Some days you’re in the grocery store and you find yourself singing along with the great song that’s playing on the PA. Today was one of those days. This banger is almost 40 years old but it’s timeless enough to enjoy 21x in a row.
welcome back, friend
Just into the New Year, Sami of Sami’s Coffee Kiosk made his usual end of the day tweet that he was closing up, this time with a twist.
update: Car Wash Coffee
update 5/30/2021: permanently closed
It’s been a little over a year since my friend Rachel and I visited Car Wash Coffee in Kensington, MD. I just added the coveted Asterisk of Quality (I just made that up, I think it has legs) to Car Wash in my guide, because in the times I’ve visited since it’s improved.
- baristas performing at a higher level, including milk art
- more variety and quality in food, both to eat in and to go
- more use of their logo, car-themed decorations, and running videos of a car wash in operation on the big-ass tv, all of which serves to tie the place better to the its namesake car wash
Still a giant pain to get in and out of when there’s traffic, but it’s always got a good crowd and is definitely the kind of place its town needed. Wishing them continued success.
you meddlesome kids and your interwebs
I’m very much in favor of this. It’s a bit deflating to go into a beautiful coffee shop to find it filled with people on their laptops, making you think you’ve wandered into a library. I’m not one to chat up strangers in cafes (baristas excluded), but I’d rather be around a conversational buzz than quietude interrupted by fingertips dancing across keyboards.
happy Fri-yay
Some spectacular milk art today from my friends at Northside Social
single scene, take 2
Following my recent dip into single serve pourover pouches, I’ve been trying the Counter Culture singles I received at Christmas.
So far, a success. I’ve found I like the bolder flavor profile of the Big Trouble blend more than Forty-Six, but that’s just a personal preference and both are certainly good. I also like that, unlike pourovers or drip coffee, there’s a much greater depth of flavor and a really nice caffeine jolt. Using the bags is simple, and on whole a much easier portable process than the pourover pouches or using the aeroPress.
Continue readinghappy 2020!
Here’s to a year of sunshine, great coffee, cool music, friendly baristas, and treating your baristas well.
the Salt & Pepper Diner Essential Song o’ the Day for Dec 26
Just visited the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. The tour ends with an exhibit dedicated to one of my favorite songs, with the video playing on a loop. I definitely could have watched it 21x in a row.
merry christmas!
Wishing you the happiest of holidays, my friends. I’m grateful for every and any for take a look here – maybe even you, you bots and spammers.
A lovely gift pack of single serves and a mug from Counter Culture were under the tree for me this morning, can’t wait to try them out.
trying out the single scene
As I mentioned in my recent holiday gift guide, there’s a nascent market for single serving convenience formats in quality coffee. In addition to instant coffee and teabag-like steeped coffee, there are some inventive, self-contained mini pourover products on the market. My buddy Rob travels to Ethiopia frequently on business, and he recently brought me back a local example of the latter to try.
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