I thought it might be worth mentioning again that our tastings still occur every Sunday at 11, I haven’t been posting about them online as they’ve been fully reserved in advance through the store, but we still accept reservations via email (or by commenting on the blog) as long as the deposit is paid by the Friday morning prior to the tasting. This week we did a reprise of brewing one coffee several ways, taking the Kenya AA Nyanja from 49th Parallel and using it to demonstrate the correlation between flavour clarity and body. It was highlighted by the presence of my parents, visiting the cafe for the first time, and their first experience trying different ways of making coffee side by side. This week the theme is still up in the air, and it’s possible we’ll respond to the requests for another espresso-based tasting.
Now. The cappuccino is probably the most difficult espresso-based beverage to prepare well. Texturing the milk in such a way to maintain its froth throughout the experience of the drink while also negotiating a harmonious relationship between milk and espresso proves to be the ultimate challenge for many cafes. In Vancouver, the norm is for cafes to offer a capp more akin to a latte and then have an option for a traditional cappuccino, usually 5 – 6 ounces in volume. Even the trad capps often lack the silky texture that seems to have fallen by the wayside in lieu of better-deliniated latte art, making the whole effort moot on some level. On the other hand, it makes getting a really good cappuccino memorable and for me is one of the few solid indicators that a barista cares and knows what he or she is doing.
So with that in mind, Myriade will attempt to fulfill my perceived void of well-executed traditional cappuccinos. I think we’ve earned the trust of our clientele enough to change the construction and presentation of a cornerstone beverage, and in the vein of offering what we feel is the “best,” there’s no other option. These are the things we think about between the night and the day.
March 4, 2009 at 1:02 am |
I just remembered that I’ve been meaning to drink more cappuccino – I’m just such a one dimensional, coffee-seeking creature before that first taste in the morning that I lose any higher order thinking. Hear! Hear! to tradition.
Peter
March 4, 2009 at 12:05 pm |
Well if the cappuccino that i had yesterday at your coffee shop is the new and improved format then my opinion is for you to continue doing what you are doing . It was fantastic.
Anthony it takes Big Balls in buisiness to make changes . Usually in most buisunesses change is almost always very slow to come.People are creatures of habbit.Kudos for not fearing change and relentlessly experimening with brew methods,parameters and steaming techniques.
Spiro
March 6, 2009 at 8:39 am |
Anth,
Now you have people ordering trad capps in Halifax:
http://espressosnob.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/march-5-steves/
saw Zane making another trad capp this am for someone. You may soon end this latte art nonsense, in favor of taste/texture.
June 7, 2009 at 9:09 am |
Hi,
Are you still offering tastings on Sundays at 11? Two of us would love to attend next Sunday, June 14th if they are still happening. Please let me know, and thanks!
Great blog, btw.
-Heather