Shoutout

Lately I've been noticing an increase in visits by baristas from all over North America. Obviously we get our fair share of guests from the northeast here as NYC is a common destination for millions of people every year, but occasionally we get colleagues and enthusiasts alike from a bit further. And while this whole instant gratification revolution has changed our lives with the advent of blogging, flickr, texting, etc, I can't help but to feel a bit defensive when my automated search feeds alert me to another posting of a visit by someone who stopped by our shop unbeknownst to us. While more often than not it isn't hard to recognize when someone from the industry stops by unannounced, it always seems to be a bit of a disappointment when I find out that we did indeed miss another opportunity to chat with someone who appreciates the specialities, commitment, and labor that's involved in what we do. As anyone who may actually read this may know, there are only a few specialty coffee shops in NYC (most notably Joe, Grumpy, and 9th Street) and although we spend most of our time trying to cover our extravagant rents here in the Big Apple, we always look forward to talking shop with visitors who actually understand what we're doing. I guess what I'm saying is, do the low key thing and quietly order your drinks, but afterwards give us a shoutout. We love it when you introduce yourselves and think it's great when we get to talk to colleagues from around the globe about espresso blends, barista competitions, and the growth of specialty coffee in various markets around the world. Brighten our day and you'll probably be rewarded with free machiatto's for your trouble.

Health Tip: Coffee May Be a Healthy Way to Start Your Day

Health Tip: Coffee May Be a Healthy Way to Start Your Day - Yahoo! News

It's certainly a healthy environment to work in.

I know. I know.

I promised a report about my trip to Norway. Well, it seems that a somewhat edited version may appear in an actual publication soon. That publication shall remain nameless for now, as to not jinx it. Because of that, though, I am holding off on the post. I will however provide some asides that did not make the article. Here is the first one:

After day two of training we head to Aker Brygge where Tim Wendelboe's friend Alex Jensen, GM of the Stockfleth's espresso bars, was to pick us up in his boat. The plan was to head out to one of the small islands in Oslofjord for dinner. Shrimp and beer. Very Norwegian. We clumsily climb into the boat and head out into the open water. Not even TWO minutes later the police pull up along side. I'm a little nervous because, well, they're cops. Somehow cops are a little more intimidating when you don't know what they're saying. They make us turn back to dock. Not enough life jackets. So we go back, have a beer in the boat, and head off for some Thai.