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The Strangers play Live!!!

Posted by J Oliver's Coffee on October 14, 2008 at 4:41am

The Strangers, from Charlotte, NC will play at J. Oliver's Saturday, October 18 at 8 pm. They play covers from the 70's -90's sprinkled with some of their original material just to keep things interesting. A great & fun group of guys:Chris Keener - Vox, Guitar, SaxTracy Drake - Guitar, VoxNate Andrews - Bass, VoxTony Golic - Drums/Percussion/VoxEveryone is welcome!!! Come enjoy a relaxing evening of good coffee & good music. Hope to see you!The J Oliver's Crew

SCAA Skill-Building Cupping Workshop Volunteers

Posted by Renee Espinoza on October 13, 2008 at 6:02am

The upcoming annual SCAA Symposium & Exhibition is approaching, and this year will have an increased focus on hands-on education, coffee competitions, and more opportunities than ever for professional networking. It will truly live up to its theme “The Specialty Coffee Event: SCAA 2009.”With this enhanced workshop schedule, there is an increased need for volunteers as the Cupping Workshops alone have doubled in size. On behalf of the SCAA Training Committee, we would like to invite any Baristas planning to attend the annual Exhibition in Atlanta to consider volunteering for these Cupping Workshops. As the front-line contact with our customers, Baristas represent the face of the specialty coffee industry to the public; thousands of Baristas everywhere greet customers, take orders and make coffee drinks, everyday. The entire coffee industry depends on you to help educate our consumers. Because of this, volunteering for the cupping workshops are an excellent way to gain the knowledge and information needed to assist in the education of your customers. You will have the opportunity to learn the processes and procedures from those who cup and select the coffees that you prepare and serve. You will learn the SCAA standards and how they are implemented and most importantly, you will be given the opportunity to taste to coffees right along with the students who are attending. It is our hope that in working together, these classes can help Baristas gain as much knowledge as possible.Volunteers are responsible for ensuring the class runs smoothly, starting with grinding and dosing the coffees for each flight; pouring water; and quickly clearing and resetting each flight of coffees during the lab. Most labs require about a 4 hour commitment, including setup, lab time, and cleanup. Volunteers are not required or expected to do any public speaking or presentation and are welcome to taste the coffees from each flight during the class.If you’re interested in volunteering for the SCAA Cupping Workshops in Atlanta, please send an email to Renee Espinoza at respinoza@coffeemasters.com and include any known conflicts (such as attending another lab or judging in the WBC) and whether you would be interested in volunteering for multiple labs throughout the weekend. The dates of the Exposition are Friday, April 17, 2009 through Sunday, April 19, 2009.In addition to volunteering at the annual Exposition, there are several SCAA Regional Skill-Building Workshops happening throughout the year all over the country. These are smaller events but follow the exact same curriculum as the Cupping Workshops taking place in Atlanta. The first Regional Skill Building Workshop is in Charlotte, NC on November 7th through the 9th, hosted by Dilworth Coffee. This event includes five Workshops, including two Cupping Workshops, two Espresso Workshops, and one Latte Art class sponsored by the BGA. If you are interested in volunteering for this event or future SCAA Regional Skill-Building Workshops, please contact Melissa Bula at SCAA at mbula@scaa.org.Thank you for your interest in SCAA education and hope to see you at the Exposition or the Regional Skill-Building Workshops. If you have any further questions about volunteering for SCAA Cupping Workshops, please contact Renee Espinoza at respinoza@coffeemasters.com. If you’re interested in If you’re interested in getting involved with the SCAA Training Committee, please contact Ellie Matuszak, SCAA Training Committee Chair, at ellie@coffeesolutions.net.Sincerely,The SCAA Training Committee, Cupping SubcommitteeAndi Trindle, Cupping Subcommittee Co-Leader, Atlantic SpecialtyChad Trewick, Cupping Subcommittee Co-Leader, Caribou CoffeeRenee Espinoza, Cupping Subcommittee Volunteer Coordinator, Coffee MastersAndrew Miller, Café ImportsJohn Gozbekian, LAMILL CoffeeDorothea Hescock, Starbucks Coffee CompanyAmanda Eastwood, Café ImportsAlex RussanJim Cleaves, Dunkin BrandsEllie Matuszak, SCAA Training Committee Chair and SCAA Board Liaison, Coffee SolutionsMelissa Bula, SCAA Staff

