http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2262016/watch_the_clover_coffee_machine_in_action/
Finally went to a Starbucks which had one of these interesting machines. It's basically an inverse French press with more precise temperature control. They offer 5 single country of origin coffees (Kona, Sumatra, Kenya, Ecuador, and another one) spanning the range from medium to extra dark roast.
It is interesting that they don't use any of the 'normal' Starbucks blends in the Clover. I may go during a quiet time of the day and ask to try it to see if the usual acidity found in Starbucks coffee comes from the beans or normal brewing method.
After trying the two lightest roast beans (Kona and Kenya) I have to say it was without qualification a very good cup of coffee. Nice, mellow nutty coffee flavor with no acidity or 'burnt' taste at all. Allison and I agreed that it compared very well with our (and everyone that has tried it) unanimous favorite coffee - Dilettante Cafe Hapsburg (Medium) roast.
The downside- $2 cup of coffee. But if you ever are in the mood for a perfect cup, the Clover can make it.
Yeah, this has been more Starbucks pimping after the Via mini-review, but I get a pretty regular string of Starbucks gift cards as part of a micro-bonus system at work, so they actually compete for my attention with some of the excellent independent cafes in Seattle. Having used many of their locations their problem isn't product or concept, but consistency. If the barista knows what they're doing, you can get excellent coffee/espresso. In the downtown Seattle area locations, good is more common than not. In the suburbs or other states, it's hit or miss at best, and at that point it ends up being not worth the cost. If anything the Clover seems to be a nearly foolproof way to make a consistently perfect cup of coffee, so I applaud the innovation and hope it makes its way across the country. (And thus decreases the cost through economies of scale)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Short notes
Interesting things:
Starbucks Via (their new instant coffee - this was the Extra Bold version, not the lighter Columbian) - got a free sample last week - finally got around to trying it. Surprisingly, it's drinkable decent coffee. The overall impression is of an Americano or Turkish preparation (where there are usually grounds on the bottom of the cup anyway) using day old beans. Less flavor than a good real coffee, but it's definitely not acidic or offensive in any way.
The first thought I had was - this is the perfect camping coffee. Single serving package, decent flavor, mixes easily into hot water.
At nearly $1 per serving though full retail price, it costs nearly as much as real coffee, which is possible to get any number of places in this city.
Overall - decent. If in the middle of nowhere - excellent.
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At lunch yesterday I walked over to the waterfront sculpture park and sat (with a real cappuccino in hand) and stared across the water at the mountains. It was a brilliant sunny and warm spring day, and I had this odd feeling of contentment - that of all the places in the world to be at that time, I'd choose here over about anywhere else.
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Tweed jackets. Excellent for the 'it is marginally cool' temperature days at the beginning and end of winter.
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Headed to Portland this weekend for more urban wandering. Will be good to have a change of scenery from Seattle - it's been a couple months without going anywhere else - that's too long imo.
---------------------------------------
British Airways has some great deals for flights to London around Thanksgiving - sounds like a fine second vacation for the year. And then the Eurostar to Paris for a few days as well. Anyone want to meet us there?
Onward!
Starbucks Via (their new instant coffee - this was the Extra Bold version, not the lighter Columbian) - got a free sample last week - finally got around to trying it. Surprisingly, it's drinkable decent coffee. The overall impression is of an Americano or Turkish preparation (where there are usually grounds on the bottom of the cup anyway) using day old beans. Less flavor than a good real coffee, but it's definitely not acidic or offensive in any way.
The first thought I had was - this is the perfect camping coffee. Single serving package, decent flavor, mixes easily into hot water.
At nearly $1 per serving though full retail price, it costs nearly as much as real coffee, which is possible to get any number of places in this city.
Overall - decent. If in the middle of nowhere - excellent.
-------------------------------------
At lunch yesterday I walked over to the waterfront sculpture park and sat (with a real cappuccino in hand) and stared across the water at the mountains. It was a brilliant sunny and warm spring day, and I had this odd feeling of contentment - that of all the places in the world to be at that time, I'd choose here over about anywhere else.
