All of us were working on very little sleep but especially Sleepy was Silas...
We ended up in Brooklyn around 10am. Dropped by Lorimer St. to visit Chris Owens for the first shots of the day. Everyone got a round of shots, which is the routine at every place we visit. When I got my shot, it suprisingly was one of the blends CO brought back from his trip to the Nordic Barista Cup. Caffe Crescendo from Kaffa out of Oslo roasted for Mocca.
It was good. The kinda good you don't expect and don't see very often. The first shot he served was one of those coffee experiences where you have to stop and rethink things. It was simply the best shot I have had in the times I have been visiting cafes... ever (period)
If anything, the trip was worth it just to have that shot of Cresendo:
Colombia Esmeralda Cup of Excellence
El Salvador La Fany(Bourbon)
Sumatra Mandheling
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe...
Perfume and sweet. Aromatic. Smooth and subtle but overtly complex. I was feeling thie Yirg perfume and other florals immediately in the shot. Not even a touch of ferment in the cup or dirt or muddiness. Clarity. That was it and much more. If you had the SOE YIRG, you know where I am coming from here. A lack of roast bitters and a roast that GHH would be proud of. Kaminsky offered to order some when we have reason to celebrate because that was some damn fine coffee*expensive shipping though!!!).
After that, the day was a blur. Toured more coffee shops, more espresso, and just soaked up NY(aka whined about how we miss Boston). Towards the end of the day, we ended up at Grumpies for our final round of shots. At this point we were all tired and very past the point of wanting any more coffee. Shots of old familiar Ecco Reserve and trying to relax a bit.
Before we headed out, Chris and Melissa stopped in to chat. We discussed Chris' trip to the NBC a bit, Teflon portafilters(love it), and volumetric baskets(aka the lack of sizing), and other such stuff. It was cool to chat with someone who knows his stuff and really has a bright future ahead of him.
All in all, it was a good trip. To say we were tired is a bit of an understatement. NY is nice to visit, but maybe it was the fatigue that made me so glad to see old Mass ave again.
-Jaime
