Saturday, May 03, 2003


coffee & friendship

just when i thought i was off my scaa boston convention coffee cloud 9 and had transitioned safely back to normal reality -- when i had adjusted to the fact that the magic was over and back in the box for another year -- the delightful altie and scaa charter e-member andy s. and his lovely helga blew into town to see matisse picasso (flash required).

what do alties do? we throw coffee parties! so i put together as many alties as i could on a few hours' notice. after pulling some shots here we moved on down to kudo beans to chat up steve schulman.

steve, like all dallis coffee people, is just the greatest greatest guy. he put together a tremendous press pot for us, his so-called european blend. just a smooth, rich, full-bodied coffee -- like a vintage port.

amazing. it had to have a big indonesian for its syrupy body, plus some african for a balanced brightness. and i swear there was a central american (or two?) for that mild smoothness, to tie the blend together.

we sat in the pleasant corner table of kudo talking about coffee, the poetry of coffee, and to toronto poets about coffee. i kid you not. this coffee was so delicious and rich tasting i had to see how it stood up to milk. i mean, that's how most new yorkers will drink it.

and it stood up so well i couldn't stop complimenting steve. he just ducked his head, gave a sly smile and said, "i know. i know. i created this coffee, remember?" i am so stupid sometimes!

if you happen to find yourself wandering around the corner from hell's angels hq in the east village sometime, stop in at 49-1/2 1st ave. have a press pot of steve's top-notch blend. better yet, go in some saturday afternoon before the rush and ask steve to make it for you himself. . .or heck, go at 3am. he's usually open still. . .

talk to steve. he knows so much about coffee, and talks about it with such articulate passion. you'll be converted. you'll want to be an scaa e-member too. you'll be eager to join us alties and e-members at the next coffee party.

and you know what? since coffee is the social beverage, we can't wait. we want to meet you. we all want to talk about coffee together.

to share the friendship, the magic, the passionate spirit. . .which never has to stop, even tho' the convention happens but once a year.

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