Thursday, September 21, 2006


in short, a non-alcoholic guinness

fall happened in new york for real yesterday evening, as the wind coming off the harbor definitely shifted. that chill breeze is the hem of autumn making its way over the threshhold.

i had my windows open in the living room, basking in the pleasant twilight, with the setting sun highlighting the water when suddenly. . .brr! there it was, the wind.

goodbye summer. since summer is my favorite season, i was sad for a long moment -- and then i ran into the kitchen to fire up my espresso machine.

yuppers, a cool evening makes a decaf espresso quite welcome! the coffee in question is mark inman's taylormaid decaf espresso d.

decaf coffees, i find, usually have to be ground finer than usual to perform well in espresso. and this was no exception -- i had to adjust my mazzer mini 2 whole notches to the left of the usual arrow point.

decaf coffee also roasts differently than regular -- while mark's "must-have" chocolate-y espresso 0 is what i'd call a full-city, this decaf is much darker, full oil.

but don't be put off by the dark color when you first open the can!

it doesn't taste as dark as it may at first appear. it's bitter in a good way -- think stout.

the aromas are malty, candied hazelnut and super-dark caramelized vanilla sugar, like the part of the creme brulee crust the chef let the kitchen torch linger on a tad long.

i drank it as a 30-second triple without sugar. its body was nice 'n syrupy with long-lasting crema.

super-yummy!

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posted by fortune | 8:22 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments