From a Reuters story on reaction to news that Starbucks will close 600 stores:
"The people that work there are very pleasant, but the stores are devoid of any kind of real charm or personality," he said. "They push a button, and a machine does everything from grinding the beans to brewing the drink.
This story just reminds me how fortunate we are in Jefferson City (and Columbia) to have the Coffee Zone, where the personality is ankle-deep.
Once we got Taisir talking we couldn't shut him up. Ten minutes of this 15 minute interview should be plenty. Coming Up: The Katie Story.
Coffee Zone Web Heads George Kopp and smays.com will be webcasting live from the Coffee Zone this Friday morning, bringing you all the color and pageantry of Independence Day in the City of Jefferson. George will defend his Funnel Cake Eating crown and Taisir will be wearing his Uncle Sam costume and making Arabic balloon animals for kids of all ages.
Mark Frauenfelder brings his own espresso machine to US Barista Champion, Kyle Glanville, to learn how to make the perfect espresso. Kyle also gives a hands-on demonstration of the "ultimate nerd's way to make coffee." [Boing Boing]
"One of the largest and longest studies of coffee drinking suggests that coffee may indeed boost your lifespan – providing you drink enough of the stuff, that is. The study tracked 129,000 men and women over two decades. It found that people who consumed several cups of coffee every day were less likely to die of heart disease than those who shied away from the stuff. Heart disease is an umbrella term for conditions including heart attacks, stroke, and arrhythmia.
The researchers found that women who drank four to five cups per day were 34% less likely to die of heart disease, while men who had more than five cups a day were 44% less likely to die." [NewScientist]
The serious Coffee Zone Web Head is gonna want to take a long, hard look at the Jura F90 Coffee Maker... with the Internet Connection Kit.
"Enable the Jura Impressa F90 to communicate with the Internet, via a PC. Download parameters to configure your espresso machine to your own personal taste. If there's a problem, the engineers can run diagnostic tests and advise on the solution without your machine ever leaving the kitchen."
The lads in the Coffee Zone R&D lab have one of these rascals on the bench and just added an audio component. With each cup of coffee, the F90 greets you with:
"Hello, grandma!"
"It's almost Friday"
"Everything is peachy"
...and more than a dozen other expressions, all delivered in a charming Middle Eastern accent.
Taisir's favorite father-in-law, Dan, whipped up this little beauty for T's recent birthday. Can you say BBQ Gyro? Yum!
A latte is one of those "pretty" coffee drinks. At least here at the Coffee Zone. Taisir makes his lattes 3/4 milk, a double-shot of espresso with a spoonful of foam on top. (No, we don't have any of those little sprinkle things)
Wikipedia: "In Italy, caffe latte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop Moka and poured into a cup containing heated milk. (The Moka does not produce true espresso, but rather a double-strength coffee. Also, unlike the international latte drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)
Outside Italy, a latte is typically prepared with approximately one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately 5 mm (¼ inch) thick on the top.
Coffee Zone regular (and volunteer web monkey) Steve Mays had his first shot of espresso on Saturday morning. Steve has had enough Rocket Fuel to float an aircraft carrier but had never tried espresso, although he admitted he thinks the tiny cups are cute.
You see him here after just being brow-beaten by Kevin Perry and George Kopp. George and Kevin explained the importance of extending the pinky when drinking espresso.
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