Avoca Coffee Roasters... There are many coffee shops around the country that disappoint. Avoca does not. Team Barrett came across this place accidentally and it turned out to be one of the best espressos we had on our round trip coffee Florida to Texas. It was definitely the best coffee we had in Texas. But in all fairness, we didn't have enough time to explore more cities and more coffee … [Read more...]
Mold in Coffee
Mold in Coffee Most people don't associate mold with coffee. Why would you? You grind the beans and do a pour-over, or you load the coffee maker and hit the brew button, or you drop in a Keurig pod and hit small. medium or large. What does mold have to do with coffee? In all fairness, it never would have occurred to me that mold in coffee was a problem either, except... for several … [Read more...]
Avoca – Fort Worth – Really Good Coffee
Avoca Fort Worth On our Round Trip Coffee Florida to Texas road trip, we had the good fortune to discover a coffee gem in Fort Worth, Texas: Avoca Coffee Roasters. When the early-20-something barista refused to provide a doppio espresso to go, my first inclination was to reach over the counter and shake this young man vigorously. We had already been excursing for several hours. It was getting … [Read more...]
Round Trip Coffee – Florida to Texas
Round Trip Coffee Florida to Texas... Recently, Team Barrett did a road trip. We drank coffee on the way. As a precaution, we even brought along a Keurig, half and half on ice, ceramic mugs and a bucket of Beaniac Organic French Roast pods. This made hotel morning launches more synchronous with the flow of our journey. We are writing a series of posts about coffee shops we visited on the … [Read more...]
Honeymoon Espresso in North Carolina
Honeymoon Espresso in North Carolina We stayed at a great little Airbnb outside of Asheville the second night. We woke up hungry. First things first - find the coffee. We had institutional coffee with breakfast. You know the kind. It's made using stale pre-portioned packages and the glass coffee pot sits unattended on the warmer for 30 minutes before they serve you. That was a … [Read more...]
The Best Article on How to Choose a Home Espresso Machine.
This has to be one of the best articles ever on how to choose a home espresso machine. If you are considering buying a home espresso machine, read this article. "TOP TEN THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A HOME ESPRESSO MACHINE," (link below.) written by Mark Prince. An expert in the espresso business, Prince has been both a industry participant and an observer since the early 2000's. He's the guy who started … [Read more...]
Ernesto Illy – a Really Good Coffee Pioneer
Dr. Ernesto Illy - a Really Good Coffee Pioneer In the early nineties, they started Coffee Fest in Seattle and that's where I first saw Ernesto Illy. What a class act. This man was such an elegant speaker, a real intellectual, a scientist and what seemed to me to be the "high priest" of espresso. He commanded respect but did not abuse it - he was gentle and kind in his interaction with … [Read more...]
The Gathering Cafe Ocala Florida
The Gathering Cafe Ocala... Recently we had a nice coffee surprise: The Gathering Cafe Ocala. Over the course of the last year, we haven't had many locally. 2020 hammered a lot of little coffee businesses. But not The Gathering Cafe. Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Sarah launched her thriving little coffee oasis smack-dab in the middle of the nationwide economic mess. Here is their … [Read more...]
She drinks straight espresso too…
She Drinks Straight Espresso Too... It was a joyful moment when I realized that she drinks straight espresso too. After running an espresso bar for three and a half years - six days a week - I have no single recollection of a female patron walking into our store and ordering a straight espresso. For that matter there were very few male patrons who did either. We did have a few regular … [Read more...]