Do you want to hear about Starbucks’ new social networking site, or the new espresso machines they’re planning to roll out? The Wall Street Journal has that information.
I have different information. Last week in Austin I asked myself, besides Jo’s, where might a true espresso fiend venture. The answer wasn’t hard to find.
image courtesy of Flickr user, nieve44
Caffé Medici is an espresso and coffee house located in the Clarksville neighborhood, just west of downtown Austin. They take a lot of care when making shots and that care translates directly to the coffee experience. I savored every drop of this precious brew, let me tell you. And I shuddered to think what going back to Starbucks’ burnt bean, crema-less cup would mean. It means compromise and I have enough compromise in my life, I don’t need it in my coffee.
There’s a brand new coffee shop in nyc called Abraco Coffee on the Lower East Side and it’s doing superbly well.
And the primary reason for it doing so well is that the coffee is made really well. Each cup is made to order; it’s grounded, placed in a specific ceramic cone and hot water is poured over it. The blend of coffee is also hand-selected by Jamie. He hopes to take this to the next level by roasting his own beans in the future. The same type of intensity goes into every espresso based drink there too. The coffee bar is standing room only and within just a few months of opening, it’s already won the “best cup of coffee in NYC” in New York magazine.
It’s more than the coffee; it’s about the love of coffee that the barista/owner has that makes it so special.
Right, and this level of care is missing from so many areas of our modern lives.
How can a mass marketer act with this degree of detail and care? It’s never been done to my knowledge. So those of us wrapped up in mass production and mass marketing are compromised before we even put our socks on in the morning. Which is a choice we make. Willingly, for money. When it’s not the right choice any longer, we’ll make another one. Or, I will. I hope.