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What's does "CC" mean?
Subject: Cafe Corsa
Location visited: LA, CA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]
Romping around LA proved not as troublesome as I thought. Sure there was traffic at times and sure parking wasn't easy, but compared to other cities, it was quite refreshing.
One beautiful example of travel made easy was a stop made at an LA coffeehouse called Cafe Corsa. Located in a section of the city with mostly metered parking, the cafe sits in a brick shopping center with short-term parking.
The venue itself possesses a cozy look, with a few nice seating areas in the front and along the side. The coffee comes from two roasters: Intelligentsia and Oregon Coast Roasters. I had the Sumatra from Oregon Coast Roasters on their Clover, which ended up a little darker than I like, with a real strong oily presence, but still had some mild brightness and a light cherry tang. The espresso was fair, with a strong bitter sweetness on the front and an unattractive charcoal bite on the back. I did not note the tea.
While the experience didn't prove as great as the convenience, I think that had I gone with the Intelligentsia options, I might have had better fortunes (Oregon Coast Coffee seems to be a roaster of dark coffees).
If you're in the neighborhood needing a quick stop for decent coffee, give Cafe Corsa a stop.
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What does "Mugged" mean?Subject: PT's CoffeeCoffee Mugged: Finca La Felicidad - Guatemalan Antigua
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Recently, a number of coffee roasters have made great strides in creating direct trade with coffee farmers (i.e. cut out the middle man), a move that develops long-term relationships with the farm and ends up benefiting both parties with a greater product and fair pricing across the board (quite often the farm benefits many times more then Fair Trade certified farms).
PT's Coffee would be an example of one such roaster working hard at it. When they recently sent me a bag of Finca La Felicidad - Guatemalan Antigua to try out, I was thrilled to find the coffee comes from such a Direct Trade relationship.
As mentioned on PT's website, the coffee beans did produce a lovely potent buttery aroma. I sampled the coffee via french press, vacuum press and drip. The french press produced a deep chocolate taste, medium smooth body and followed with flecks of spice and molasses. The vacuum press had similar flavors, with the spiciness a little more pronounced and a bit more of an earthy flavor that came out. The drip had a much smoother body and little more subdued expression of the flavors (especially the cocoa).
On the whole, this coffee rocked my socks off. If you're looking for a great South American coffee, try Finca La Felicidad for sure.
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What's does "CC" mean?
Subject: Redcat's lounge
Location visited: LA, CA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]
Going to the theater has a very rushed and uncomfortable feeling to it, probably because I'm always late, I usually have to look swanky and the seats usually are made for a much shorter fella than I.
But when I last walked Los Angeles, I got word of a theater sounding somewhat the opposite. The Redcat in downtown LA had a reputation not only for good shows, but for their lounge renowned for serving up good coffee.
Needless to say I made my way over to investigate. After finding parking far away (which is absurdly priced to boot!), I walked into Redcat's beautiful spacious lobby and found the lounge about 200 ft from the entrance in an outcove on the left. The space is a beautiful wood-paneled space with a nice mix of natural light, art and seating.
The coffee they serve is from Espresso Vivace out of Seattle, a welcome addition to the coffee variety of LA. Unfortunately, my drinks hardly did justice to the bean's reputation. The espresso possessed hints of nougat and condensed milk but was also pulled really long and lacked the pizazz of a Espresso Vivace shot. The drip coffee was horrible; a stale brew with strong hints of exterior oil with but only hints of mild sweetness. The tea is Tazo and they also serve alcohol.
While I didn't see a show at the Redcat, the interior (lounge included) did make the theater seem a like a nice place to take in a show, with its chill atmosphere and open feel. But nonetheless, it's a shame to have such excellent coffee and not use it to its full potential (maybe I was there on an off day...).
So if you're in LA and looking for a show, try out Redcat and maybe try the coffee.
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What's does "CC" mean?
Subject: Jones Coffee Roasters
Location visited: Pasadena, CA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Multi-tasking shines as a quality valued a little too much. Sure you might be able to type a letter while painting a self portrait and clapping cymbals between your knees in half time, but can you do it well? Few of us can.
Yet my recent trip to Jones Coffee Roasters revealed what seemed quite a feat of simultaneous operations. Located in lovely Pasadena (quite the gorgeous town), my wife and I stopped in toward the end of the night on our way back to our hotel. We walked up to the open garage door of the cafe, nestled in a pretty nondescript office building/strip mall, and found the cafe a little slow but still serving drinks on their island of a counter in the front of what apparently also doubles as their storage and roasting facility.
The great feat of multi-tasking manifested itself in that the barista not only worked the counter, but he also managed to monitor a batch of coffee on their large drum roaster in the back of the warehouse. Some may see this as an easy ball to keep suspended in the juggle, but from personal experience, it takes a lot of effort to keep a conscious watch on something so volatile in detail.
Looking to the coffee, I had the Gamble House Blend which proved to have a smooth and bright character, with touches of honey and a tea-like body. The espresso (which the barista did actually forget initially) displayed well in a pair of short shots that carried a nice lime tang and sweet hints of cocoa but sadly ended with a little bit of harsh char on the end. The tea is a free leaf of their own.
All together, Jones Coffee Company seemed to illustrate multi-tasking as something doable but by no means an easy task. Either way, it gave good closure to that particular warm evening with the decent coffee (espresso appeared that it could improve) and the intriguing juggling act. If you happen to be around the area, drop on by for some decent cup o joe and just maybe, a show.
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As I'm always looking to make my life a bit easier amid my rushed existence, I found this product interesting. It's a coffee sleeve with string grips that allow you to carry your coffee like a bag. Granted the concept is nothing groundbreaking, but then again, most handy innovations are but something tweaked a step further.
If you happen to have used or experienced this, I'm curious as to its true potential.
What's does "CC" mean?
