#001 of hundreds

LOS ANGELES — So this idea that I’m going to somehow take a picture of every shot I have at this place is flipping ridiculous. So that’s all done with.

Not that I’m even going all that often now. I’m knee deep in the Chemex world, grinding my beans with some grinder that cost as much as a month’s rent in college and some beans roasted within mere days of consumption. But from time to time, I sneak back to the homeland — maybe grab a sandwich from the Cheese Shop next door — and drop a few bucks on the good folks at the Big I. Screw Starbies. This is now the standard. I’m officially hopeless. I think I actually tasted citrus a few times and thought, “A nice citrus there” in my head. Even if it was really tobacco, I’m falling deeper into the clutches of this madness. Fortunately, I still don’t know what I’m talking about…so I’ll always have that.

In the months since I last updated, I’ve had coffee in a bunch of places, plus I’ve brewed a bunch from a bunch of places in my Chemex pot. Huzzah. So in the next weeks, I hope to catch up on all that. But for now…

Here’s a short summary of my May – August whenver I’m in LA…

–Wake up

–Work

–Meet up with Ben/Gaines

–Eat Fish Tacos/Real Tacos

–Pound a shot at Intelligentsia, often chased by another

–Smirk

(downed: small latte, small latte)

DETROIT — Faced with some down time in the rental car/hotel checkout/flight check-in process, the overwhelming urge to entertain myself struck again…this time resulting in what may be a multi-round knock-down-drag-out grudge fest of incredible proportions.

A couple years ago, while on a video shoot with some hot rides, I was treated to some “test market” roast coffee at a McDonalds in the middle of nowhere California. It was awesome. And just as sure as that place will one day serve breakfast all day…I was sure McD’s would eventually go the coffee route. Now, about a year ago maybe…they finally came out with espresso-based drinks. Today…the mighty McD near the DTW takes on the Starbies inside the McNamara “World Gateway” terminal. Hoorah!

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latte at McDs
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Service: I drove up. They asked if I wanted to try a sweet tea. I said no. I ordered a hamburger, a $1 McChicken w/o mayo, add pickles and a latte. (Side-story…I combined those two sandwiches into something surprisingly delicious…$1.89 burger/chicken thing…weird, but true story.)

Appearance: It comes in a high-quality cup, shooting for Starbies all the way. A good foam on top.

Long Story Short: This was good. Solid, deep and kinda tasty roast coffee flavor throughout. 3.5 score!

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latte @ starbies
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Service: I like the Starbucks @ airports because the baristas aren’t as affected by the “Bucks” atmosphere. They’re pretty laid back and seem happy to have pulled coffee duty over the generic sports pub or regional-knick-knack store job.

LSS: This was actually a much lighter drink. Not nearly as much flavor…a less “fresh” coffee maybe? There was less good taste and more bitterness than with the McDs. I was stunned. I guess in the push-button espresso world, it doesn’t matter who is pushing the button. As McDs proved with their improved roast brew, they can afford to buy good beans and sell coffee cheap at a profit. And now they can afford something neighboring on the same quality of espresso as Starbucks. Worse yet for the Mermaid is that McDs was more than $1 cheaper than its competitor. And if there’s one place on Earth easier to find in any corner of the US than Starbies, it’s McDs. So there you have it. But, I’ll allow that this is but one head-to-head round. I consider it an upset that Ray Croc is off to the early lead over that Schultz fellow. 3 point score!

(downed: soy latte, soy latte, shot, regular latte)

DETROIT — After getting out of the hotel at 3:30a PDT, spending the day with a film crew and a car, getting back nearly 12 hours later, I was bushed. So I awoke from a well earned sleeping fit with a hankering for some coffee. Why not hit up two or three spots and compare, me think-ied.

Caribou Coffee is a chain of “Up North” themed shops, with real timbers all over the place. It’s basically a Starbucks with a niche marketing plan…and the coffee may or may not actually be better. Who knows. Maybe they’re trying to make it look like the Pacific NW? And that leads me to some thoughts…

Ever since heading up to Seattle/Oregon, I’ve been amazed at what good PR/buzz/marketing the region has, when it reality it virtually identical to Michigan. Northern Michigan has all the same stuff…trees, artsie gay people running from persecution and lakes galore. It just seems that the location of Seattle et al makes people just kind of love it. But everyone pretty much thinks little or nothing of MIchigan. And perhaps that because our coffee kind of sucks.

