37261 Wed Jun 22 12:41:41 -0700 2005 17 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 173288 Ordered two shots of espresso at Blue Bottle in Hayes Valley the other day. It is a pretty interesting location, Garage door store front, on a back alley(linden & Gough) in Hayes Valley. They have a couple of outside chairs to sit down at. I am really happy to see an artisinal "explosion" of gourmet items like coffee or cheeses. Now to the espresso, Blue Bottle pulls the shots "ristretto", I loved the creamy texture of the shots, it was almost like thick cream, but there was a slight bitter edge to both shots, they need to do a little fine tuning. While I was there, a couple of people ordered lattes and caps, they looked delicious with their luscious foam; so many places still use the half-a**ed approach to creating foam by just "spooning" it on top, that is a disgrace. Although I was tempted to try a cap from them, in staying within italian coffee drinking traditions, I do not drink caps or lattes after breakfast. The last great espresso I had was at Cafe 817 in Oakland about a year ago, they use Illy espresso. Its hard to beat the PHD chemist Ernesto Illy at the coffee game; last I heard he was using some kind've of hi-tech NASA computer technology to maximize the perfect selection of beans for roasting. But good espresso brewing is not just great coffee, its also the water, the machine, and the grind according to humidity .... It was noted a while back that Cafe 817 has been sold. Cafe Greco also serves Illy espresso, but the last couple of times I went my drinks were shockingly poor. Wed Jun 22 12:41:41 -0700 2005 0 Mil Mascaras 1 173292 Not knowing too much about espresso, I'd be curious what you think about the espresso and ristretto pulled at Massimo Lounge next to the Hyatt on Embarcadero (across the street from One Market). I found it to be one of the best I've had, and it received a great review on this board awhile back. The crema was thick and creamy, and I didn't find the coffee bitter--and I usually find all coffee bitter! They use Ilazza (spelling may be off) coffee from Italy, and their machine was described to me as "The Cadillac of espresso machines." It was a beauty, I'll give them that! Wed Jun 22 13:09:23 -0700 2005 173288 0 nooodles 2 173302 I'll have to try the Roma blend you mentioned. Noodles: I think the coffee they use is called Lavazza, it is considered a close competitor to Illy, I have not had a chance to try the place you described. Cafe Abo used to be one of my favorite places for espresso, they are now closed. The owner really knew how to grind the coffee and pull a great shot, and suprisingly he used Mr. Espresso! The shots had no bitter no edge, they were so good I would drink three in a row. Wed Jun 22 13:34:53 -0700 2005 173292 0 MM 3 173305 mr espresso gets a bad rap these days but I've had very good espressos depending on who's making them don't care for their drip Wed Jun 22 13:46:25 -0700 2005 173302 0 daybaker 1 173293 The ginger scones at that Blue Bottle location are worth trying out. they're a bit different from a typical SF coffee shop scone. i'm told that a friend of the business named Marguerite (sp?) supplies them. if the weather is humid, they lose their texture though. i went once during the rain and noticed they were completely different. The shortbread there is also good, and i was surprised to hear that it comes from Miette in the Ferry Building. ---Matt Wed Jun 22 13:11:21 -0700 2005 173288 0 Baconeater 1 173294 I would recommend going to the Farmer's Market to the Blue Bottle booth and trying another shot - they use only the Hayes Valley Espresso blend at the kiosk in Linden Alley, whereas they use the mellower, creamier-tasting Roma Espresso beans at the booth at the Farmer's Market. I have gotten used to the Hayes Valley beans (er, probably because I go to BBC kiosk twice a day) but at first was a little distressed by its assertive flavor. The Roma is probably more my style in general, but the Hayes Valley blend is still better than anything else I can find in my half of the city on a daily basis. Finally, I would recommend trying shots/drinks at the kiosk on different days of the week. There are three regular baristas - all are good, but all have their individual strengths. I have had some truly transcendent coffee and especially foam experiences... usually at least once a week! :-) Wed Jun 22 13:12:13 -0700 2005 173288 0 Celeste 2 173383 Since you go to the kiosk freqently, have you tried the mocha? They use 65% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate from E. Guittard known as Sur del Lago. It is described as having "deep red fruity notes, sometimes described as berry or cherry". I keep wanting to make it over there. Has anyone tried the mocha? Here's the link to the Blue Bottle blog. It is an interesting read. They mention that Frog Hollow is no