I apologize for my lack of posts these past few weeks. Finals kind of ate my life. I did visit the Te Cafe, but I figured 6 posts in a row about it would be a waste of time for all of you.

I promise to get better the next two weeks.

From Pop City Newsletter

Thought you all might appreciate this:

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/coffee0412.aspx

Barista Secrets

As requested, more information behind the scenes...

being a barista, only if it was as simple as pulling a lever!

A barista has the ability to make your drink a perfect to horrible, a good barista is just as important as good beans (water, milk, etc).

A barista has to make sure your milk is steamed to the right temperature, too hot can burn the milk! Burnt milk smells like almond, if you smell this and you're not getting an almond latte, asked for some fresh milk.

Espresso quality, as I mentioned before a bad shot will either taste burnt or like asprin. Most shops check their espresso quality several times a day, as changes in temperature and use can alter the flavor. Also there are two types of espresso machines, automatic and traditional. Most larger chains use automatic, as it is a quicker process (great for the on the go customer). Automatic machines cannot be fine tunned as well as a traditional machine. Automatic machines involve the barista pushing a button, and the shots start to pour. A traditional machine involves more skill, as there are several reasons a bad shot is being pulled, which means more adjustment options. Most coffee lovers prefer traditional machines.

......automatic.........................traditional...............


The barista is also the one who assembles the drink, and its amazing how much order matters. For instance, lattes are known for having a half moons. This is a little bit of froth at top, that when poured correctly the espresso colored liquid will look like a half moon. If someone free pours (with out the latte spatula) you will not get this effect. If milk is put in first and then the espresso, you also won't get this effect. Some baristas are skilled enough they can do latte art. This also matters in flavor shots, the wrong measurement or order will make your drink tast funny. Also stirring makes a huge difference. With everything blended together, the flavors are not as strong (but you might also want that.)

Remind me later and I will give information on bean buying, because this is a whole other area a barista must know.

Lastly, the reason I focus on the friendliness of the baristas is that generally in customer service friendliness is important. You can get a cup of coffee anywhere, you'll go back to the places that had a good cup of coffee. You'll be a regular at the places that are friendly and have a good cup of coffee.

The other hot caffeniated beverage...

Te Cafe • Squirrel Hill • April 7th, 2008

The Te Cafe is a charming little shop, located right on the corner of Beacon and Murray. I really like this place, even if it doesn't sell coffee. Sometimes its nice to go out for a cup of tea.

Today I tried the pommegrante rosehip black tea. Awesome, nice blend of fruitness and black tea. Served piping hot in your own little tea pot. You get your mug, and a tea timer, so you can brew your tea to taste. For someone who likes strong tea taste, this is a very important feature.

Te Cafe has somewhat of the indy look, more like kiva han's little sister who shops at Ikea. For a small shop they do their best with seating. They have counter seats, tables, and comfy chairs. The big windows are very nice in this weather, you almost feel like you're outside without the chill from the wind.

The staff is friendly and swift. Te Cafe also offers free wifi (seriously how does starbucks stay in business when they charge for it.) The store is also very clean (no crumbs on the table).

The Te Cafe has over 100 types of tea, serves tea lattes, smoothies, lemonades, french and italian soda, and a variety of hot chocolates. No coffee though...


four and a half beans!

loco latte? not quite...

Crazy Mocha • Sewickley• Friday, March 21st, 2008

I have visited this Crazy Mocha on many occasions, and in all honesty I have never really found a good drink there. I have found drinks that suite their purpose, but they never are exceptional. I often find Crazy Mocha spends too much on trying to be crazy, and not enough on coffee basics. My last time in I got (let's take a guess here...) a vanilla soy latte! It was decent enough, no flavor out weighed another.

The service was decent enough, no extra effort to be friendly this time. My drink was speedily made, and I was out the door. I do have to say though, one thing that drives me crazy is that they don't put lids on their cups (in all honesty I am surprised that they can get away with this now.) The lids aren't even on the counter, which means I have to take a full cup of coffee across the room, without spilling it, just so I can get a lid and not spill it in my car.

The atmosphere has the artsy dark cave appeal. They have a lot of coffee chairs, and even an upper level. They also have free wi-fi as well as two computers you can use to get online (usually taken up by local middle schoolers). My favorite feature of Crazy Mocha is the garage door. They will open it when its warm out, and actually let some sun into the store. Also in warm months they have a patio area with chairs, which is very nice.

Last note on Crazy Mocha is that they have amazing desserts. If you need a reason to go to one, this is why. They have cakes, pies, amazing peanut butter brownies, cookies as big as your head, and chocolate dipped oreos. Then again one should consider, is the right reason to go to a coffee shop for the baked goods?


three beans!

