new object of coffee gear lust

The folks at Mahlkönig, the German company whose grinders grace the counters of specialty coffee houses around the world, are entering the home enthusiast market with the X54.

WANT
photo: Mahlkönig website

The folks at Sprudge were fortunate enough to take it for a test drive ahead of the imminent US release. Sounds like it’s as amazing as it looks, though the biggest problem is the hopper is too tall. I’d suffer through that. Then again I’m not really looking to spend $900 on a home grinder, as magnificent as it may be. But if money were no object, that bad boy would soon be sitting in my kitchen next to a La Marzocco Linea Mini or a Rocket Appartamento.

Salt & Pepper Diner Essential Songs of the Day for June 16

Remember mashups? Thanks to Glee and the Pitch Perfect franchise, there was a hot minute when listening to one song at a time just wasn’t enough. But one way or another a golden opportunity was lost as no one made the right choice.

These two songs together would give us, if the not the mashup we want, definitely the mashup we deserve. Layer these two guilty pleasures together and 1+1 will equal a jillion. Play them back to back 21x in a row and they’ll be all mashed up in your head, you’ll see.

back in business!

It’s been more than 15 months since the pandemic hit and for those of us who work in DC’s Foggy Bottom area one of many things we’ve lost is Sami’s Coffee Kiosk. The space at the corner of 22nd & Virginia which used to be occupied by Sami’s cart has been empty, with no sign of a return.

The corner’s still empty, but a few weeks ago Sami resurfaced on the twitters:

https://twitter.com/SamiSitRep/status/1397896552803356672

I stopped in this morning to see him, and it was a delight. Friendly as ever, we had time to catch up without the usual line on the sidewalk, and the coffee was as great as always. Sami has a sunny alcove with a lot of windows, more room than he had in his cart, and has basically shifted his gear out of the cart and onto a few countertops. He told me that business has been good, and at this point he thinks he’ll be staying at Sol so long as that continues.

man. myth. legend.

So DC peeps, stop by and see Sami, and support a local businessman whose livelihood has been hit hard by the pandemic. You’ll be glad you did.

moar science!

I heard somewhere recently (Wait Wait?) that a study showed drinking 4 cups of coffee a day wasn’t good for your health. Pish posh, I thought, even though I don’t consume that much of the dark elixir.

Jane Brody of the New York Times to the rescue. The long-time personal health writer for the paper of record (whose son lived across the hall from me in college, though that’s neither here nor there) writes that coffee is good for you – it’s science! Coffee and caffeine helps you live longer, helps with preventing many of the ills of modern life, and so on and so forth.

A few caveats related to caffeine consumption: too much caffeine is not good if you’re pregnant; for some people it can interfere with sleep; coffee making methods that don’t involve a filter leave in chemicals that can raise LDL cholesterol; and finally, turning that coffee into a dessert is not a good idea, so lay off the sweetened nonsense pushed by the green evil empire and the like:

Also countering the potential health benefits of coffee are popular additions some people use, like cream and sweet syrups, that can convert this calorie-free beverage into a calorie-rich dessert….. A 16-ounce Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino, for example, has 51 grams of sugar, 15 grams of fat (10 of them saturated) and 370 calories.

coffee napping

Lately I’ve become aware of the coffee nap. Apparently it’s a thing. A thing about which there’s been a lot of research and articles written. I would link to a few articles for you, but frankly if you google coffee nap you’ll find a zillion of them, all laying it out for you in essentially the same way. I’ll also try it for you, thought it’s kind of technical.

So forgive me for getting too science-y, but there’s this goo called adenosine that builds up in your brain. Sleep clears the goo away. Clearing out that goo helps make caffeine hit even better, without all the jittery stuff. And the final piece of the equation is that it takes about 20 minutes for caffeine to affect the brain.

So, basically, the idea is to drink coffee quickly. Preferably espresso or cold brew so you can drink it fast and not loose any precious mind goo clearance time. No milk or sugar or sweetener, just black. Immediately close your eyes and nap for 20 minutes. Wake up refreshed, alert, and ready to carpe all the diems you can handle.

So I decided to try it. Here’s the results of my highly scientific studies.

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mini review: Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co.

If you’re headed to Stowe, Vermont, about halfway there from the highway, after you’ve passed Ben & Jerry’s and then this guy…..

9 foot tall roadside sculpture, Waterbury Center, VT

….. you’ll see what at first glance looks to be a big red barn. You’re going to want to stop there, because it’s the home of one of the best specialty coffee places you’ll find just about anywhere.

Welcome to Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea, home to a large roastery, coffee school, and coffee and tea bar.

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mini review: Café Unido

You may have read in the news of President Joe Biden’s visit on Cinco de Mayo to Las Gemelas, a taqueria in Washington, DC’s La Cosecha market. It’s too bad he didn’t go to the other end of La Cosecha, where he would have found one of DC’s finest coffee purveyors.

La Cosecha is a beautiful, high-end marketplace in the Union Market district, featuring merchants selling food, wine, apparel and household goods, all to showcase the diaspora of Latin American cultures. There you’ll find Café Unido, a stand in the market selling Panamanian coffees, with airy indoor and outdoor seating areas.

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