longer serving BB. I guess the BB roaster is near Pizzaiolo and there are notes about the opening party and pictures of the pizza. Lots of interesting coffee info on the blog. Has anyone been to Coffee Organica near the USF campus on central mentioned on the BB bog? There have been so many coffee posts lateley, but I don't recall this one Cafe Organica http://cafe-organica.com/ Link: http://bluebottlecoffee.blogspot.com/ Wed Jun 22 17:48:56 -0700 2005 173294 0 rworange 3 173393 I have tried the mocha, and it is divine. I would assert it's the best mocha I have ever had. The chocolate is not too sweet and has a beautiful flavor. I tried a bite of the chocolate plain and it's good enough to serve for dessert on its own. I have been trying to cut down on sugar, or else I would be getting their mocha much more often. Also, I don't get the mocha often because then I would miss out on that wonderful foam that I get on the cappucino or latte. BTW I finally tried Ritual this weekend. They are pouring very good drinks with Stumptown coffee from Portland (my hometown). The espresso is very smooth tasting - not as challenging as Blue Bottle Hayes Valley blend, to get to the original poster's comment. Their foam is also very good. However, if you are a mocha freak, Ritual uses chocolate syrup for the mocha. I much prefer the Blue Bottle method with dry chocolate. Wed Jun 22 18:20:24 -0700 2005 173383 0 Celeste 4 173422 Your comment "best mocha I have ever tasted" prompts me to ask if you've ever had the mocha at Delessio. I love their mocha, and have been searching for one to top it. I would describe their mocha as very rich and creamy, but the best part is the fresh whipped cream they generously mound on top. It's made with Peet's, so I bet Blue Bottle could top it if they use great whipped cream. Wed Jun 22 19:43:44 -0700 2005 173393 0 nooodles 5 173435 Actually, I haven't tried Delessio's, though it's been on my list since I saw the (your?) post on it awhile back. If you like whipped cream on the mocha, then you might be very disappointed at Blue Bottle - no whip cream. I would describe it as rich, but not creamy, the coffee notes are very strong. Wed Jun 22 20:13:33 -0700 2005 173422 0 Celeste 6 173472 Don't pour your hot coffee on me after reading this post but speaking of mochas and other sweet stuff; here is a tasty drink I stumbled upon about 10 years ago, it is basically and Iced Mocha or Iced Latte with a touch of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Basically after pulling the espresso shot for your iced mocha or latte, you dump a tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk into the espresso cup and let it melt, then you pour this sweet milk-espresso mixture into your iced drink; it is truly decadent and delicious. You wanna know what makes a delicious iced mocha?....Nestle Quick !!!! Despite how it sounds, it is utterly delicious, especially with the sweetend condensed milk mixture I mentioned above .! Thu Jun 23 01:32:19 -0700 2005 173435 0 Mil Mascaras 7 173522 That's basically how Vietnamese coffee is made: it drips slowly into a cup that has sweetened condensed milk on the bottom, then you stir it up and either drink hot or pour over ice. Yum! Thu Jun 23 14:09:40 -0700 2005 173472 0 nooodles 3 173439 I've been to cafe Organica a couple of times and for me it joins the tiny club of Bluebottle and Barefoot roasters in Cupertino as the only place i will pay for an espresso or coffee. I found out about Cafe Organica when the new owner, who took over in May was a regular and respected poster on CoffeeGeek.com. http://www.cafe-organica.com/ Wed Jun 22 20:29:44 -0700 2005 173383 0 Steve 3 173474 Organica was on Richard's coffee tour - link in his post above. Thu Jun 23 01:52:21 -0700 2005 173383 0 Melanie Wong 1 173308 You'll definitely want to try Cafe Organica, also in Hayes Valley, and perhaps Ritual Coffee in the Mission, both fairly new. They represent the "Third Wave" of coffee. Here's my report from my Memorial Day Weekend visit: Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/36723#170003 Wed Jun 22 13:52:28 -0700 2005 173288 0 Richard 2 173317 Yes, I have heard of Cafe Organica and Ritual, for a coffee geek like myself they are a must see when I have time I just invested in a elaborate machine and grinder, so in the mornings at least will be making my coffee drinks. I still like the quirky neighborhood places that serve harsh coffee but a great ambient: Morning Due, Muddy Waters(24th & Valencia), Cafe La Boheme, Que tal, and the Beanery (9th & Irving). Wed Jun 22 14:20:42 -0700 2005 173308 0 MM 1 173322 Does the Hayes Valley location offer the "New Orleans style" iced coffee? The one at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market does, and it is quite good. Wed Jun 22 14:27:56 -0700 2005 173288 0 KK 2 173329 Yes, they do. Wed Jun 22 14:48:41 -0700 2005 173322 0 Celeste