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...]
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...]