--------------------------------------
Tweed jackets. Excellent for the 'it is marginally cool' temperature days at the beginning and end of winter.
---------------------------------------
Headed to Portland this weekend for more urban wandering. Will be good to have a change of scenery from Seattle - it's been a couple months without going anywhere else - that's too long imo.
---------------------------------------
British Airways has some great deals for flights to London around Thanksgiving - sounds like a fine second vacation for the year. And then the Eurostar to Paris for a few days as well. Anyone want to meet us there?
Onward!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Disparity
The daily walk down 1st or 2nd Ave and along the waterfront makes clear some of the odd, well, disparities, about living in this city.
Within a half dozen blocks:
There are multiple stores where people can buy organic food and chemical free bedding - for their pets.
vs.
There are also people, either homeless or just hungry, who ask for food, or money for food.
There are multiple million dollar high rise residences which are in some cases second residences based on the lack of lights on at night.
vs.
There are people sleeping on cardboard boxes on the doorsteps of those buildings.
People will put on hundreds of dollars of clothing on a Saturday night to spend a fair fraction of that on drinks and dancing.
vs.
People will beg those same people for change while walking between bars.
---------
These are the two extremes I admit. The majority of life along these streets are normal people working normal jobs living in normal looking apartments.
These disparities will always exist, and will exist everywhere. There are some cities that try mightily to create two different worlds for the two extremes, there are others which are more open about it. Any place I've lived there have been agencies that have worked to try to bridge the gap between the two extremes, and I've worked with a variety of them over the years, but is there a good answer other than to carry on in that manner?
I found it odd that I would get asked for change when in college (loans for tuition and a part time job for spending money), and that was just Raleigh.
I now don't know what to think when I get asked. I presently have some amount of money expressed as electrons in a database somewhere. I don't exactly carry a lot of it around. There are multiple shelters/soup kitchens within a couple miles of where I'd get asked for money which by all public accounts are not overburdened.
No notable conclusion or remark here - just some observations on the day.
----------
That said, it is brilliantly sunny here - so it's time to go for a walk.
Within a half dozen blocks:
There are multiple stores where people can buy organic food and chemical free bedding - for their pets.
vs.
There are also people, either homeless or just hungry, who ask for food, or money for food.
There are multiple million dollar high rise residences which are in some cases second residences based on the lack of lights on at night.
vs.
There are people sleeping on cardboard boxes on the doorsteps of those buildings.
People will put on hundreds of dollars of clothing on a Saturday night to spend a fair fraction of that on drinks and dancing.
vs.
People will beg those same people for change while walking between bars.
---------
These are the two extremes I admit. The majority of life along these streets are normal people working normal jobs living in normal looking apartments.
These disparities will always exist, and will exist everywhere. There are some cities that try mightily to create two different worlds for the two extremes, there are others which are more open about it. Any place I've lived there have been agencies that have worked to try to bridge the gap between the two extremes, and I've worked with a variety of them over the years, but is there a good answer other than to carry on in that manner?
I found it odd that I would get asked for change when in college (loans for tuition and a part time job for spending money), and that was just Raleigh.
I now don't know what to think when I get asked. I presently have some amount of money expressed as electrons in a database somewhere. I don't exactly carry a lot of it around. There are multiple shelters/soup kitchens within a couple miles of where I'd get asked for money which by all public accounts are not overburdened.
No notable conclusion or remark here - just some observations on the day.
----------
That said, it is brilliantly sunny here - so it's time to go for a walk.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A new record
2 months to the day - the time it took to wear through the sole of a pair of shoes (Clarks).
The previous pair (Born) survived 8 months. Time to put a pair of Ecco to the test now.
Having a walking commute yet still wanting to appear somewhat professional takes more of shoe budget than I'd previously considered normal. Still cheaper than gas.
The previous pair (Born) survived 8 months. Time to put a pair of Ecco to the test now.
Having a walking commute yet still wanting to appear somewhat professional takes more of shoe budget than I'd previously considered normal. Still cheaper than gas.
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