Saturday, October 20, 2001
so the grinder saga continues!
the place in new york that supposedly sold the m-203 grinder doesn't actually sell it. . .but i was contacted by a person who does have one that he is selling because it won't grind the volume he needs. perfect!
the pinnacle of espresso is coming into view. . .also, i can take the money i'm saving by buying used and put it towards a nice new piece of jewelry. . .in white gold. . .
finally my jewelry won't interfere with my yoga! i'm currently working on folded in 8 places pose. . .
posted by fortune | 6:12 PM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Friday, October 19, 2001
oooh -- new artisan chocolate today!
just down the street from my home in sunny brooklyn, a new garden of eden gourment market opened today! it's a cross between the ever-growing fairway's or an eli's vinegar factory type place and a dean and deluca. i may never go shopping in mall-hattan again. the prices are a tad high, but not as exhorbitant as dean and deluca; the high-style element of the vinegar factory is there; and the produce and prepared food element of fairways is there. however, the cheese selection isn't as vast as fairways or dean and deluca, and the produce isn't anywhere near a fairways awe-inspiring spread.
the best thing i found there is an awesome supply of chocolate, one of which i had never tried: bernard castelain. his specialty, as befits one from a wine-producing region, is a chocolate with brandy. however, i bought plain eating bars of 72% dark and a 37% milk chocolate to try.
el rey now has a competitor for my heart. this castelain dark chocolate is a warm dream of deep flavor, with no off-putting bitterness. perfect bar finish, ultimate buttery mouth-feel. i'm eating this with a glass of churchill's 1994 vintage port and i'm never looking back. . .
posted by fortune | 1:06 PM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Thursday, October 18, 2001
let's talk about coffee. i've finally found a place that sells the demoka m-203 grinder here in new york!
long time readers may remember that i have a saeco 2002 to grind my vac pot and french press coffee. despite what the ad copy says, the saeco doesn't really grind finely enough for good espresso. if you set the machine to the finest setting, it invariably jams. and then mr. right has to come take it apart while i vaccuum it out! no fun. thus for perfect espresso, i'm in the market for an espresso-only grinder.
what makes the demoka such a great thing is that the m-203 has no doser to hold the coffee after grinding. it grinds straight into the portafilter of your espresso machine. so you never have the problem of stale coffee hanging about the doser to ruin your morning shot.
i must immediately contact these people in westchester to find out how much they want for the m-203. if it's priced competitively with the rancilio rocky, i will buy -- as soon as i figure out a place to put it!
posted by fortune | 7:36 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
recently i was given a bar of organic chocolate. . .
it was a bar of green and black's 70% dark chocolate. now, in the past i've found most organic chocolate -- tropical source, cloud nine, newman's own -- to be deficient in terms of bar quality and chocolate flavor. they are strangely rubbery in the bar and unfortunately drab tasting.
this one's much better. sadly, still no rival to el rey for rich chocolate aftertaste or perfect bar finish. of course, what is, besides valrhona? but if you have deep organic principles -- i definitely do when it comes to vegetables, where the organic-raised do taste better -- then green and black's chocolate may be for you.
it's not as intensely flavored as other 70%-ers, however, and does seem to have a slightly soft bar. perhaps this comes from the use of raw cane sugar, which is slightly wetter than white sugar? hmm. . . tasting it, i would have thought it was a 55% bar; it's very sweet for a 70%! that aside, i like this chocolate. . .lemme have just one more little square. . .
posted by fortune | 8:43 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |
Monday, October 15, 2001
working today on getting a commenting feature up (see link below), because your ideas and thoughts, gentle readers, have contributed so much to this enterprise. the comments link will open a small second window, which may take a few seconds to appear. please be patient while i work it all out.
i won't censor the comments in any way; however, i am sure that you will all express your feelings in a manner that befits serious yogis and yoginis. thanks!
in the meantime, a new store of note has opened here in brooklyn: tuller's, on court st. at wyckoff, right around the corner from the energy center. they sell illy espresso, el rey chocolate, artisanal pasta, quality salumi, and glorious, glorious cheeses. i highly recommend the artisanal chevre wrapped in chestnut or grape leaves made by sally jackson in washington state, a raw milk tete de moine, and the undisputed king of parmesan, the red cow reggiano! this creamy parmesan has been made for 800 years from descendants of the original red cows.
they also have loaves from the sullivan street bakery in case you don't have any of your own handy in the freezer. while sullivan street makes excellent bread, of course home made is always better. . .
posted by fortune | 6:54 AM | top | link to this | | email this: |