2 Espressos, 1 Daughter, Kopplins, kind of hard to beat that combo...

Excellent mild Ethiopian followed by a brighter and more chocolaty Ecco Cafe Espresso Blend (Sonoma Valley roasters). Nice to share some excellent 2 espresso with my daughter who had the bittersweet heavenly mocha. You've got to taste it to believe all the others are all just syrupy lame imitations...

Stillwater, MN - "Daily Grind" lives up to its name...

Daily Grind tasted like Daily Grind...

The Beat Goes On...

Matt served me up some very fine espresso today. Hard to go wrong when you start with Bullrun. Nice thing too about the Beat Coffeehouse is that they're so damn friendly. Nice space, nice people, and fine espresso. What more could a guy want?

Even Tom Hanks Recognizes a Crappy Espresso Machine

You have to be specific when ordering 2 espressos...

Gotta say separate cups! Turtle Bread Company in Linden Hills...

Cars-R-Coffins

Cool space, cool bikes, nice vibe. The first thing the manager said after I ordered my 2 espressos was "I just watched the coolest movie last night" and you guessed it, it was The Limits of Control. If you still haven't seen it, definitely check it out. And check out Cars-R-Coffins on the corner of 34th and Lyndale. Peace Coffee Espresso blend done decently and with a smile...

I find a place that sells hotdogs and beer and THE BEST ESPRESSO IN THE SOUTHWEST and interview the man behind it!

I sampled the Intelligentsia espresso that John pulled and it was wonderful. It had a nice bitter lemon bite to it and went down like gold. Tyler was nice enough to let me sample some single source Burundi that left a nice oily finish coating my palette and never wanting to leave this place. You definitely have to stop by this place next time you're in Austin. It's one of the best I've found.... anywhere!

Video Interview with Tyler, the man behind Austin's hottest espresso joint, Frank!

Heaven in a cup looks like

If you haven't had espresso, you haven't had coffee...

Angry Catfish is Open, Hallelujah!!!

I was greeted with a "Hey Keith" by master barista Michael as I walked into the new Angry Catfish coffee and cycle shop. He pulled me two awesome shots that almost brought me to tears they were so good. I probably would have cried right there and then with joy if it weren't for the fact that I was exhausted from flying in on the red eye from California. Anyway, you've simply got to check this place out. The espresso is divine. I had the Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso and it was delicious. It's sweet finish is what hit me. It had the perfect nose to it with just the right acidity, a perfect brown rust crema and a bittersweet finish that stayed with me on my way back to work. Finally south Minneapolis has a high end espresso bar we can all flock to!

Look at the space in this place!

Venice Beach's own Intelligentsia beans... Rare to find here in Minnesota...

One down, one to go... and the crema!

Yours truly striking the 2 espresso pose...

Pismo Beach, CA

Nothing like escaping the Midwest cold and downing some espresso on
the beach in California. Stopped into Mon Ami on the main drag and
wandered out on the pier. Nice acidic nose, good crema, swell bean.
Paper cups, eh...

Travellin' Espresso

On the way to LA I grab a couple of espressos for the road...

Atmosphere, Atmosphere...

You can't knock the way the evening sun sets right on the bar at the N.E. Social, especially on cold days like these. Dropped into one of our favorite haunts for some beans and mushrooms on toast accompanied of course by some espresso. Everything is prepared with attention to detail here and the service is impeccable... Gourmet food and wine followed up by 2 espresso is the only way to go. You will enjoy the relaxed class of this place. I know we did. Billie Holliday spinning, chipotle chocolate mousse, a rare Greek wine, saffron infused sugar to accompany your espresso, the place is heaven on earth...

Brett Favre Espresso!

Brett Favre stopped in for Espresso at Rinata Restaurant!

Ok, just kidding...

Fellow Espresso Fanatic T.C. Long Sent These Photos

TC shared these photos of his office "Handpresso Domepod" I told him it looked like a bong. The results certainly look good. I must admit to being a bit jealous...

The "Java Bong" in action...

T.C. striking the 2 espresso pose... Nicely done...

