Monday 30 March 2015

Ruined by the Perfect Cappuccino

Quite a while ago, Pomodoro (the restaurant that I work at) sent me on basic coffee training. We don't usually have a barista in the bar, so we tend to make all of the coffee ourselves. This makes training fairly vital to the reputation of our coffee.

The three day coffee shop course by Ciro focused primarily on setting the grind of the coffee beans for the perfect espresso, but we were also taught how to texturize milk for cappuccinos, which is pretty important, too. I absolutely loved learning about coffee, and for the first time, I understood what truly good coffee should taste like. I enjoyed a cappuccino that was so exquisite, that I didn't need to add any sugar to it. This is a problem... Because now I'm very fussy about my coffee.

I'll still drink a cup of coffee that isn't quite right, but every time that I do, I'll be thinking about how it's too bitter, or a little too sour, how it's been over-extracted, or probably been burnt in the machine. Every time that I taste an imperfect espresso, or see a cappuccino with a towering head of foam on top, I feel the need to walk over to the barista, give them a stern look, and then set them straight in the not-so-mysterious ways of coffee. (I have actually done this before. Don't judge me. The cappuccinos at the Hoekwil Café are better for it, and the staff have thanked me for sharing my knowledge. So there!)

Anyway, most of the cappuccinos I've had since that day in training have not lived up to my new expectations, which is really disappointing, because I used to enjoy all cappuccinos. My newfound knowledge and skills have deprived me of a constant enjoyment of coffee...

Of course, the utter contentment I experience when I taste a REALLY good cup of coffee is totally worth it... I appreciate it so much more now.


Topic Change! I have the best Grammy in the world. After reading my post about being interested in doing some short courses to improve my writing skills, she sent me over to The Great Courses and told me not to hold back. I sent her links to this one about storytelling and this one about writing fiction, and she promptly bought them for me! So I now have two courses to get to work on, which I'm very excited about. Thank you, Grammy!

Awww, how cute! Very silly. But cute!

Also, puppies!

No, they're not ours. We don't need puppies, we have a permanent kitten. They're just frolicking around the Café and I'm watching them being stupid (i.e. eating actual mud) while I'm writing this post. It's very entertaining.




I'm going to stop writing now. I have a lovely day off to enjoy, which I'll be spending doing whatever pleases me! Cheerio!


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