Sad

First of all, I would like to apologize to all my readers for my lack of updates. I have had a ton of school work, as well as training for a new job these last few weeks. I have atleast three reviews to post, and hope to have them all up by the end of the weekend. (There will be a post about Crazy Mocha)

In other news, the Caribou Coffee is Robinson has closed. This saddens me greatly, as this is the shop I was a barista at. I leave you this poem, written by one of their former baristas:

Caribou store 901 is closed, forever.
Goodbye sweet bou, we excellent coffee makers will spend our time in yucky starbucks, un-employed, begging people on the street for money to eat.
Coroporate has saddened us.
They took everything.
Caribou 901--Rest In Peace-
Time of Death--March 25, 2008--6:30 PM
You will forever be in our hearts, and our minds.
We will forever love you
Sincerely,
Team 901

Toffee Coffee

Camille's Sidewalk • Oakland - Craig Street • Wednesday, March 12th, 2008


For months I have seen Camille's Sidewalk Cafe advertise their Toffee Coffee. Today I decided to try it.

I was greeted to wet floors (I understand at closing, but not at 4pm.) Fine, whatever. Went to the counter to order toffee coffee, which I was very excited to try. Which they told me they were out of, (did I mention that their sandwich board outside said to try it.) Okay, I figured Hey I'll try something else, the girl recommended a Cappuccino Chill. I was curious, because it is pretty weird to make a cold cappuccino.

Lets first define Cappuccino (thank you wikipedia):

Cappuccino is an Italian coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffé latte in that it is prepared with much less steamed or textured milk than the caffé latte with the total of espresso and milk/foam making up between approximately five and six ounces

In case your interested, here is how to make one: http://www.ehow.com/how_1855_make-cappuccino.html

I asked her what a Cappuccino Chill is, she explained it was water with cappuccino flavor. Now, someone please tell me what cappuccino flavor is? A cappuccino is espresso and milk, you can't have cappuccino flavor.

I told the girl I was not interested, and left the cafe. I am very disappointed in my coffee experience at Camille's.



one bean

Jitters...

Jitters • Shadyside - Walnut Street • Sunday, March 9th, 2008

My friend, Penny and I decided to go on a shadyside adventure on Sunday. As coffee fanatics, no coffee trip is complete without stopping at a coffee shop. We decided to try Jitters.

The service was fine, we were served in a timely manner. The barista talked to us, nothing out of ordinary. He was nice enough not to charge me for soy milk though. My biggest complaint would be that they only take cash.

The atmosphere was plain. No decorations, besides a PNC Bank ATM (well, if you're not taking cards, you better have easy access to cash. The seating was crowded, and noisy. This is not the place to go if you want to do work. There was enough noise in the air, that it made it difficult to concentrate on your own conversation. We decided, based on atmosphere, this is a place to get coffee to go.

Quality. Well, if do not like the taste of coffee, this is the place for you! I ordered my typical vanilla soy latte, and Penny got a mocha. Both of us found the flavors overwhelming, Penny found that her drink tasted too much like Hershey's Chocolate syrup.

Neither of us plan on visiting Jitters again, (except maybe to try their ice cream.) There wasn't enough there to entice us.



two beans

Something New

Arefa's Espresso • Squirrel Hill • Thursday, March 6th, 2008

Walked in to the two month old Arefa's Espresso on Forbes Avenue this afternoon. I was immediately impressed with the layout and decor. The was plenty of seating without looking jammed in, the tables were laid out sporadically. This form was refreshing to see, as most shops line their tables up like desks in a classroom. The decor was artsy, but in a classy way. It was clean, with large panels filled with a design. Nice earthy color pallet too.

The service was friendly, in the you are a customer sort of way. I didn't feel the barista went out of the way to talk to me. My drink was made quickly, but in a fashion unfamiliar to me. I ordered an iced americano, eager to taste their espresso. I traditionally use to iced americanos, that are espresso over ice. Although they made it the way posted here, I feel the icy water took away from the espresso taste! The espresso, despite being watery from the ice water, was configured right (didn't taste burnt or like an aspirin!) and a delicious blend.

To add note about Arefa's, they have live music , always an interesting bonus. And free wireless!



four beans!

61C revisited

http://www.thetartan.org/system/asset/image/1834/small/web_Pillbox.Cafes.DSC_0279.jpg

61C Cafe • Squirrel Hill • Thursday, March 6th, 2008

This morning I found myself with some extra time this morning, and decided that on the way to the bus stop to get a soy vanilla latte (you guessed it!) I went for the 61C cafe, as I promised it a second chance, much sooner than I would have thought.

The 61C was much quieter this time, as much shops in the morning. The barista was super friendly, kept chatting with me beyond making my latte. If you are looking for a friendly cup of coffee, this is the place to go.

My latte was perfect, nice blend of vanilla, espresso, and milk. The only thing I wished is that the to go cups were not styrofoam, as I feel that is more harmful to the environment than paper.

Overall, excellent the second time around.


four and half beans!

Kiva Han • Oakland-Craig Street • Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Today I decided to try Kiva Han for the first time in over a year. The last few times I went there I was confronted with poor service, and therefore stopped going there, until now. With Mega (the clever blogger over at Rick's Cafe Americain) I visited Kiva Han.

The space is open and artsy, with flyers around. They make the place seem artsy and liberal, but like all businesses they do support the corporate. Our clutches contained advertisements for Sprint. I personally believe they do the artsy thing to compete with the Starbucks across the street. They have a lot of seating available, in three different areas, making it an ideal place for studying or a meeting. If I had the time, I would certainly would've liked to have the time to sit down and study.