Family Reunion Comments

Posted by judy f mccabe on October 12, 2008 at 3:43pm

Well another successful reunion has occurred today......I must say though the younger folks need to learn how to stick around and listen to family history.....but I was like that too years ago, eat and go. The problem is in years to come when they are old enough to want to hang around for stories, the older folks present today won'tbe here.....maybe I need to write down the stories for the future meetings. I noticed the food choices are reflecting the economic times, but that's OK...this happens all the time, another historical fact to record. Took a lot of photo's and will post some when the film is developed...I know...I'm not a digetial person! Looks like there's another hurricaine brewing.....we'll just have to wait and see what happens with it. Ever wonder what folks did before weather satelites? Just closed up their homes and hunkered down that's what! And my Mama's house is still standing strong( built in the early 50's) and so is my ggreatgrandma's house built in the 1800's. I'll try to post a picture of it too. Well...Monday brings another work day so I'll stick a fork in it and call it DONE.....later Gator's

October Saveur - So happy for Karaba!

Posted by Mark Overbay on October 8, 2008 at 8:37am

http://www.saveur.com/article/Drink/9-Great-Coffees

October Indonesia Cupping...

Posted by scott@herkimercoffee.com on October 8, 2008 at 6:44am

Time to cup a bunch of indos....Sumatra, Sulawesi, Timor, Bali, the list goes on. I'll be cupping these throughout the next week or so, let me know if you would like to come in and check anything out. Will also be evaluating some Brasil, Costa and a few more Ethiopians.Cheers,Scott

All Alone

Posted by Sarah on October 7, 2008 at 6:53am

So I'm working the evening shift by myself lately, and I have to say it's a totally different ballgame. Getting through a line of 10 people with no cashier is definitely a challenge, and I have been guilty of falling victim to freakouts. But, I was starting to get a little bored with just working the bar, and I thrive on new challenges. So much of it is mental, at some point you just stop the panic and get to people as fast as you can, which is pretty f'ing fast. Plus, I don't have to share any of my tips, and people are generous when they see you sweatin' it by yourself ;)Of course there is the continuing challenge of working with the Astoria heat exchanger automatic. Ugh. We've been trying to solve the problem of the top of the puck hitting the diffusion screen, so we scored a triple-shot basket. (ps, when we got it, there was a triple spout on the bottom. Wtf? How would one even use that??) After an hour of pulling shots with reject coffee that we were going to throw out anyway, we got the grind fine enough that we could use the same amount of coffee as in the double basket, but tamp it low enough that there's a nickel of space between the top of the puck and the screen. I pulled the best shot that's ever been pulled off that f'ed up machine -- 24 second extraction with sweet lookin' crema. Oh yeah.My latte art is getting pretty sweet -- I decided to stop trying to be fancy and focus just on hearts. Once I have those down, I'll start on my rosettas etc. I think it's harder to get really great art in to-go cups, which is all I have to work with, but I'll do my best. Maybe if I get really good in to-go cups, porcelain will be no problem!My evening customers are sweeeet! There's one girl who always orders the same drink, and says that I make it the best. I got a great heart on it one night, and she told me she was having a terrible day and that my art really made her night. Hell yes! Such an awesome feeling. Coffee is so much better than the animal shelter!

