Thursday, October 23, 2008

Domo Arigato, Mister Giotto

Tomorrow I want to talk about horse feed, but tonight I want to talk about human feed of the caffeinated variety. A recent exchange with BJC made me realize that the most important personage at Farcical Farm didn't make the cast of characters.

David and I are both coffee snobs, and we bought ourselves a very nice espresso machine when it became clear that we were moving to the boonies (away from our beloved Our Town Cafe in Vancouver). The thought of a mocha or a latte gets me through my morning chores.

6 comments:

Black Jack's Carol said...

Ooh, beauty! So many things I want to know. Like, can you make the fancy patterns? And, do you have a favorite bean, or do you like some variation in your coffees? And, do you prefer skim milk, like me? And, if I get to the stage of buying a truly superior machine, will want suggestions of best places to shop. But.. meanwhile - music teachers' conference today, at Vancouver Technical School, so, with bike route going pretty much right by Our Town, seems the perfect opportunity to try it out, all in the name of research. I have taken pictures of four baristas and their lattes at my favorite places so far, in thoughts of doing a latte blog entry, but after reading your comment, decided to wait until trying Our Town. Today may be the day!

Anonymous said...

Hmm... Must tell my Hubs that we need to go get one of those things!

I'm a coffee snob too. I fell in love with a bean blend when I lived in Alaska. I love it so much that I have it shipped to me now in Oregon.

Coffee... It just always starts the day off right!

Anonymous said...

Wowee that is quite the setup! I love me a latte/mocha as well but that contraption looks like it has a steep learning curve? JMcM

dt said...

bjc: the best place for coffee tech in the Lower Mainland is, I believe, EspressoTec in Richmond (a couple of minutes from the old Ikea), but Mr. Giatto came to us second-hand via ebay. it is actually a very simple machine to use: two knobs for steam and hot water, a lever for espresso, and the on/off switch.

hope you enjoyed your OurTown experience!

Black Jack's Carol said...

Could be a senior moment, but thought I left a message to say Our Town is definitely added to my short list of favorites. Will try again.. Good latte, super nice barista (she even told me to bring my bike in) and the sugarless muffins a big plus too! More details if I can ever get that coffee blog entry done. Try The Wicked if you get a chance. Same quality latte, I think, but different flavor coffee. Should note that as much as I love my lattes, not a coffee connoisseur by any means.

Wondering about Hazel and your feral and your spine. Hope all doing well.

dp said...

We stick to the Kicking Horse Cliff Hanger espresso, though a friend brought some great beans from JJ Bean last weekend. Latte art (like most kinds of art) is beyond my abilities. I'm good with numbers, but not much else.

Hazel is getting better each day. We did not bring her to the vet as I am practicing the art of not panicking every time there is something wrong with a pet. Her attitude was completely unchanged throughout, and we think she just pulled something in that paw. She is currently chasing a may fly around the basement with incredible gusto.

No news on the feral. I did see some eyes gleaming in my headlamp a couple of nights ago, but it could have been anything. The kibble in the garage has stopped disappearing altogether, so maybe she has been in to catch our rat. I wish I knew.

As for me, not too shabby thanks. My right leg felt very odd today, but I think that's because I pushed myself yesterday doing some work around the house. I'm not in any real pain -- it just feels kind of untrustworthy. Thanks for asking!