taking an espresso
Tell the truth, how far are you willing to go for a great cup of coffee? I know there are a lot of caffeine addicts reading this post – “caffeinated blogger, writer, mother, father,” etc., I read the descriptions in the profiles of blogs and social media pages. It seems the world functions on caffeine.
I admit while I’m not a habitual coffee drinker, I’ve been known to drive six miles or more for a good cup of java.
In the U.S., Starbucks has become synonymous with coffee. You’ll often hear someone say, “I need a Starbucks.”
Personally, I do not understand how anyone who has ever had an Italian coffee could enjoy Starbucks.
I don’t claim to be an expert, as I said, I’m not even a habitual coffee drinker. But what I do know is this, a good coffee should be smooth and not biting on your tongue. It should be the correct temperature: not too hot, not too cold, and it should smell good.
In Dallas, there’s one place in particular that has real Italian coffee. They use only Segafredo Zanetti coffee from Italy. It’s almost twenty miles from my house, but it’s worth it. I’ve even set up business meetings there just to justify the distance I have to travel for a cappuccino. Then again, it’s not as far as Rome.
I took this photograph outside one of my favorite bars in Rome. It’s not really near where I stayed when I was there, but they consistently make one of the best cappuccinos I’ve had anywhere. The foam is nice and frothy and the temperature is just right. Plus, the service is friendly – totally worth the twenty-minute walk. Besides, walking in Rome is one of life’s great pleasures.
Admittedly, I’m crazy for anything Italian, so to be fair, I’ve also had delicious coffee in Spain, Mexico, and probably some other places I can not recall at the moment.
So tell me, how far will you go, literally or figuratively, for a good cup of coffee?
All materials ©pennysadler 2012 – 2013
13 comments
[…] prefer their coffee bold, and when in Rome, it is uncommon to see the locals rushing about as they hold their hot cups of latte. Here, coffee […]
Guatemala, France, Italy, Turkey…. I’m not picky. ;O) Locally though, I love “Solar de Cahuenga” in Hollywood. Good coffee, crepes and ambiance.
I was just in Hollywood. Dang! Sorry I missed that place. Will put it on my list for next time.
Based on the comments I’ve received, I’m not nearly as bad as I thought. 🙂
Penny, I’m with you on the Starbucks, but I will go as a last resort. To tell you the lengths I will go, once there was a early morning power outage in my area, so I couldn’t make coffee at home, and no shops had power either. My solution: I pounded beans with a ball-peen hammer (it took almost 45 minutes to even approximate a Melitta grind) on a brick slab. Out of the garage, I grabbed one of those small camping stoves that rests a pot on angled wire braces and fired it up. It hadn’t been used in years; it sputtered and spit white gas, sometimes flaming, onto the counter. It took well over an hour, but I ended up with some miserable brew at least related to coffee, enough to quell my tremors. You gotta do what you gotta do…
LOL. Great story Tom. I think you may be a wee bit crazy however. 🙂
I’ll go as far as it takes to capture that next great cup of coffee. I’ve taken day road trips recently hundreds of miles away from home to checkout a place(s) that have caught my eye!
Really? I love that!
Even more so this year. Trying to visit and work from 100 different non-chain coffeehouses around home bases and in travels. Lot’s of caffeine! 🙂
I love it! If you are in the DFW area, the place I love is called Main St. Bakery and it’s in Grapevine. They also have a location in Plano.
Happy travels and don’t forget to sleep! 🙂
I actually might get to Dallas this year, thanks for the tips! Will remember to sleep haha.
We have the marvelous Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine and an over-the-top of coffee is always just around the corner in our Wine Cellar for me…….Cafe Lungo……..Cappuchino……..Espresso…….sorry more to write, but gotta go fix a cuppa!
Well then I’ll have to come have a cappuccino with you!