Spro Down In Chi Town

Posted by Jonathan Meadows on October 5, 2008 at 7:41pm

This past weekend I drove to Intelligentsia in Chicago for the Barista Jam, marking the second major coffee adventure I have taken. The first being my move to Alliance World Coffees in Muncie, Indiana from my home in Dallas, Texas. It was nice to finally visit the famous Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea Company. Sadly, I only had time to be involved in the Jam, which was held at their roasting location and never got to see the café.I do not care much for the 3 hour drive to Chicago from Muncie or the detour along the way that made my 3 hour trip turn into a 4 hour trip. I was able to enjoy the same detour on the way back to Muncie. Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed driving through the Chicago traffic; it was much like Dallas traffic except on crack. I find it strange the things that comfort me…The two day Jam was packed full of workshops and lectures, beginning with a short keynote speech from Doug Zell who stressed his desire for the specialty coffee industry to begin moving away from the drip brew method and moving toward French press and/or Kemex methods. He also stressed the importance of charging different prices for brewed coffee based off of how much you paid for the coffee crop. I found it a bit ironic that after Doug spoke out against the drip brew method, later that day they brought in Metropolis coffees to give a lecture on how to correctly use the drip brew method....The most notable lecture was the Café Imports lecture on green coffee, detailing many of the current coffee transportation issues and the effects of climate change during transportation. The lecture left me feeling a little helpless and as though we don’t really have that much control over what happens to our green beans before they arrive in our roasting facilities. I’m looking forward to seeing a solution.I was able to talk with Kurtis, a roaster for Intelligentsia regarding some of the health concerns we have had at Alliance World Coffees here in Muncie. He was gracious enough to show me the steps they take to insure a healthy roasting environment. Hopefully we will be able to implement some of their health standards soon.The last day included a milk workshop and a latte art competition to conclude the weekend. The competition was pretty laid back, but I think it’s good that I competed to just get my feet wet. I actually did a lot better that I was expecting and actually got an average rating on the makeshift “applaus-o-meter” oh, did I forget to mention that there weren’t any official judges so everything was judged by the intensity of the barista clap.We also got a lot of free stuff from the wonderful sponsors who helped make the event possible. I want to thank the wonderful staff at Intelligentsia for organizing and volunteering their time to hang out with us all weekend.If yall were at the Jam, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Coffee Reviews!

Posted by Benza Lance on October 5, 2008 at 2:21pm

HEY!Every day this week, I will be reviewing a different coffee over at my blog, sosprodown.blogspot.com. Up on the list are offerings from Barefoot, Ecco, and Old Soul. Head over and check it out!-Benza

My Trip To Miami

Posted by BaristaOnDutY on October 4, 2008 at 4:30pm

Wow..so I left home early am, to go to Miami, just thinking I would find some good coffee shops to spend some dinero in, boy was I wrong, however I did find 1 Shop, that was a Cuban Cafe, and also a nice Cigar shop, several Starbucks, 1 Einstien Bagels, no real mom and pops, I guess now I'm gonna have to be a lilttle more prepared.Well I now see 2 coffee shops here on the BX in Miami, as it looks I'm gonna be taking monthly trips there to try and market some of my coffee and organic business, anyone with leads to coffee shops from in FLA down to Miami on or off of highway 95 south would be appreciated. Will be posting my pics from trip later tonight once I get back home...

Chocolate Latte Recipe; Chocolate Chunk Cookie Latte Recipe

Posted by javaqueen on October 2, 2008 at 6:36pm

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Latte Recipe2 Shots Espresso1 1/4 oz Monin Chocolate Chip CookieSteamed MilkAdd espresso and Monin Flavoring Syrups Chocolate Chip Cookie to cup and stir well.Fill with steamed milk. Top with whipped cream and chocolate chip morsels.Discount Green Mountain Coffee Club

