i don't suck, evidently

cafe strada, berkeley. bancroft and college.

popular place. nice place to sit and write.

bad place to drink espresso. that's not what the internet said when i phoned it up and asked for a coffee shop in berkeley.

i always have a double shot at home, so i ordered a "doppio". their idea of such is actually more like a "quadruppio" - it came in a near-full cappaccino (no, i can't spell it, and i don't drink it) cup. very thin crema, gone by the time i'd taken 2 steps. the flavor was... lifeless. thin. without the back-of-the-throat-bite that make my own espressos so delightful. this was devoid of character. bleh. i could taste some potential in the beans, but that potential had been stamped out by poor grinding, poor brewing, and overall lack of enthusiasm in the process - understandable when you pull shots for a living. i'm glad i don't, i still have some passion for it.

this is the first time in many many months that i have allowed coffee other than my own to pass through my lips. i believe the last time i had an "espresso" that i didn't make was at peet's, in july, to prove to my brother that everyone else's espresso sucks. (of course, he thought mine sucked too, but he's not a coffee fan.)

(oh, i may have had a shot or two at the very excellent barefoot coffee roasters in santa clara, the only bay area espresso i've found that's worth drinking.)

there is something supremely validating in drinking someone else's horrid coffee - as long as i don't do it often - especially if it's a hip, popular spot with lots of customers who enjoy the bitter, stale, lifeless swill they're drinking. yeah, there's a touch of i'm-better-than-you-ism, but that's easily ignored and besides the point. the point is that i have gained and honed a skill, become good (relatively) at something that i enjoy. i can make coffee that makes me happy to drink it. i can't get that in a store. it makes me feel like all the effort (and money!) was worth something, even if nobody that i know likes it besides me.

you can't please everyone, so you have to please yourself.

it's exciting to find that a $2.00 "doppio" can't match the stuff i roast, grind, and brew at home - even though i know i'm not exploiting the full potential of my process and beans.

everyone i saw had some tall glass full of whipped cream and nutmeg and shit. if "baristas" could just learn to pull a decent straight shot (and be provided with decent beans), they wouldn't put such a strain on the dairy industry, and my protein shakes would be much more affordable.

bleh. bitter aftertaste. ick. i can accept a bitter aftertaste if it comes after a sweet and exciting shot, but that wasn't the case here. bleh.

at least my caffeine withdrawal headache vanished.