That also got me wondering, given our climate…a cup of coffee makes a hell of a lot of sense. It’s warm, it kills the “dark” periods temporarily and it lets you brood with like-minded neighbors who also are looking for winter/rain/clouds/economics to change. Did Michigan ever stand a chance of becoming a coffee-brewing mecca? Maybe if just a couple of snobs would have grown up here? If a publisher is interested, I’d be happy to report this story into book form.

So I matched up a bunch of coffee purveyors on the classic Soy Latte test…

Caribou Coffee — Many locations in Royal Oak/Woodward cooridor

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soy latte
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Service: The usual clerk and tattooed guy service. Got called “man” when I was given my drink. I like that kind of deal. Bunch of people around working silently on computers. Brooding!

Long Story Short: This was a solid drink. It hit me just right, warmed my weakling Angelino frame amid the cold Michigan evening and made me want another drink. This was a full point above the usual Starbies one, but I’ll take a slight deduction as I was in withdrawal, so maybe I’m just giving it too much credit. So I’ll give this a 3.75.

Bean and Leaf (DetNews local review) — Royal Oak on Main St.

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shot and soy latte
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Service: I was just about to head back to Caribou to test out the straight espresso, but saw this little shop and got excited. It’s an even more “off-brand” chain shop that seems to promote a fuller menu of roasts and Free Trade offerings and etc. Plus, they had a real machine called a FAEMA (read all about it here). The folks were helpful and more personable than the usual clerks. And the barista looked to be talented and engaged…my hopes were high. The place was pretty packed, too. Maybe this one had just slipped beneath my radar?

LSS: I got a shot for “here” and a soy latte “to go.” The shot came up pretty quick and the latte came up later. The shot was huge, but I know the guy passed along “single shot” to the barista. It was also very light. Upon tasting, it was extremely thin for a shot…almost like a double-brewed coffee. I was honestly let down. I read about the machines and thought for a minute this might be one of the automatic machines so it wasn’t the barista’s deal? But if it was automatic, why would it be set to brew up shots like this? I didn’t hang around long enough to investigate.

Considering the amount of caffeine I was ingesting at 9p local time, this was a calculated risk to even partake. And this wasn’t worth it. So I pitched it, opting to just go somewhere else and avoid the parking ticket I was also risking for the love of the game. The latte was similarly disappointing, getting it’s butt kicked by the Caribou one. Just not very well done, though I’ll be back to try again. I’d give this a 1.5 on the Starbies scale. This is like something you’d expect at an ice cream parlor that offers Illy on the side.

Cosi — Birmingham on Old Woodard @ Maple

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latte
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Service: I got a kick out of this place (used to be Xando in DC, but has branched out to a lot of places including at least 2 in Michigan, likely more) on this latest visit as the clerk girl suggested I looked like I was unemployed — but meant that as a compliment. Then talked about her photography habit and how she had a friend in Orange County, even though they weren’t all that well off (as she put it). It was a trip. They also didn’t have any soy after much investigation. So we went to milk.

LSS: I’ve just had too much for this late, but this was a good sip. I’d put it a step above the Caribou even, just a better coffee flavor coming through. There’s extensive marketing language on the cup about how careful Cosi is in picking out coffee roasts and whatnot. So maybe…I’ve never though much of their stuff, but I’d put this on a 4 on the Starbucks scale.

(downed: shotzie)

DETROIT — Stevo came down for the Tigers/Angels game (BONUS COVERAGE BELOW!!) and after a hearty food tour, starting at Hunter House, cruising through American Coney, Cupcake Station, Leo’s, the Elwood Grill and virtually every food stand at Comerica…the mind turned to a coffee kick-start.

We were in Birmingham, an upper-crust ‘burb NW of the city. There was a coffee shop that used to be open

right next to an art-house theater on the main commercial street…last time I was here, I saw that it had closed. But seeing as what a great location it was, I figured it wouldn’t be long ’til it reopened. And bingo. Some plucky entrepreneur did just that with brass! So it might be Java Cafe, or Java Exchange Cafe or Java Hutt Cafe…who cares really.

So we jumped in to test out the hand-pulled shots and see what time in was in the Great Lakes State.

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single shot
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Service: I didn’t see the actual machine being used, but it was done by hand near as I could tell. It’s a cool looking space, with a library-ish section and the usual tables and couches in other parts. The guy running the place seemed decent, but it’s hard to tell if he bought the place just to start running a cafe or if he actually cares about the drinkies. Pretty plate/cup combo. And a good looking shot, all things considered.