No more hot coffee

Posted by Andy Newbom on October 2, 2008 at 2:54am

So the more I cup coffee the more I am convinced that we should not be serving any coffee to customers that is over 160 degrees F. When we cup we don't even really taste anything untill it reaches below 160 degrees F. And it is best between 80 to 130F.SO I keep thinking that we have to figure out a way to have customers only drink coffee that is less than 160F degrees. Sounds crazy but the coffee tastes so much better cooler. When it is too hot people want to add cream and adulterants to cool it down and to make it have more flavor. But as it cools people don't do that.So I have not come up with a reason yet as to why I should not go ahead and only serve coffee that is below 160 degrees.Brew it at our normal 204F but then cool it somehow and then store it in the Luxus at around 160 or so.hmmm.,..

oh hey

Posted by Benza Lance on October 1, 2008 at 4:21pm

In case you haven't checked it out, I'm doin the dumb blog thing over at sosprodown.blogspot.comkeep it real.

Torani Frappe Alaska Recipe; Almond Frappe Coffee Recipe

Posted by javaqueen on October 1, 2008 at 3:30pm

Torani Frappe Alaska RecipeCouldn't help myself... With the VP debate tomorrow, I thought this might be a good coffee drink recipe to share.Ingredients:1 cup ice1/4 oz. (1/2 Tbsp.) Torani Syrups Orgeat (Almond) syrup1/4 oz. (1/2 Tbsp.) unsweetened cocoa powder5 oz. (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp.) cold milk1 shot (2 Tbsp.) illy espresso or strong brewed illy coffeeVanilla ice cream for toppingInstructions:Combine first 5 ingredients in a commercial blender in the order shown and blend until smooth (about 20 seconds).Pour into a 16-oz. glass and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yields one 16-oz. drink.

Gingerbread Latte Recipe; Holiday Latte Recipes

Posted by javaqueen on October 1, 2008 at 3:30pm

Gingerbread Latte Recipe; Holiday Latte Recipes2 Shots Espresso3/4 oz. Monin Gingerbread Coffee Flavoring Syrup1/2 oz Monin Syrup; Vanilla Flavored Coffee SyrupSteamed MilkAdd espresso, Monin Gingervread and Monin Vanilla Coffee Flavoring Syrups to cup and stir well.Fill with steamed milk.Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon.illy Coffee DISCOUNT illy Italian Coffee FREE Shipping Over $75

What the customers actually think - focus group responses to questions of quality, value and skill

