Self Espresso

When I was a child, I was not allowed to drink espresso, and rightfully so. I imagine it would have added to my already high levels of energy.  I however did relish the opportunities as a child to get my grande steamed milk with almond from our favorite neighbor Starbucks.  It was often a reward for good behavior or academic achievement.  That at those jo jo potatoes things from the mini mart after daycare…man the incentives seemed endless.

But as I grew up, I internally knew I was on the precipice of discovering a new world.  For so long I had been like many early pioneers and viewed the world as flat…in relation to espresso my only point of reference was steamed milk with Almond.

Fast forward to my years of independence beginning with my the procurement of my drivers license, I now had the means of transportation to go explore without the restrictive boundaries of my parents.  I began to explore various drinks from Starbucks, I specifically remember and entire summer drinking just the espresso brownie frappucino.  They were good, and despite the calorie index, my body thoroughly enjoyed the combination of brownies chunks, espresso and ice cream base.  As my tastes matured and I realized that it’s not really man like to drink only frappucinos, I began to stick with the staple grande vanilla latte (Starbucks still being my venue of choice).  This was the case for a number of years probably 5 years straight I always had my latte.

The most drastic Espresso conversion came when I moved to Seattle, WA.  Unlike my hometown of Puyallup, there are a multitude of cafe’s and roasters with in city limits.  With varying cultures, blends, and artistry all associated around the coffee bean.  Additionally the social scene around the cafe  seemed much more established  than the traditional Starbucks, I often spent afternoons studying in a cafe, drinking espresso while listening to a local artist, all the while people around me could be doing the same or simply showed up just to enjoy the music.  I spent 4 solid years living in Seattle attending the University of Washington all of which opened up my eyes to the complexity of the coffee bean, and its many expressions.  Don’t worry I got an education too, not just an obsession with coffee.  I had arrived at a destination where my taste buds along with my emotions determined what I would drink, and from where.  I was free from the traps of branding, and unabated from mass-produced espresso.

With the acquired aficionado status of  espresso came the next phase in my journey – the coffee plant and its fields.  I am currently enamored with such qualifiers as, where is the bean grown, when was it roasted, how was it roasted, and even how was it harvested.  My espresso hobby has migrated from consumption to production.  I am always thrilled when I come across a new local roaster where I can watch  the beans get roasted, and then purchase the very beans that were once in raw form that same day.  I even made it a point to visit a roaster in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica while on vacation this year.

My fascination continues to grow, I cannot put my finger on the reason as to why.  Maybe because it was prohibited for me as a child due to the concerns of stunting my growth.  Or maybe it is because of the community created by its venues.  Never the less it has opened my eyes to the life of the this bean that has played such a significant role in societies for centuries.

I currently frequent the following establishments: Stumptown, Zoka, Mandolin, Cafe Vita, Cafe Fiore

Not sure the importance of this post. I think it highlights my tendency of self indulgence, on this occasion through espresso.  Enjoy.

Z