Long Story Short: As I continue thinking about coffee (after spending years simply enjoying the normal stuff, suffering through the bad stuff in silence and relishing the good stuff) it’s occurring to me that a good way to judge coffee around the States would be to compare it to Starbucks. Everyone knows it, everyone can get it. It’s consistent. And (I think) it’s pretty good considering that you can, indeed, get it ANYWHERE. That’s a giant step from gas station brew, no matter how you feel about the Mermaid. So, for the majority of places that aren’t even attempting to reach the highest levels…I’m just going to put it on the Five Point scale. Three = Starbies and Five = the worst of the Major Leaguers. This was a 3.5, lacking in the full-flavor and texture departments. But it had a unique bite to it, putting it a smidge atop the Buckers crew. I get the feeling they can do better, though I base that entirely on a general optimism in mankind.

Aybar, Hudson, Davis (see if you can find ‘em)

(Downed: a bunch of black teas, iced Rwandan coffee)

LOS ANGELES — After getting schooled in the craft of home-brew coffee by a roast master, I had not much else to do this week besides run/bike/work-a-smidge and go to Sunset Junction for a fix.

Today (Saturday) marks four days in a row that I’ve been there. Three for shots and coffee, today for a tea tasting with a guy named Steve. Fortunately, I was able to bring the Maggster for a change of pace. It was so flippin’ hot today, I thought about bagging it as I’m flying to the D here in a few hours…but the hell with it. It was fun. I’ll be getting a proper tea pot here pretty soon, I think. Likely before I invest in the grinder.

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black teas

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Service: This was a tasting/class so I have nothing but great things to say. Black teas…then a sampling of Earl Grey just to kind of make fun of it? Who knows. But one thing I do know…some teas are “astringent” in that they make your tongue tighten up. You should brew for 3 to 5 mins. And Earl Grey does taste kind of like Froot Loops.

Long Story Short: A day where you’ve learned something is worth 10 status quo ones. So deep!

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Cuppa Rwandan

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Research: This is a pretty famous little batch for the ‘Gents crowd. They made shirts and mugs celebrating it. Well done, coffee! This particular cup was cold brewed and served over ice.

LSS: I really liked this iced. It was much more “harsh” in flavors, not as much fruit and such…to me. I really liked it. Perhaps the icing and such brought out those flavors, but that’s what I found. Enjoyed it from start to finish without any milk or whatnot…that’s saying something for iced coffee, partnah.

“I can’t go a day w/o my sunshine(?)”

(Downed: shot, cuppa clover’d Bolivian “Anjilanaka”)

LOS ANGELES — I never planned on going back today.

I’ve never watched “LA Story” from start to finish in any condition to judge it, but I did gather something about highway traffic signs guiding Steve Martin’s life (I’ll look pretty stupid if this isn’t the case.) The cool thing about this town is that, indeed, the state of traffic can change your fate…often for the worse.

In this case, a jam on the 110-N back to Glendale kept me from going home and sent me instead up the 101 toward Hollywood and into the loving arms of the Carrerras (BONUS BUZZ COVERAGE BELOW!!) and their carne asada taco/burrito two-fer. Riding high from this magic, I decided it would be in good taste to scamper over to Intelligentsia’s friendly confines for a shot/cup/cookie. With a quick order from Benji for an iced delivery, the die was cast.

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shot
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Service: New crew I hadn’t seen before. Same ‘tude that we’ve grown to love.

Look: Check out that shockwave in the middle, der.

Long Story Short: I’m starting to thing of these shots in three main stages. Then the look, then the after. So the first taste wasn’t as great as I’ve been used to (yesterday’s was seriiiooooosssely good start to finish). Bit harsh. (Right, **** me, I get it.) Then it came back surprisingly strong in the middle and finished in the middle of the pack. It looked awesome. And it had a decent afterglow. I’d still put it in the bottom 10 percent of what comes out of this store, but that is still in the top 10 percent of everything I’ve ever had. **** me, I get it.

