding into the Las Vegas market.  At the time I couldn't understand paying $4 for a cup of coffee.  Sure I've heard the terms Cafe Latte and Cappuccino by this time but to me it was all just coffee.  It was at this time I was introduced to the Frappaccino and decided that paying $4 for one of those is totally acceptable because it's not coffee.  I guess you can say this frozen concoction was my gateway drug into developing a taste for coffee.  However it was not a fast transition to other coffee drinks.  It was still a few years before even trying a Cafe Latte and only after the prodding of a friend while in Australia.  But the espresso or the black coffee were still not anywhere on the horizon in terms of drinkability until recently.  You see I've been unemployed for well over a year now and to keep myself sane I was spending time out of the house at Starbuck's or Panarea Bread having their version of a Latte and looking online for a job.  After a few weeks of this brother JJ suggested I try Sunrise Coffee and my life was changed forever (a little dramatic I know).  The owners and barista's at Sunrise Coffee are to blame for my new appreciation of the black juice.  They blend a Cafe Latte or a Cappuccino with such perfection that you could swear you were in one of the great coffee shops in Seattle and what started as just a minor appreciation of their craft has started me on this journey of discovery.

Also I feel now as a middle aged man who has had his up's and down's, who has loved and lost, who has been around the world, and most importantly who is now well into his 40's; I can finally truly appreciate all that coffee has to offer.  Of course that's all bullshit, it's just good to have a hobby.