Posted by Bel Townsend on October 1, 2008 at 3:22am

I have been asking lots of people what they think "high quality" coffee is. The following quotes are from professional Baristas, coffee shop owners and other industry specialists from Barista Exchange."coffee made from a barista, so he can have the best blend but if he dont know how to grind and dose or he or she are overheating milk, whats the point of 'best beans'?""For me everything start in the coffee bean. At least for my country coffee is an art. We want the best quality all the time, not every once or sometimes. For instance Bell I can have a SHB, and everything has been taking care as planned but if I do the handpicking a day after or a day before , the taste will be different. Or even when we roast the coffee, you can have a SHB or a specialty superb coffee, but if we mess up in the roasting, that's it. An entire year of harvest to the garbage indeed.""1M: select green beans2M: roast3M: blend4M: grind5M: brewingNothing esprecial, but none of them can be missed.""Quality coffee goes along with quality buyers, and quality roasters, and quality shops with (more than likely) quality management and baristas. It's almost safe to say it's in good hands. But as with anything in coffee, it can EASILY be mishandled and ruined along annnny of those steps.""The greatness is in the bean already, I want only to present as much as possible of the bean's potential in my customer's cup. Not to understate the role of the barista - coaxing out this potential is not easy, and doing it well seems to be the exception, not the rule. I think if everybody in the chain, from the plant to the cup, shares the same philosophy, you'll have true quality.""Making something drinkable from lousy ingredients does not strike me as "creating quality". It is a useful skill to posses, but I don't think you can create quality by artfully masking defects."That said, I have also been asking customers in both chain coffee shops (Caffe Nero, Esquires and Coffee Revolution) and independent shops (The Voodoo Cafe, Coffee@Elliots and Gusto Italiano) what their views on coffee quality are - and the differences are quite apparent!"erm, it doesn't taste like crap?""and Elliots - I like itbut its not really what I'd call quality coffee. It's just put cupunder, push button, there you go, there's your coffee, no skill!""good service - so, politness, the coffee not overdone or whatever, not taking too long to be served. All that stuff. And, yeah to be in clean stuff and everything. That's always nice. And, like, essential really.""Freshly roasted beans(of a good quality), properly brewed.""Low quality coffee isvery acidic, it's got things other than coffee in it. I've no idea ofquality comparisons cos I don't take much notice. I don't know wherethis stuff comes from, but I like the way it's made here.""Tasty. A certain thickness. Itkinda warms me, warms the innermost caverns of your soul. It's verybeautiful.""well you must realise,I'm not the coffee aficionado, I'm very much the layman. Neophyte asit were. it'sjust shy of £2 and yeah I enjoy it, it's the coffee, it's theenvironment, it's happy associations.""You've gotta say FairTrade haven't you. I feel really guilty coming in here if it's notfair trade. Organic would be good too.""It should have theconsistency of mud. The best coffee I've ever tasted was Turkishcoffee and you could practically turn it upside down without itpouring out. It's really thick and you know you're probably going tofeel like a lie down afterwards. Until you're actually lying down andyou can feel your heart pounding.""A bit fluffy, but: itdepends who makes it. You know it does make a difference.""I mean the thingwith like, having this kind of a market where there are a lot of bigchains, they are trying to advertise having the same thing at everyone of their stores – there's probably too much in who makes it tobe able to say that. I mean, I don't generally like African coffees,I much prefer Latin American ones and so I'll notice the difference,and how well it's been tamped and how strong it is and things likethat, so you can't really say, one shop over another."Since I am also posting this on Barista Exchange, I'm including some customer views on other aspects of coffee-shop life that the cafe owners and baristas may find interesting....On Latte Art:"It's nice but it takesway longer for them to do it so I'm just 'give me a drink, I want tosit down' you know...""I don't think muchabout presentation – it's completely off the loop for me. If theyput a pretty pattern on, then you're only going to stir it up anywaybefore you start drinking it.""Yeah, the wholething about foam – it belongs there but like, I only just feel likeI'm messing something up. I like Ugly food, ugly drinks, you know,""it's muchmore the taste I think.">I don't particularlycare what it looks like - I don't drink lattes so I don't know aboutlatte art. I'd rather they didn't bother with the little chocolateson the side though! You can have it!""