Saturday, August 18, 2001


today is just one of those perfect new york days when everyone and everything is breathtakingly beautiful. this may or may not have something to do with the arrival of the coffee from mohonk roasters!

yes, yoga teacher frank jude boccio was kind enough to bring some down, with some baked goods and the sweetest note -- handwritten on cash register tape! -- from the owners, donna, david & jake. they were too kind - giving so much more than asked! for example, i was hoping for a 1/4 lb. of the ethiopian harrar to test out in the bodum santos vac pot -- and yet they gave fjb an entire pound! this freshly roasted delight possesses such a strong, scrumptious aroma that it filled every room i entered this afternoon, causing formerly complete strangers (hiya kendall!) to inquire where the coffee came from. as a result, many people learned about mohonk roasters today!

such generosity had to perpetuated, so after taking yoga class with fjb, i rushed over to see john at two for the pot, new york's favorite coffee store, according to zagat's. i think everyone loves two for the pot and john as well. i knew right away that john would want to sample a 1/4 lb. so as i walked in, a very nice lady, sylvia was there -- no, not my espresso machine! -- but upon introduction, in honor of ms. silvia, it was clear sylvia needed a 1/4 lb. as well. as john was weighing out all the coffee, in walked sports fan and coffee pal andy, so he had to have a 1/4 lb. too.

everyone was frankly awed by the harrar at first sight -- gorgeous jumbo beans, glistening with oil from their perfectly even viennese roast. and that aroma! standing in a coffee store, among barrels of other coffees, this delicious smell stood out above all others. i would have stayed all day talking to john and andy, but i had to rush home and vac pot up some of this joe. and was i rewarded! such a smooth and rich cup, with a slight soft caramel aftertaste, no bitterness at all -- just a perfect medium body with a color & thickness like brown sherry. and of course that smell, the ultimate coffee perfume. . .

with this delight, my husband and i immediately broke into the baked goods, one of which was a fine soft cake brownie, delicately textured, and with a thin layer of molten chocolate fudge in the center to moisten it all. . .my husband prefers a dense, chewy, fudgy brownie, but i was instantly enamored of the treat's feathery lightness. . .

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