Man Seeking Coffee » North Bay

Man Seeking Coffee 2.0

ManSeekingCoffee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:35:30 +0000

Trick or…Coffee?

Halloween activities most typically involve costumes, collecting candy or cavorting in the Castro (or the location du jour), but I, unintentionally, managed to associate Halloween with the anniversary of this blog. That’s right. I started writing Man Seeking Coffee two years ago on October 31, 2007. So I’ll start this post by patting myself on [...]

Easy Come, Easy Go

ManSeekingCoffee — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:25 +0000

Name: Blackbird Cafe Location: Grand Lake Farmer’s Market, Oakland, CA Marin Farmers Market, Marin Civic Center Rating: 3+

I got word a few weeks ago from Jen over at Scarlett City Coffee Roasting that Blackbird Cafe would be opening up a kiosk at the Grand Lake Farmer’s Market. This was great news. I’ve long been meaning to get up [...]

coffee@home: San José El Yalú Guatemala

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:39:46 +0000

Bean: San José El Yalú Guatemala Cafe: Ritual Coffee Roasters Rating: straddling the border between a 3 and a 4

I picked up a bag of this year’s El Yalú at the Berkeley Whole Foods being careful to check the roast date. I’ve noticed that the coffee sent to Whole Foods is not only often Ritual’s second tier [...]

coffee@home: Ecco Caffe Espressos

ManSeekingCoffee — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:08:07 +0000

Beans: Northern Italian Reserve Espresso, Organic SWP Decaffeinated Sumatra Gayo Mountain Roaster: Ecco Caffe Rating: 4-, 3+

During my recent visit to Chocolate Fish Coffee, I picked up two bags of Ecco Caffe coffee – the two blends I tried while visiting. I always enjoy calibrating my home espresso against a well-prepared rendition by some skilled baristas that could [...]

coffee@home: Finca Matalapa, La Libertad (CoE)

ManSeekingCoffee — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:11:40 +0000

Beans: CoE Matalapa, La Libertad, El Salvador Roaster: Ritual Coffee Roasters Rating: 3

There were three reasons why I had high hopes for this coffee.

First, this coffee placed 10th in the 2008 El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition with a score of 88. Nothing mind-bogglingly amazing, but no slouch of a coffee either. Second, this coffee hails from the same [...]

coffee@home: Ritual Finca El Guayabo, Colombia

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:51:19 +0000

(The picture was sadly corrupted)

Beans: Finca El Guayabo Huila, Colombia Roaster: Ritual Roasters Rating: 4 (for espresso, a little less when brewed)

My first encounter with this coffee was at the 2008 Slow Food Nation coffee tasting pavilion where it was prepared for me as a single origin espresso on a LaMarzocco GB/5 by none other than Chris Baca, [...]

coffee@home: Flying Goat’s Mexican Decaf

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:39:29 +0000

Beans: Mexican Decaf Roaster: Flying Goat Coffee Rating: 3

I picked up this decaf while at Flying Goat a few weeks back. They had two in stock – a Sumatran and the Mexican. Given my recent success with a delicious decaf Mexican at Woodberry Kitchen, I figured I’d give the Mexican a try.

This coffee has a slightly sharp aroma [...]

Apples and Coffee and Goats, Oh My!

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:14:42 +0000

Name: Flying Goat Coffee Location: 10 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA Rating: 4

As my wife, daughter and I sat munching apple fritters at the Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple Fair, I realized that what I wanted to go with it was a really good cup of coffee. I suggested a trip to Flying Goat, which involved only the slightest detour through Santa [...]

Coffee, Sex, and Politics: Finding a Little Sanity

ManSeekingCoffee — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:19:53 +0000

Reading the headlines this week was nearly enough to give me a madonna-whore coffee complex. Scantly clad baristas at a coffee drive-through dumped scalding water on a cross-dressing flasher, while at the same time Iggy Pop extols the virtues of coffee as an addiction-combating beverage. There was the story of the South African politician cavorting with [...]

coffee@home: Flying Goat and the Gesha

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:45:35 +0000

Beans: Panama La Esmeralda Gesha Roaster: Flying Goat Coffee Rating: 4

For those of you not yet familiar with La Esmeralda Gesha/Geisha coffee, you probably have some catch-up reading to do. I’d highly recommend Michaele Weissman’s God in a Cup, which is a great read about the specialty coffee industry – third-wavers in particular - but also includes several sections on geisha coffee. [...]