(Having just Googledit) I think it's pretty mint. If it's done right that is. I once wentto get a coffee, and the guy who served me (who seems to think he'sthe coffee king...) says "I've left you something on top."So i looked at my fresh coffee, then back at him saying "Youspat in my foam?!" I think it was meant to be modern art of somedescription, but it did look more like something from the recesses ofhis lungs.""I LOVE THEM. Haha, Iwent to Costa in Darlo once and they did this lovely star pattern inmy mates Latte which was so nice. She didn't even ask, he just did,it was niceeeee. I took a pic of it, they're so cool. But erm, yeah Ilike them, it makes you feel like you've spent money on somethinggood but once the pattern goes away you feel a bit sad."I'm not too bothered about that."It's good, but I don'treally care if they don't."On why they go to coffee shops:"Mostly with coffeeshops...it depends where I'm going. I go to Esquires for the coffee,I probably come here because other people wanted to come here, a lotof the time when I go to a coffee shop is determined by other peoplesuggesting it more than my personal preference.""As a rule I don'tgo to chain coffee shops for the coffee. Like in here, it's not thecoffee, I guess the atmosphere, but I mainly get pulled in by otherpeople, and it's in a convenient location.""Decent tea, nice food,nice people. I want somewhere I can sit, and enjoy myself even if Idon't know anyone there. It's always nice.""I like the place tohave a buzz about it - i hate silent coffee shops because i thinkthey're places for talking, and you can't do that if the place issilent - it just feels oppressive.""I tend to go to Coffee@ Elliots cos they don't pretend to be Italian and you can go inthere and say “I'll have a large black coffee please and you'll geta Large Black Coffee. No bloody Frenchy americano or whatever it is.""It's like ahabit – it's the going in and sitting down, not the coffee itself. I think I'm justlazy. By the time I've walked all the way in to town, I just want tosit down somewhere. Coffee just comes with it!""I go out to cafésfairly regularly, for good coffee. I come in here probably once aweek at least, cos the coffee is very good. I avoid Starbucks andCosta, Starbucks cos it's shit, Costa cos it's too expensive.""I do go to coffeeshops, for lunches generally, um, for Cake. Definitely Cake. I'm notsure beverages come in to it too much! I tend to go for moreaccessible places. Where in particular? Where my friends happen tobe. Again, places located around where I live in Broomhill, or in theUnion area. If I happen to be in town shopping then it might be thatI'll pop in somewhere and get a piece of cake. And a drink to go withthat."And finally, on value for money:"Total rip off.""It's why I don'tusually go to chains, cos I find they generally charge more thanlike, more independent ones.""They don't paytheir staff that well either, as far as I know.""I assume you arebuying the ceramic as well, so I usually take that with me!""The prices have gone upand the cups have got smaller!! This is now £1.95 and the cupis smaller than the ones you used to get for £1.60! It issmaller! I swear it!""They are just trying to sell you the brand though aren't they? The atmosphere! You are paying forcoffee but you're also paying for a pleasant environment to sit in.""I think, in here youcan expect it to be reasonably expensive, just by the appearance ofthe place, If you like thatsetting then you'd pay for it, I mean for me, I just like the safas""It's probably about 10pisn't it? The fact that they're giving it away... I mean, you can'tbuy ten cakes and get a free cake, can you? Or juice or anything, soit must be the cheapest thing.Rachel: Well I've seenpeople in here give them away to their friends and so on so theycan't be that expensive.""You know, theysay that, like, people don't like things if they are cheap, like theythink they're not good. We've all had the wool pulled over on us, inthat this is better than filter coffee or something.""It's justmarketing though, isn't it?""i think that espressosare a rip-off, but i wouldn't have it any other way. A coffee shoponce tried to give me my money's worth of a espresso - a cappuccinomug filled to the top with double espresso; but it just felt wrong.""I actually think theyare [good value for money], cause they give you a variety of things and are veryprofessional about it all - plus the service is nice and fast. It'sgroovyThat will do for now - but there is plenty more. And I have another group scheduled for tomorrow. I will add my thoughts in soon when I've had a chance to digest it all. Until then, please feel free to add your comments and suggestions! All feedback very welcome!

