This is my latest print in an attempt to shine light on some of the common misconceptions that surround espresso. However, this one is questionable. I’ve read many studies that suggest that a shot of espresso has less caffeine than an 8oz cup of drip/pour-over coffee and others that state the opposite, depending on how it’s measured. I tend to think a 1oz shot is going to have significantly less caffeine, does anyone out there know otherwise? Please let me know!
Cool collection of various hot beverage lids. I think I’ve used about half of them, although now I try to avoid coffee from places that would use most of these. One ceramic mug for here please!
Trailhead Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon may embody all things that come to mind when you think of the Pacific Northwest, coffee, bikes, and all the beautiful parks to explore. They’ve worked with Metrofiets to have a custom cargo bike designed and built to carry around large loads of coffee that pretty much embodies their company mantra:
Trailhead Coffee Roasters was created to combine our passions in life: great coffee, being outdoors, strong communities and being good stewards to the earth.
The company gives back to its community locally and globally through Kiva and by providing coffee to bike races and commuter events around town, which probably gives them ample opportunities to take this beauty out for a spin. While I’ve never had their coffee, I’d love to try their Guatemala –”Our latest addition. Three words: Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. Amazing.” Sounds like it!
The third and final video from the Intelligentsia series created by Dpt4D. Check out the others about espresso and syphon brewing.
While we’re on the subject of Intelligentsia, a big Congratulations to Michael Phillips, who was crowned the 2010 World Barista Champion last month in London. Phillips lives in Chicago and works at Intelli as the Director of Education, where he oversees the training of all the other fantastic baristas in their ranks.
It’s because of this fine company, the coffee they roast and the baristas who make it, that I love coffee so much. Before I wandered into their Broadway cafe one cold winter day in Chicago, I thought the only good thing about coffee was the caffeine. But the shot pulled for me that afternoon opened my eyes to the amazing world of specialty coffee that I was completely unaware of until then. So thank you, and keep up the fantastic work!
To love coffee is one thing, to get up close an intimate is another. This coffee grinder was conured up by a group of students at the Bezalel Academy for Arts and Crafts (Israel’s national school of art) to make a statement about the disconnection we have to our purchased objects. So they designed one that needs to be embraced and caressed in order to function.
Their protest takes form in this beautifully designed “Heart Bean” coffee grinder. Made from a single piece of carved wood, this coffee grinder has a built-in heart beat monitor and will grind your beans to the rhythm of your heart … So basically, you wake up, you make sweet, sweet love to this giant piece of wood and it spits out coffee grinds. Gosh I love humans, we are so weird and wondrous.
Designer Shmuel Linski has taken his love of coffee to a whole new extreme by constructing an espresso machine from concrete. This incredible monument to coffee redefines, “industrial” as an aesthetic term in product design and truly displays how far one’s love for coffee will take them.
Good news (I think) for Muslim coffee drinkers out there. Kopi Luwak coffee, aka overpriced civet poop, has been designated halal. Meaning that as long as it’s cleaned and processed properly, it can be enjoyed legally according to Islamic law. Drink up!
Nice chart of various coffee drinks (click image to view it larger). Love the design, but there are a few inaccuracies. It could be just language or different interpretations, but a Latte is most definitely espresso and steamed milk. And if you’re making iced coffee by pouring regular ol’ drip over ice, you’re not going to have the best iced coffee experience. Cool design, it just needs a little editing.
I’ve probably mentioned before that besides coffee and design, I also love bikes. Almost everyone I know who rides is also an avid coffee drinker. So, the lifestyles seem to go hand-in-hand. On July 3rd, the Tour de France began, which is like the World Cup for people who enjoy cycling instead of soccer (there may be those who like both). If you don’t own a television or have cable, it may be hard to find a place to watch it, but if you happen to be in London or NYC there are a couple new options—good coffee included.
Rapha, a great company who make high-quality cycling gear, recently opened two pop-up bike cafes, called Rapha Cycle Club, that combine a love of coffee and bikes that provide a place to watch the Tour this summer. You can ride in, relax, and watch the race on a couple flat screens all while enjoying a fresh cup. The London store brews Nude Espresso and NYC is serving Third Rail.
Wish I was still in NYC to check this out. I’d recommend that anyone who is into bikes and coffee, should stop by!
While I was in New York in May, I drank a lot of great coffee and hung out with a lot of great friends, including the brothers behind eco-fashion company Holstee. Their shirts and accessories, made from recycled materials, are awesome—but they also voluntarily curate their store with other responsible products they love and support.
One of those products is the Presso—a manual espresso machine, that’s fun and easy to use. Just add hot water, fresh ground beans, and a little tricep power, and you get a surprisingly good shot for much less than most home espresso machines ($150).
So we got together, drank a lot of espresso (I think I had 8 shots myself) and made a video showing how the Presso works. Enjoy!
