Liquid Joy

A customer today ordered a caramel latte, and the sweet, rich odor drove me a little nuts. In my butterscotch induced frenzy, I made myself a cocktail of raw indulgence: a 20 oz white caramel soy mocha. It's on!

Oh, man. I've had some coffee drinks in my day, but this one is seriously crazy. White chocolate and caramel could be overwhelmingly sweet, but the espresso in this drink really evens that flavor out. In fact, this drink reminds me of some kind of butter-and-sugar based delicacy. That combination of sweet and savory is irresistible!

One of the wonders of coffee beverages is that they're as practical or as recreational as we desire. The white caramel mocha is pretty much entirely recreational. I confess I feel mildly guilty drinking something like this well before noon. It's like a proper dessert drink. But wow, what a smile this is putting on my face!

Face To Face

We carry 3 kinds of drip coffee here at Morning Fix, all by Caravan. One of those coffees is decaf, so I'm going to skip it for now and focus on our two caffeinated choices. I had a customer the other day who usually drinks one kind, but took the time to sample both of these choices, and drank the kind she usually didn't have. To help facilitate more folks experimenting with their tastes, I'd like to compare and contrast two coffees: Black Thunder and Sumatra Mandheling. I don't believe either of these coffees is better than the other, but I'm curious and interested to note their differences.

Black Thunder is Caravan's dark roast. This coffee is rich and smooth. Not smooth like silk - more like high thread count cotton. That is, the smoothness of this coffee is finite, and edged by a tint of sweetness. I get the sense that this coffee has been tuned by the roaster for maximum robustness and roundness of flavor. Finishing the cup leaves me feeling satisfied and energized.

Our most popular drip coffee is Caravan's Organic Sumatra Mandheling. In contrast to the Black Thunder, this coffee has more of an edge to it. Where the dark roast has a sweetness like mint, the Sumatra has a sweetness like a grape or a berry. The aroma of the Sumatra is quicker to dissipate, but the flavor lingers longer on my tongue. This feels like a "faster" cup - like it was roasted and brewed more to be drank than to be savored.

I honestly think a curious drinker can do no wrong with either of these coffees. They're both balanced, strong and flavorful. I think I'd drink the Black Thunder on a cooler day, and Sumatra on a warmer day, but that's just me. We here at Morning Fix are interested in your opinion as well. Next time you're in the shop, ask to sample these coffees. We'll be happy to hook you up for free, as long as you're willing to fill out an opinion sheet to let us know what you think. See you there!

Multi-generational neighborhood

A small clan of humans has taken over the very popular window seat again. One full-size, drinking a hazelnut latte and two shorties drinking hot chocolate. As a barista I was grateful to these customers for giving me the opportunity to practice steaming milk. Turning milk into microfoam is not easy. It's subtle, easy to ruin and potentially quite messy. Like anything, it takes practice to get it right.

Making their drinks, I put the steam wand into a pitcher of milk along with a thermometer. As soon as I turn on the steam wand, one of the little ones gets very curious.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making your milk warm and steamy."

"That sounds good."

Oh, it's good alright. When done well, steaming milk makes it sweet and fluffy. It's a fun texture to mix, and foamed milk art is a mainstay of the espresso culture elite. The full-grown one tells me that she runs a local day-care, and wonders if she could bring some kids and card games some time. Morning Fix is definitely muli-generation-friendly, so I tell her she's very welcome.

The three of them sit at their table for a while debating whether or not they like the hot chocolate and the blueberry muffin. When they've decided, one of the little ones comes over to tell me so.

"I like hot chocolate."

"Sweet! I'm glad to hear it."

"Beatrice doesn't like it."

"That's okay, she's brave for trying."

The other little one (apparently Beatrice) leans over to the extroverted one and whispers something. He relays the message.

"Beatrice likes the hot chocolate."

Morning Fix: give us a try, we'll change your mind.

Return to the warmth

The latte and the americano are very popular espresso-based beverages. I prefer the americano for its mellow texture and low acidity. Many love the latte for its creamy richness. A cappuccino is an intermediate drink between the latte and the americano: espresso topped with milk that is mostly foam. Originally popularized in Italy in the early 20th century, cappuccino is still a popular breakfast beverage all over Europe. Here in the states we serve cappuccino as an afternoon or after-dinner drink more often.

Classically, the beverage is served in a ceramic cup and topped with a full 2 cm of foam. The cup and foam work together to insulate the espresso and keep it hot. The foam also serves to add a hint of smooth sweetness. The foam is the key to the texture of this drink, and making proper microfoam is challenging. While I am an experienced blogger, I am a fairly new barista, so I spent a little extra time today practicing making foam. When I made a cappuccino I was happy with, I was surprised to notice how light it was. My cup looked and smelled full, but weighed nearly nothing.

I've been a fan of Caravan espresso since the first time I walked into Morning Fix. What I enjoyed about my cappuccino was that it felt mostly like a garnish or liquid wrapping for the espresso. While americanos change the strength of the espresso and lattes change the texture, a cappucino frames and focuses on the shot in the middle. The airiness of the foam reminded me of how aerating a sip of wine or beer can release new subtle flavors and aromas. When I finished my drink, I was surprised to see some foam left in my cup. This made me realized the experience of drinking capppuccino was about sipping espresso through the foam. This is a fun and flavorful way to enjoy coffee.

By the way, the name "cappuccino" comes from a visual comparison between the topping of foam on the drink and the religious habits worn by the Capuchin monks. We get the name of the Capuchin monkey from the same comparison.