It's sub zero so I warmed my Isles Buns...

Met my good buddy Bob Rue for coffee today at Isles Buns on 28th and Hennepin. These people have wonderful buns! And they have a vat of frosting cream you can dive into and spread all over their buns. Yummy... Oh yeah, this blog is about espresso right? Sorry, but if you tasted their buns you'd digress too.

First off, they have a Synesso! That is already half the battle. And they have big smiles so that wins a lot of favor too. If I might suggest a couple things however... Train the baristas to pull shots the way Synesso allows you to. You can control everything with those machines so make use of that. And the beans could be better. The shots were ok, don't get me wrong, just didn't have much nose and came off a little burnt and bitter. Maybe it would have tasted better if they had been pulled right. I'd make better use of that very expensive espresso machine.

Anyway, it was a great place to meet up with Bob and talk movies again and smell the smell of heaven... their buns!

The Warming Qualities of 2 Espressos

Today was a good day (like many days here in Minnesota) to bundle up and venture out to one of my favorite coffee bars, Blue Moon. There I settled in and appreciated the coziness of it all as I sipped on my espresso. I'm getting anxious to hear whether my grant proposal will be accepted so that I can venture out into the world (Italy to be precise) and sample the best espresso they have to offer. I asked for money to be able to study the "art of espresso" in its country of origin so that I could learn from the best and apply that knowledge back home in Minnesota and nationally to bring fine espresso center stage (where it deserves to be!). I guess I can only cross my fingers and hope the committee understands the importance of educating the public to the virtues of excellent espresso. Cross your fingers too because it would make one hell of a blogging experience...

Happy 2010!

From me to all you espresso fanatics... Cheers!

Cave Creek Arizona has Espresso!

My brother sent me this photo (complete with his Delorean) from Cave Creek, Arizona

Urban Bean visit

Beautiful red and white decor and simple layout at the Urban Bean on 35th and Bryant. They even had a red Cimbali to go with it. Too bad the European Roasterie espresso blend tasted like most of the other regular coffees in this town, that is, it tasted like normal bitter almond coffee that kind of resembles espresso but not really. No real aroma to it either, no nose... It's one thing to buy the beans and another to finish the product. No finish here. Why do Kopplin's and Bull Run have to be the exceptions and not the norm? Why?

Sebastian Joe's Has Great Intentions...

Indeed they do. The guy behind the counter was so proud of their beans and told me about the owner who apparently is studying hard all about roasting coffee and barista techniques and the like. I had the "dark dancer" espresso which they roast themselves. Well I do appreciate the hard work that's being put into the beans and the process but I have a big suggestion, get a better machine, not the Cimbali instant button press variey. They need something so they can pull good shots because I only tasted dark roasted and pretty bitter coffee. They might be able to pull the right tastes, aromas and textures from a better machine. It's a shame to do all that work on the roasting part just to have a mediocre product to serve. Upgrade your machine so we can taste the beauty of your beans...

Downtown Minneapolis Hyatt "Taxxi" Restaurant yesterday...

OK, you got me... Only one espresso... But if you tasted what passes for espresso at the Taxxi Restaurant you wouldn't even order one! Just because you wanted to add espresso to your restaurant menu doesn't mean you should order some pod machine and pass it off as espresso. Better to just not have espresso on the menu...

Rushton's pic from Cafe Crema

Rushton sent me this sweet photo from cafe Crema. I have them on my radar now and will check them out soon.

Wondering how Jackson's is doing?

Sunrise over Jackson's in Uptown...

Swung by Jackson's Coffee Bar and Gelato to see how the new place was doing. I hope I was just there during an off hour but it was pretty quiet. That didn't stop me from enjoying my 2 espressos and getting a cool photo op of course. Digging the sunlight. Espresso didn't have much nose but tasted lemony citrus with some hints of cherry blossom. Support your local espresso bar!

Positively charged at the new Bull Run...

