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Sunday, June 1, 2008

Latte City

Mike,

At last I’ve visited every single latte shop in Boulder, at least until another one opens up, which may happen tomorrow. Not counting the repetitions, where the owners or franchisers have more than one storefront, I’ve found 28 legitimate espresso shops in town. There are some others in libraries, bookstores or restaurants, but they don’t count as true espresso shops if it’s not their main business. At least 20 of these places are run by non-franchise owners — families or single-owner businesses.

And you know the seriousness of the Espressoria owner when you see the bistro-maestro drawing a fern or a heart or a mushroom or a swan on your latte!

We never saw such artistry in Italy. Frankly, I was somewhat disappointed. There isn’t a cappuccino (shot of espresso with a shot of foam), or a cafe latte (glass of hot milk with an in-mixed shot of espresso), or an espresso shot by itself, or an Americano (espresso diluted in hot water). And it’s strictly an Italian grind. No Ethiopian, Peruvian, Mexican, Vietnamese, or other exotic grounds, as we have here. The Italians must be appalled by our arrogance at our attempts to “upgrade” an old European custom.

–rakkity

posted by michael at 7:01 pm  

4 Comments »

  1. Something doesn’t parse in the 2nd sentence of that last paragraph. Instead of “There isn’t” I mean to say “There’s only”.

    Obviously my last shot of espresso failed to wake me up completely.

    Comment by rakkity — June 1, 2008 @ 9:04 pm

  2. Editor’s fault. I changed There it’s to There isn’t. I even read it twice to make sure it made sense. Time for bed I guess.

    Comment by michael — June 1, 2008 @ 10:09 pm

  3. And do you have [a] favorite(s), oh diligent researcher? For art, ambiance, or flavor, if distinct, or does one triumph in all regards?

    Comment by el Kib — June 2, 2008 @ 8:28 am

  4. My favorite is Espressoria. You can sit outside in the shade or indoors at their spacious tables. Their lattes are carefully decorated by the barista with the usual viscous white foam (Christmas tree or fern). They also have free wifi, and for some reason the place is never crowded. Usually there are just 3 or 4 sippers inside, and rarely anyone outside. Their 16 oz lattes are $2.70, which beats most Boulder espresso places by 30 cents. And in spite of the small clientele and low prices, they seem to be prospering.

    Comment by rakkity — June 2, 2008 @ 1:21 pm

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