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Booze & Espresso - correcting my coffee

A Christmas gift moka espresso pot has made me and Jodie even bigger fans of this stovetop style of espresso-making. But what I really love? When we're in for the evening, whipping up some moka espresso, and doing what the Italians refer to as "correcting the coffee" (well, except probably in Italian). Or, in plain English, adding a wee dollop of booze. Jodie is partial to a wee slug of Bailey's Irish Cream; for me, there's nothing better than a bit of ameretto. Ah, yes, now we're talking.

Do you correct your coffee? If so, with what? And what type of coffee?

Free espresso at the Wandering Goat

Friday afternoons from 4-7p.m., head to the Wandering Goat for a free shot of some wonderful espresso. The Goat is a new coffee shop in town, open till 11 p.m. and located at 2nd & Madison in Eugene's Whiteaker neighborhood.

And then stick around. This could well become our new favorite coffee shop — or, at the least, it'll tie Perugino for first place.

Caffe Pacori - Coffee's secret ingredient: The wood

After having a cuppa Pacori at Beppe & Gianni's, I also sent a pound to my family in Virginia for their Christmas morning cuppas. Indeed, some of the best coffee I've ever had, and the R-G's Team Best concurs:

Link: Coffee's secret ingredient: The wood - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

"We've found a coffee so flavorful and smooth that we're willing to pay the piper a little extra for it. We're talking about Caffe Pacori's wood-roasted house blend, a brew available at several coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores."

Pacori coffee - roasted here in Eugene

Have you had the coffee at Beppe & Gianni's? If so, then you've 1) probably, like me, fallen in love at first sip, and 2) had some Pacori Coffee. Pacori is a small roaster here in Eugene, and if the cuppa I had the other night is any indication, some of their roasts need a home in our coffee cupboard.

Gourmet Roasted Coffee, Wood Roasted Coffee - Pacori Coffee

Want a cup or a bag? Here's Where to get Caffe Pacori

By the way, does anyone know which roast Beppe uses? The Bistrio Italiano Coffee sounds a good guess...

Coffees to try

Recommendations from The Perfect Cup that are next on my coffee list:

Columbian: "Perhaps what most distinguishes it is a sweet, caramelly taste and mouthfeel"

Costa Rican: But not just any Costa Rican coffee, La Minita, from Terazu, which Castle describes as "the most carefully processed coffee in the world and offers a taste that is as focused as a laser"

Guatemalan: This one just has me by the intuition. I have to try it, and taste for myself its "distinctive smokiness that is at once subtle and unforgettable". I believe that Guatemalan coffee and I are about to begin a beautiful friendship.

Haitian: Sweet not bitter? I'm most curious about a coffee that's "great for roasting dark, developing a sweet, hard-candy taste without the bitterness of many dark-roast coffees."

Indian: Ah, Kerala state, how I miss you so. You don't usually think "coffee" when you think India, but South India has got it going on: "Monsoon Malabar is one of the best Indian coffees and one of the most consistently available aged coffees in the world." Its "notes of cinnamon and a strong hint of cedar" will feel right at home here in the Northwest.

Indonesian: I've been a fan of Sumatran coffee before I even knew that's what I was drinking. I love the earthiness of its brews, and the low acidity. A "spicy and strong-flavored" Java, though, now that's one for me to get some brew on with.

Want to know more about coffee, or to read up for ideas on coffees you should try? Check out Timothy James Castle's The Perfect Cup.

The Perfect Cup

Author: Timothy James Castle
Buy The Perfect Cup: Amazon | Powells

"It is difficult to describe the standard by which coffee is determined to be good. I think of good coffees as ones that, despite their processing, roasting, and brewing, somehow transport the scent and flavor of the land, air, and water of their origin. Some coffees, when you taste them, transport you back to their birthplace."

Tidbit: The sidebar "10 Keys to Perfect Coffee" outlines the basics underlying anyone's perfect cup. The most important step is #10: "take the time to make your cup of coffee count. Don't gulp, savor."  

Passion of the bean. Castle doesn't just know about coffee. He knows that he loves coffee. It is a fun and a thrill for him, an endless, boundless amazement at the combination of earth and plant, bean and human. His joy and fascination come through in every page.

Brew, buy and taste. I found this 244-page book on my ickle sister Taylor's shelves, and the trouble with finishing it, is that now I have to give it back. There's plenty I'm keeping with me though, because after reading Castle's book my love of coffee has now been balanced by knowledge on how to choose and prepare the coffees I'd like to try at home. In my French press. Oh yeah.

French press, check. Organic Sumatran coffee, check. My own copy... Soon. I've said before that it's only now and again that I come across books that I value so much I want my own copy. I'll soon be snagging The Perfect Cup for my own coffee prep area.

The geography of java. My favorite part of the book begins on page 38, "A Coffee-Lover's Guide to the World of Coffee". I've taken many notes on the countries and beans Castle outlines. Pardon me while I put the burr grinder on; it occurs to me that I've only a carafe's worth left before needing to stock up on a different type of bean. Oh darn.

As much as I love coffee, I had also never gotten around to learning about coffee or how to make it at home. (Don't ask.) Now though, I am armed — or beaned, as you may wish to punningly put it. With my burr grinder, my French press, and a vast selection of coffee beans not two blocks, I'm off for a cuppa. Care to join me?

Buy The Perfect Cup: Amazon | Powells

Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea - Roanoke, VA

Origin story of a coffee snob
It began here.

Barry's Espresso & Bakery

The next-best coffee shop in Eugene, right next door.

As much as I love my Perugino, there are days (usually Saturday or Sunday) where I don't want to leave my apartment. But my coffee lust does. That's why there's Barry's.

In the Southtowne Shops, at 28th & Oak. They also have excellent sandwiches (so I hear; I've not eaten there. Yet.) Cozy place (and outdoor seating when it's nice). Great staff, good vibe, and awesome drinks.

Damn - now I'm so craving a cuppa.

Learn more about Barry's:
something2eat.com - Eugene - Springfield - Dining and restaurant guide "Barry's Espresso & Bakery"

Brew up a perfect batch of iced coffee

I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like a good way to get a iced pot o' joe going. The only tip I would change would be about adding ice cubes. Instead of adding ice cubes of water that will only dilute the coffee, instead make enough coffee separately to make ice coffee cubes. Let the coffee cool, fill up the ice tray, freeze, and then add those to the iced coffee so your brew stays full strength.

Link: The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

How to choose a great coffee shop

I never thought I'd seen the day when Australians would be able to give the good skinny on how to find a good skinny latte, but, well, we live in a world full of surprises. While you're at The Bleeding Edge, read a lot of their posts and subscribe to their RSS feed. In addition to this piece, they write some wonderful, humorous, and easy-to-read tech pieces. They're one of my must-read geek sections... yet the columns and articles feel strangely nongeek.

Link: Bleeding Edge: How to choose a great coffee shop.