Wanted to keep the good vibes and mojo moving towards the newly opened Rustica Bakery and Bull Run Coffee Bar so I stopped in today for a bit of the usual. The thing is, there is nothing usual about their espresso. They really go out of their way to make the best cup of coffee possible. I sipped my 2 espressos in the sun seated at the cupping table today. It may have been -2 outside but it always feels 72 and sunny when you walk into this place. The people are friendly, the baristas knowledgeable, the atmosphere positively charged, all of which make for a sweet coffee experience. Head on over when you get a chance, no wait! Head on over right now, don't wait for the chance, it's that good!

I came to a fork in the espresso road and took the Kenyan and that made all the difference...

Next time I walk into Kopplin's I will order two of the same espresso or maybe drink the Ethiopian before the Kenyan. I started with the Kenyan and it was bright and leaped up into my nose and demanded my attention from the get go. It then proceeded to the back of my palette, which is exactly how I like it, saturating it with rich fruity flavors with a chocolate edge. Perfect viscosity too with just the right oils, close to a perfect pour. Next I tasted the Ethiopian. At first I was confused by how mellow it tasted but than realized quickly that the Kenyan had simply overtaken my palette leaving me no way to truly appreciate the Ethiopian. The pour was a little longer too which reinforced the mellow quality of the espresso. Guess I've learned my lesson.

Caught them just before closing up shop...

An excellent coffee bar that sets the standard very high opens near Lake Calhoun!

Bull Run finally teamed up with Rustica Bakery to open a globally conscious high end coffee bar and bakery. And thank god for that because this city needs more coffee bars like this badly! I spoke with Greg Hoyt the owner while sipping excellent espressos prepared by barista Keith Mrotek. Greg spoke with passion about this product we love so much... coffee! We talked about educating the American public and raising standards in ways that hopefully will catch on with the general populace.

Greg welcomed me warmly as I'm sure he will you!

The coffee is brewed either French press, pour over brew bar, Clover, or siphon and the espresso pulled on a 3 group synesso hydra (of course!). Bull Run has pulled out all the stops at this coffee bar. They even put in a table for cuppings. How often do you see that? And of course teaming up with Rustica Bakery means you'll not only drink fantastic high quality coffee but have many guilty pleasures to eat as well!

Eric Faust profiles Bull Run in an excellent article he wrote for the Heavy Table. Click here to read this article. And be sure to visit these guys and help them get off the ground. Accept no substitutes or imitators!

Keith is so good he can pull shots better with his eyes closed than most can with them open! (sorry Keith, I'll get a better photo next time!)

My barista friend Jefferson sent this...

Jefferson is from Seattle where he claims everyone trains as a barista for their high school diploma...

Stillwater, USA

Putting my feet up at Supreme Bean in Stillwater, MN

Excellent getaway this weekend after the turkey. Enjoyed espressos at Domacina Wine Bar Friday night and Supreme Bean the next morning. Stillwater rocks getaway style. We stayed at the Lowell Inn, dined at the Pirate Bar, hit the antique shops and finished our night at Brine's and Domacina. The owner of Domacina was a cool Serbian dude that understood the importance of fine wines, food and espresso. Definitely check out Stillwater next time you need a sweet escape from the daily grind...

What's better than espresso after fine wine and food? Well, nothing, duh...

Someone take these espressos from me please!

Tried to give Cuppa Java another chance but seriously! That was bad espresso. I couldn't even stomach the 2nd...

Nick and Eddie

Had 2 espressos at my new favorite place to eat, Nick and Eddie on Loring Park. This area has always had sentimental value for me being where my wife used to live when we first met and for the old Loring which has become regrettably the new Lurcat (yuck). Anyway, I absolutely love the food here and the ambiance and all our chill friends who wander in. Oh and let's not forget Ryan the friendly kick ass bartender that always knows what I drink and when I'm drinking it even if I don't... The espresso was much appreciated, especially since most restaurants are still serving basic brew coffee. My only suggestion might be a better bean, but other than that it was just what I needed after my jambon gruyere with raspberry sauce sandwich. Oh my. And did I mention my wife's band "Poosa" is playing Nick and Eddie Jan. 30th? Well I did now...