Thai Coffee and a Photo Shoot

Happy belated Christmas and New Years everyone! I know it has been awhile . . .

So, a blog that includes the words "cup" and "joe" in the title should probably be posting about coffee right?

Right.

So here it is, my first coffee photo shoot. This is definitely not my best latte art and I haven't been practicing much lately, but it's what we got that day. Lesson learned though . . . it's important to eat something, not have too much caffeine on an empty stomach, and not have to pee badly before I try to do something that requires fine motor skills (hence the crooked leaf).

This photo shoot was for an article I wrote about Lanna Coffee for the little magazine for which I am an editor. I invite you to read the article yourself. I have worked with a lot of different espressos over the years, and I feel like this one is a really good general, not-over-the-top crazy flavor, great starter espresso from Thailand. Normally single origin espressos have very distinct fruity or nutty flavors that can really catch you off guard. Not this one. Because of its nice and balanced flavor, I also find that this espresso is great if you like to flavor or sweeten your drink.

The best part about this coffee? It's a coffee for a cause. Proceeds from the purchase go right back into a wholistic community development plan (think sustainable agriculture, health care, water and education) that is helping the people of the hill tribes in Thailand. It's definitely a cause worth supporting. You can read more about this and order coffee here. This is my daily espresso these days, and maybe you'll enjoy it too!

Verve Espresso Review

Awhile back I promised you that I would let you know how the Verve espresso turned out on my Rancilio machine at home. I was really impressed with this espresso in the Verve shop in Santa Cruz, CA. It was fantastic, and I even dreamed about it and woke up the next morning and all I could think of was how much I wanted to buy the 6 month (subscription?) for it.

So I bit the bullet and paid the whopping $20 for a pound to try it at home before making any major commitments.

And the results?! . . . . Definitely less than steller at home. It was missing the wow factor and the flavor was a little flat. Don't get me wrong, it was still a pretty solid tasting espresso, but not nearly as delicious as other espressos have been in my Rancilio (my favorite home espresso is still "World's Best Espresso" from Klatch). Over the course of the next week or two, the flavor suffered even more. I've come to the conclusion that fancy espressos are much more temperamental and their flavors change quicker than mid-level espressos.

Final thoughts: Go try Verve in their official store, it's awesome. But don't waste the money on it at home unless you've got money to burn, or want to drink the entire pound in a day.

Verve Coffee Roasters - Santa Cruz, CA

I love it when something "wows' me.  I think it's because I have a desire for excellence in practically everything. So I was thrilled when earlier in April I found myself at Verve in Santa Cruz, CA. Not only was their environment awesome (think Restoration Hardware-ish), the seating was fun and different, the retail selection was simple and looked great and the menu was mostly non-frilly/coffee appreciator drinks. I think they've also won some recent espresso awards and a design award.  But I was totally wowed by the first sip of my soy cappuccino. I couldn't even tell you what it tasted like, but it was the best espresso I've had in a loooong time. And of course, the latte art is always a plus. The espresso is pretty pricey at $20 a pound, but I ordered some which came today. I can't wait to try it tomorrow morning and see if it tastes nearly as good as at the shop. I'll let you know! 

Trying out some new espresso at home

 Soy Cappuccino from Verve in Santa Cruz, CA

 Latte from Verve

Homemade Pumpkin Latte

This was my homemade pumpkin latte. It consisted of two shots of espresso, steamed milk, a little of the Torani pumpkin spice syrup (which really doesn't taste like pumpkin at all), a dash of allspice and cloves in the drink and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Yum!