Panama (Part 2): The Realization Sets In

Posted by Chris DeMarse on October 1, 2008 at 3:09am

I'd like to fancy myself an adventurous sort of person. Most of my hobbies include rock climbing, snow and wake boarding; things considered "extreme" by many. Yet, nothing feels quite so extreme or unknown in it's possible adventure than going to a Central American country that I know little about in terms of language, culture, or geography and pursuing a whirlwind, country-wide buffet of sights and adventures. I am really not sure how or what we have gotten ourselves into this. Here are some things that might make the trip exceptionally interesting:1. I know very little spanish. VERY little. I took Spanish one in High School my senior year because I didn't feel like doing any hard work. This poses a problem for me in a country where 90% of the people are not fluent in English. I know critical questions like, "Donde esta el bano (where is the bathroom)" or "cuanto cuesta la cebollas (how much are the onions?)" but I highly doubt being able to carry on any significant conversations with the native people.2. There are two primary seasons in Panama; Dry and Rainy. It's rainy season. I am told by reliable sources that one minute could be sunny and clear and literally within minutes a deluge could ensue. We are traveling by backpack throughout the country as it is obviously the most reasonable for mobility. My wife and I have legit GoLite hiking packs and brand new raincoats (Thank you REI for Labor Day sales). However, I don't know how much of a beating my pack will take with the rain before it starts turning my bag full of clothes and my camera into a bath tub.3. Transportation is a bit different than what I'm used to in small town America. While we are doing some flying, we are also going to have to take a bus and maybe a taxi to get from David to Panama and from there to Bocas Del Toro. Boquete is not really directly accessible by flight, so a half hour bus ride is necessary. I am assuming that we will be driving on mountain passes with dozens of other people on what some might characterize as dirt path type roads. This is a little nerve racking. I read a blog post about traveling from Boquete that said, "Be very careful on your drive to Bocas from Boquete. The roads are deteriorating to the point where you might lose an axel if you are not careful." Great. One of our friends and co-travelers, Emily, said that we can "get someone to drive us to Bocas for a hundred bucks". It sounds like high price, glorified hitch hiking.4. We thought we would only need some Malaria medicine to make our innoculations complete for this trip. A trip to the doctors proved to be a bit disheartening. Yellow fever, hepatitis A, malaria, rabies, and many other blood/water borne pathogens are waiting to greet us in Panama if we are not adequately prepared. I plan to bring really strong insect repellent and hope that I'm not struck by "Montezuma's Revenge".Nevertheless, we will soldier on. I cannot wait to explore the infinite biodiversity and exciting adventure that awaits for us. Will we have to bribe the police? Will we see the famed Hacienda La Esmaralda? Will I find that my Spanish is just enough to make me offensive and dangerous? Only time will tell.

Marketing and Ideas....

Posted by Steve on September 30, 2008 at 5:04pm

Recently I was beginning to think about all the advertising and marketing I wanted to do once I open my shop but I also realized that I should consult with the experts. I'm not so sure how much or where at I should generate $$ to make this feasible in my business plan. Futhermore, I will have bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly events that will definitely get the word out but I'd love to hear more from the experts.

Parable of the Coffeehouse

Posted by Chris Hooton on June 24, 2008 at 9:30am

My favorite metaphysical image from Leaper by Geoffrey Wood

The parable of the coffee shop shows that the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who goes into a coffee shop and orders an espresso.As the man talks across the counter, the coffee guy makes his coffee ands sets the cup and saucer on the counter between them. But the man doesn't drink it; he keeps talking, so the coffee gets cold, useless. The coffee guy pours it out and pulls another, sets it up. The man still can't stop talking. The next one goes bad too. So the coffee guy throws that one out too, makes another. And this goes on see?You may think you are the coffee guy in the parable, but your not -- you're the espresso. (It's like that in parables.) You're not for you. You're some one else's beverage. And God, the coffee guy, he's going to keep remaking you again and again, as many times as it takes until you are drinkable. God's pulling the shots, and he's got standards.If God changes you, you'd better change.

The first thing I do when I go into the coffeehouse is pull a test shot. This is both yummy and a chance to quality control. It is a little known fact that the grind must be adjusted several times thr

Posted by Chris Hooton on October 18, 2007 at 9:30am

The first thing I do when I go into the coffeehouse is pull a test shot. This is both yummy and a chance to quality control. It is a little known fact that the grind must be adjusted several times throughout the day. Humidity and temperature changes affect the way the grounds come out and how much crema the extraction produces. After pulling a test shot, I can fine tune the grind. Fred mentioned today that he did the same thing as a quality control chemist, he first had to calibrate and recalibrate all his instruments. He likened that to his devotional times. The contemplative life recalibrates us to live incarnationally. God definitely likes his coffee with holy high crema!

Contemplative prayer is like a shot of espresso

Posted by Chris Hooton on October 17, 2007 at 9:30am

"Am I really willing to drink this cup?" A question I love to ask my self pushed back from a table at a coffeehouse. Especially if it is a bold, Marrakesh Espresso that rumbles like thunder, grabs your tongue and wrestles you to the floor and finishes with a kiss and a playful bite. Ah the contemplative life!....Oo! I think I just found another analogy!

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.