Monday, December 29, 2003


a barista to watch?

we here at bccy believe that the barista is a crucial part of the new coffee cuisine. we strongly believe in encouraging and supporting the talented and dedicated barista.

we hope in the future this position will evolve into the same career level, and carry the same respect and status, as it now has in italy's best shops.

with this in mind, we are looking at washington state's phuong tran as an up-and-coming barista. i'll be watching her compete in atlanta myself. . .

today a friend of mine gave me 3 pounds of fresh coffee he had roasted himself and sealed in ziplock. i immediately slammed them to my nose. one, even thru the plastic, smelled strongly of vanilla; another, of caramel and dry toast; the third, of nuts, maybe roasted hazelnut.

but the plastic does make it hard to say clearly. however what was easy to smell was the chocolate soap tucked in among the coffee! this wonderful soap is made by nuns in missouri and is so deliciously scented i briefly considered gnawing on the bar. . .

the charming victorian-style fragrance is partly, i think, that very sweet jasmine-like thing known as coffee flower. my hunch maybe borne out by the fact that they call it "mayan gold."

posted by fortune | 10:59 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments