How Does Your Cappuccino Stack Up?

Recently we had a dear couple come into the shop. They were fresh off of the plane in their new home city, Las Vegas. As a matter of fact, it was hard to understand them because of their heavy Italian accent.

They ordered a couple of small cappuccinos, which I promptly reached for the paper cups that I usually would use for takeout orders. Then I asked them if they would prefer to dine-in. Reaching for the porcelain cups over our espresso machine, they sighed a sound of joy and relief that we would not be barbarians and dare to serve an excellent cup of espresso in such a primitive thing as a paper cup.

Frothing the milk and then setting it aside, we passed small talk of their 10 days in the US., getting their drivers license and of course now looking for work. I pulled their double espresso shots for two and then delicately served up a medium dry cappuccino for him and then for her.

Their eyes grew wider as I placed the cups and saucer before them. "Wow, she said, the whip is just like we have at home!" Had I hit a homerun or was she just being nice? (We all make the drink on a daily basis but rarely is it judged by an Italian straight off the boat) The proof would be in the drinking.

Not only did they finish the drinks but they never attempted to add the ubiquitous  sugar, cinnamon or cream. They just drank and nodded, drank and nodded. And with a final slurp, it was done.

"We'll be back, they said." "We love your cappuccino." I nearly became emotional. It takes an native Italian to acknowledge that our American attempt at a cappuccino is sufficient. I will forever be humbled and encouraged. Now the question, "How your cappuccino stack up to the Italian Way?"

I’ll have the Dark Roast Alex…

In the short amount of time that I’ve spent as an avid coffee drinker to now as a shop owner my level of interest in the beloved beverage has grown more and more. Each and every day there are more articles being written about, around and for the love of coffee.

There has been one area of confusion that most coffee-philes will agree upon. What the heck to call the different roasting levels of coffee. You can travel from Spain to Peru and each country has its own name for the level and necessity of roasting.

In some countries, like Italy a darker version of roast is totally acceptable, while here in the USA we like our coffee a little less dark. Either way knowing before buying is always helpful.

I’ve listed below the different levels of roast to help you next time you decide to by that rich deep espresso blend but were expecting a light roast.

Within the four color categories, you are likely to find common roasts as listed below. But it is a good idea to ask before you buy.  There can be a world of difference between roasts!

Light Roasts

Light brown in color. This roast is generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. There will be no oil on the surface of these beans, because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface

·         Light City

·         Half City

·         Cinnamon

·         New England

Medium Roasts

Medium brown in color with a stronger flavor,  and a non-oily surface. This roast is often referred to as the American roast because it is generally preferred in the United States.

·         City

·         American

·         Breakfast

Medium—Dark Roasts

Rich, dark color with some oil on the surface and with a slight bittersweet aftertaste

·         Full City

Dark Roasts

Shiny black beans with a oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. The darker the roast, the less acidity will be found in the coffee beverage.  Dark roast coffees run from slightly dark to charred and the names are often used interchangeably which can be very confusing.  Be sure to check your beans before you buy them!

·         High

·         Continental

·         New Orleans

·         European

·         Espresso

·         Viennese

·         Italian

·         French

Sherman Ray

Editor

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The Visitor from Colombe

If any of you are fans of the hit Travel Channel series "Dangerous Grounds" then you will be interested in this latest event that happened over at one of our local shops on Wednesday. Dangerous Grounds is a show about Todd, the owner of La Colombe and a coffee saucier. That means he is well versed in the art of cupping and identifying the different varieties and flavors of coffee.

In his last show, which aired on Tuesday night, Todd was searching out a very rare coffee from the high mountains in Guatemala.  The story is great but since this is a blog I won't be able to relate all of the twists turns and near death situations that Todd and "Hollywood", his cameraman got into to before securing the rare bean from the La Perla Plantation. What a great show.

Fast-forward to Wednesday morning, I your humble editor, was serving the first customer of the day, a slightly build, well-spoken Frenchman with an appetite for a single shot of espresso.

You can always tell a coffee-phile because they usually will only order a single shot of espresso to start off their conversations. It's our way of testing the waters of sorts, before  wading  into the deep.

After trading pleasantries my visitor, Nicolas, asked me about who I purchased my coffee from. I told him that we work with a local roaster but that as fate would have it, we had just ordered our own roasting machine that morning. He was ecstatic for our business.

I then asked him, "And you, what do you do for a living?" He said "Oh I am a coffee roaster too." Really!!! Now, I have been trying to get a bead on all of the coffee roasters in the Las Vegas area. I only know of 3. How could it be that I missed this one? As a matter of fact, I had just confirmed that there were only a handful of roasters the day before when I was speaking with Stefanie Frank of Frankly Good Coffee.

So who could this interloper be who claimed that yes he too was a local roaster! "Well, what is the name of your company? I asked. "La Colombe", he answered. Gafaugh!!!...are you kidding me. I all but called him a liar. "You don't really work for La Colombe. I was just watching Todd on TV last night", I said. "Yeah, Todd is my boss, he replied.

I was flabbergasted. How could this be. How fortunate could I be that the first customer I served would be a 20 year veteran of the trade and part of the La Colombe dynasty. We laughed and spoke of such heady things like...well coffee of course and how Las Vegas really needed to experience a renaissance in coffee culture as much of the civilized world had already experienced and now enjoys.

He told me to encouraged the people who are putting their collective heads together to create a coffee culture here in the City of Lights. When he left he said that when he returned that he would share some of the Guatemalan beans secured by Todd.

Truly we are on the right track. We had a visit by the Man from Colombe.

Sherman Ray
Editor
LVCCM