Wednesday, September 01, 2004


espresso occidental & elevation yoga

on now to the second espresso sent to me by mark inman of taylor maid, his "espresso occidental."

as with the espresso a-go-go, alas i didn't have time this morning to do a proper cupping. i tasted it as a brewed espresso in the same way as his a-go-go.

however, unlike the a-go-go, i had to dial it in a bit on the mazzer mini grinder before i found a nice setting that gave me a 27-second pour with good crema. of course, the humidity is a little different today, so that is probably expected.

(we all remember that ground coffee is surprisingly hydroscopic, right? it is very sensitive to high humidity and will absorb moisture from the air in just a moment or two!)

once again, dear readers, check out your scaa flavor wheel and go for your lingle cupping handbook. . .

the all-arabica espresso occidental's a dark-roast coffee, the same roast color as the a-go-go. it offers a creamy body and low brightness, as we would expect of espresso.

the occidental however is a markedly different coffee than the a-go-go in flavor and bouquet.

the fragrance of the dry grounds seemed floral to me, more wintergreen or possibly basil. i detected a distinct nutty -- let me say walnut -- quality, and a pungent spiciness, reminiscent of chewing on a stalk of thyme.

the occidental presents a sweet, mellow taste. think more mild than delicate.

made into an italian-proportion cappuccino, the occidental seemed to cut through the milk more clearly than the a-go-go did. i did add sugar to this blend.

my personal bias is always for the chocolate-y tasting espresso blends. so when i conclude that i prefer the a-go-go to the occidental, don't think it's because the occidental isn't a fine coffee.

it's just that the a-go-go caters to my personal prejudices more. this is why when i describe these coffees, i am always careful to use the great linglese, and never to give numbers.

number scores in coffee reviews often make it seem as if one coffee is better than another based on the number; but one coffee may have a higher score, for example, because it gets more points for brightness, or a thicker body.

however, some coffees -- like espresso -- aren't supposed to be bright, and depending on the blend may have a creamy or syrupy body as opposed to a buttery one. this would all be in normal variation for the components of the blend, and wouldn't detract from the actual quality of the java.

in a numbered situation, i might rate the a-go-go higher for a slightly thicker body and its great dark dutch-cocoa bittersweet-powdery quality. but again, that's my personal taste in espresso, which not everyone shares.

there are many people who might prefer to the nutty, spicy quality of the occidental to my low-toned chocolate addiction. . .the only way to find out is to try it for yourself!

now on the second front: yesterday one of my favorite yoga teachers was on vacation and i received a free class coupon to a new yoga center. alright!

thus i ditched my regular class with its substitute teacher and ran off to try kiki yardeni's vinyasa class at the new elevation yoga.

elevation is in an old battered building with a scary stairway. but once you're in the studio, it's lovely. pete, the burly owner who at first seems more like a wrestling type than a yoga guy, did a really nice job with it.

i know this is going to sound strange, but as a yoga student you soon become a connoisseur of floors. i mean, your face is all over the floor in a yoga class and you're walking around barefoot, right?

many yoga studios in new york are in charming older buildings, with wacky wide-wale old wood floors. i have gotten splinters at one famous studio!

but elevation has the most beautiful new silky-smooth sprung bamboo floor you could dream of. it felt great to walk across the stuff. yeah: it seems weird to say.

but this incredible floor made my jump-back and hops seem lighter. the soft vanilla-beige room is nice and large, with a mirror along one long wall.

it also has the most effective industrial ceiling fans of any yoga studio i've seen in new york. the track lighting makes the place seem like an art gallery.

the studio is just really physically pleasant and relaxing to be in. i generally dislike practicing with mirrors, but the lighting is so flattering i felt like a yoga journal cover.

kiki yardeni is an om-certified teacher, who offers a classic om-style class. her own yoga teacher is the famed jennifer brilliant, who i highly admire.

here's where it gets really fantastic: due to the convention madness this week, most new yorkers have left town. so when it came time for class to start, i was the only student.

most centers would have cancelled the class. but pete and kiki were awesome: i got what amounted to a private lesson! free!

elevation yoga: brave the stairway and check it out. . . all good.

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