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Anjilanaka – Bolivia (read all about it)

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LSS: It’s hard for me to really judge these things because I’m (a) kind of an idiot and (b) blown out from a shot when I taste it because I just can’t justify not getting one prior to a cup of coffee, which may or may not be a sin depending on which city/person/cloud you happen to be under the influence of. As always with the Intellgentsia Clover offerings, it was clean and light. It tasted much less “tea” like this time around, which I’m guessing means it tasted less fruity. This tasted more like light and smooth coffee the way I grew up with it. At this moment in my life, it’s just not POW enough. It’s not you, it’s me.

The Fresh Life: Reborn?

(downed: shot, cuppa clova “persephone/alchemy”

LOS ANGELES — At a certain point in the life of this coffee blog, it’s going to just be pointless talking about anything I get at this shop. Sometimes, I think I like it more than the employees do (not the case, but the alpha dogs around there aren’t from LA, so they don’t readily “vibe”…i’ll bet you a case of raw almond butter they’ll loosen up by the next time a cloud blows past in mid-to-late September).

While this proper blog gets it’s proper legs, I’ll avoid getting too misty about this place. But I’m not sure how many more on-time espressos I can injest before I’ll just put up a whole page. This place is crushing it. Someday, you might find me at the Source Awards screaming about how “East Coast ain’t got no love for Black Cat? Ain’t got no love for (if I knew the names of two people who worked there, it would be referenced here)?”

To the experiential ratings hotness:

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Shot
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Service: Suitably restrained as always. The ‘tude around this place is similar to walking around on the Yale campus with a big smile on your face…they’re not quite sure you belong there. Surly with an LA flair. Love it.

Presentation: Nothing beats this. Sparkly water shot glass. Beautiful (BEAUTIFUL) looking shot.

Drinkie: I’ve had close to 10-12 shots here by now, not counting the ones in mixed drinks. All but one has been among the top 1 percent of recreational huss I’ve ever touched. And this one was great from start to finish. I drank it at the register and enjoyed it in three gulps. Smooth, thick, delicious. I lack the buzz to describe it. But I’m getting there.

Long Story Short: This is the pros. It’s weird seeing these shot callers now after reading a bit about them. I’m still between thinking this is the Broad Street Bullies, the Murder’s Row or the Baby Bulls. They’re something, though.

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Persephone (Alchemy)
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Research: This is some kind of blend the roasters came up with, I guess. I’m new. E. Africa/C. America, fruits, finishes. Beyond me. Read all about it here…

Method: Clover (if you don’t know, now you know.)

LSS: I’m as green as they come with this medium-roast, Clover’d coffee. I’m of the school of a German-ish (at least that’s what we used to drip in G-ville) deep, dark, black-as-sack-cloth brew. But it turns out, this is the taste of burned beans. I’m drinking the roast, not the bean. So here I go on the adventure of learning what coffee can taste like. These blends still taste almost more like TEA than coffee. It’s so clean (save for the whole bean that was floating in my cup…weird, but fun to mash up in my fingers and snort like China white…only partially kidding). I have no idea what notes were hit or what happened, but it was good. I can say that. When you’re expecting the dark, bitter…this stuff isn’t really that good. But when you’ve got the nose for what’s new, looks like there’s plenty of obvstasticly obvs trails to be blizzed. I’m just keeping it ruh.

(downed: shot, english breakfast tea)

LOS ANGELES — After a filling meal at Marie Callendar’s (long story), Beck/Maggs and I decided to trot over to Eagle Rock for some Swork action as Beckster had never been there. And considering the frame of mind I’m in, coffee shops might be the place I am more than any other for a month or 500.

Swork kind of rocks. It’s near the Occidental College, so you’ve got a bunch of DS college kids kicking around, plus young parents and then the normal LA writers/drifters/etc. So I dove in to the espresso.

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Swork
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(Single Shot “X1″)
Service: Solid, quick. Served in a paper cup.
Shot: Looked fairly good. Tasted fairly good. Is acrid a taste? I’m new.
Long Story Short: Better than Starbies, but probably not ground fresh. And it probably isn’t made as well in a 100 other ways that separate the Majors from the rest. But it was pretty cheap, so hell with it.

(English Breakfast Tea)
LSS: Good.

(Play Area)
LSS: The big draw for most of the folks I chill with these days (parents) is the play area in the sunny window by the back of the shop. The employees drop enough of their 20-something attitude to make people with kids feel welcome and the toys are cool. Better yet, we ran into Michael and Hutch along with their daughter and got to catch up. So the clientele is obvs pretty slick…you might just run into someone you’ll end up being friends with for years.