Friday, January 30, 2009

La Boulange French Roast


So I knew from the get-go that this coffee wouldn't be the best. But I'm a sucker for the Granola at this place. It's really good granola with good yogurt and fresh fruit. I'm a fan. The thing about this coffee is that you can't tell when it was roasted or any important details about the history of the beans. It's apparently organic and French, but ehhh... Who cares if it's French, if it doesn't taste good, it's not good. My father-in-law has a saying "It's good enough to eat" there is something to be said about something being good enough to eat. I never thought this phrase carried much weight, but it really does. The same principal applies to coffee. "If it's good enough to drink" then there is something to be said about that coffee.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

No Country for Old Beans













Today marks the 15th day of my Alma Viva beans I mentioned yesterday. There done, I'm going to put them to rest today. Each day the beans loose oxygen, therefore losing there flavor. The great thing about getting freshly roasted (within 2-3 days of roasting) is that the flavors are really amazing. I take my coffee black so I can taste the flavors, so when the flavor is bad it makes it really hard to get down. I encourage you to go find the freshest coffee in your area and grab a cup. If you live in the Bay Area, you've got several options. I plan on doing reviews of all the big players: Blue Bottle, Ritual, Four Barrel, and Philz. Just to name a few.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Blue Bottle Alma Viva













Yum. This is my go-to morning coffee. I prefer dripping this coffee as they do at drip, and the blue bottle cafes here in San Francisco. But at home I always French Press which allows you to get the coffee warmer, since it's not dripping through a filter. Blue Bottle has a good method on their website for reproducing the coffee the most like in their cafes. That junk is strong, but I love it. This Alma Viva batch was roasted on January, 14th in Oakland. That's a little late to be consuming for their standards, they recommend drinking the coffee within 7 days. Personally, the 7 days is a good rule if you can do it. I try to keep it within a max two weeks.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Carmel Road 2005 Pinot Noir


I gotta say, this wine was a little weird at first, but after 30 min. of decanting (sitting in your glass) this wine smoothed out nicely. The further into the meal we got the better it got. It paired really well with the Olive oil we were dipping our bread into. It did the thing where it makes your tongue tingle. Very Nice. This was a gift from Slow Food Nation. My wife's Architecture Firm volunteered and help design the space at the Civic Center this past year. Overall good Wine. I don't Usually like Pinot's but this one is an exception. Retails for $16.00 from winery.

RAVENSWOOD 2005 Barricia Zinfandel Sonoma Valley


The name may be long and difficult to say, but this wine is easy to drink. We had this wine last week after a long day at work. And I have to say it's one of my recent favorites. It's very dark and Inky but extremely smooth to drink. The only drawback is that this stuff will knock you out. I fell asleep while watching 24. Know you now it's strong if that happens. This Wine Retails at $35.oo a bottle and I would say it's worth every penny. The Ravenswood tasting notes said to lay it down and forget about it for 5 to 10. wooops, I didn't make it that long.

Shalom!



hi, I am from alabama where the good coffee comes from Cracker Barrel and the good wine is in a Jug. I moved to San Francisco and found a new love. Coffee and Wine. In this blog I'll talk about both. Enjoy.