Mega and I were impressed with the customer service. Mega was swiftly served his cappuccino, and my vanilla soy latte was up moments later. I was pleased with the blend of vanilla and espresso, it was the perfect balance. No complaints from Mega on his cappuccino either. I was impressed.

Whether it's a new staff or we just got lucky, I was impressed with Kiva Han. We got excellent drinks in no time, and I think I will go back again.

5 beans!

Something to try...

http://www.slate.com/id/2133754

Next time I am at a Starbucks I will try this, and I encourage my readers to do the same. I want to know if a 'short' is really better...

third review (i am on a roll!)

Eat Unique • Oakland • Tuesday, February 26th, 2008



This morning I popped into my favorite sandwich shop in Oakland to try their coffee. For those of you who don't know, Eat Unique was once Craig Street Coffee. They still sell Craig Street Coffee beans. They have amazing sandwiches, but I had yet to experience their coffee and hoped it would be just as amazing. $5.13 later, I watched my barista make a Vanilla Soy Latte (double shot).

I first have to say, I have never seen a latte made in that order before. Steamed milk, then flavoring, then espresso. Just a little backwards! (See Instructions ) My latte, as much as i like vanilla, was very un-coffee tasting. If you have ever had a vanilla steamer, that's what my hot latte tasted like, (for those of you who don't know, think of hot vanilla milk.) Basically if you want to taste the espresso in your latte, don't go here. If you don't like to taste espresso, this is the perfect place for your cup of coffee.

Eat Unique is pretty crowded, especially during the winter months, as the outdoor seating is gone. They have additional seating out one of their doors (but you have to discover how to get there.) There is no comfy seating! The decor is typical cafe, plain walls, no real decorations. It can get loud during busy food hours, as more people go to Eat Unique for food than coffee.

Although my drink was made weird, un-coffee tasting, and expensive, the service was great. The girl went right to work making my drink, and i was in and out of Eat Unique in no time.

[Just a side note, I gave up chocolate for lent, so that is why I have not personally reviewed a mocha (which I know is a favorite.)


three beans!

Review Number Two

Starbucks • Oakland-Craig Street • Monday, February 25th, 2008

Even Britney Spears goes to Starbucks!

I have spent the last 5 years going to this Starbucks, but have yet to review it. I wasn't sure if I should focus on all my experiences or a specific one. I have decided to just focus on my trip tonight.

Although there was a line, it was a short line, my drink order was placed quickly. This trip was a decaf white mocha, and a soy, half-calf, lite whip, honey latte (yes, sometimes I am that girl...) I would like to say that the Honey Latte is fantastic, perfect blend of sweetness and espresso. It has a nice nutty undertone (they say pecan.) If you're looking for something a little different from Starbucks, try the Honey Latte. The white mocha appeared to be up to par, as far Starbucks goes.

This Starbucks is inviting, it has several tables to sit at, although only small tables. This would be inconvenient for working with another person and a laptop. Two walls are filled with windows, bringing lots of light in (often the complaint is that Starbucks is cave-like). As far as Starbucks go, this one is a good one.


four and a half beans!

The First Review

61C Cafe • Squirrel Hill • Sunday, February 17, 2008

I walk past the 61C Cafe almost everyday, but had yet to experience it. I always sat in awe of the people outside at night with twinkling lights while walking up Bartlett. While waiting for the bus I also thought about venturing in to warm up, but timing never worked out. Finally this past Sunday, my friend and I took a chance on the 61C Cafe.

We walked in, finding the cafe quite full. Luckily they have plenty of seating, and lots of small tables for those doing school work (almost every table had a laptop!) We were quickly taken care of, which is always a plus. Unfortunately they only take cash, which personally I find as a negative for any business.

We each ordered a chai tea latte. Our drinks arrived in about two minutes, and were served in cool glasses (seriously I want buy them, they were glass mugs, that didn't burn your fingers when you touched them!) The Chai Tea Latte were served with nutmeg or cinnamon on top of them (I couldn't determine.) I would probably order something different, the Chai was not bad, but a little too cinnamony for my taste.

The music was at an appropriate level, cool and funky, but not overpowering. The artwork was simple and pretty, mostly nature photos.

I would definitely go back again, the atmosphere was great, the service was great, and I think I just need to find my drink there.


three and a half beans!

Welcome

As a former barista for a local coffee shop, i suddenly realized how much coffee was out there to try. My goal is for this blog is to get out there and experience Pittsburgh coffee shops, to help you skip a bad cup of coffee, and find neat, unique shops.

A coffee shop is an essential part of our society. We meet friends there, skip out on work in them, have a job interviews and business meeting there. A cup of coffee, latte, or a mocha can perk up your day. A quality cup of coffee makes any experience better (the date was terrible, boring, but atleast my chai tea latte was good!)

I promise to provide you with names of the shops, what I ordered, and what I thought on quality, service and atmosphere. Enjoy!


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As pointed out to me by the witty Mega over at Rick's Cafe Americain, I need a rating system. To keep it simple I am doing a 5 bean system, 5 beans being the best, and 0 beans beings the worst.