My personal challenge... care to help? - Introductions - Coffee Forum

Glad you liked the post!  I'll try to visit the other places Jason mentioned as well.  Finding parking in Sacramento isn't always easy, and adds about a dollar to the cost of a coffee, but it's worth it.

Ever hear of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco?  I may be back in the city week after next and am going to swing by and try them out.  They have a nice cafe at the Ferry Building.  http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/

So, any recommendations on how to proceed from here?  Should I try the same Latte order at each place, to see how they vary from place to place?  Or should I try to mix up my choices in order to experience the most?

Next up in my grand adventure; Temple Coffee (and an espresso!)  Thanks to Jason for this recommendation.

Key item to remember here:  I've never ever had a good espresso.  Every time I've tried espresso in the past, it has tasted burnt and thick.  You know that feeling?  Where a tongue scraper would be nice?

Newbie barrier to entry #1: Too many sub-standard mass-market options and no reference point for quality.

Jason and Neil, I have to say… you were right.  There is a huge difference… no, not just huge… phenomenally large… difference between what I just had and what I've had in the past.  I will admit, now, that espresso probably isn't my cup of tea (yet,) as an every day drink, as it's a little too strong for my stomach.

I ordered my drink(s) as Jason recommended; a latte to go and espresso for here (braving the tiny little cup.)  And immediately faltered when I was presented with a menu of options for my espresso:  Single Origin, or… insert list of options here. 

In a meek little voice, I responded, "uhm… whatever you recommend?"  Her response was, "Hmm, I'm going to recommend the Los Andes, it's freakin' good."

Newbie barrier to entry #2: Too many options, with not enough explanation.

The chalkboard on the wall said "Single Origin: El Salvador – Los Andes" *gulp* Now, I know from reading through the forums and online that people generally work their way up to single origin.  "Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?" went through my mind.

The Barista promised to bring it right out to me, so I sat down to await my doom.

She brought out two cups, as you can see in the nice grainy little photo above (hey, it was dark in there!)  One of which was that little tiny ceramic cup.  She then stood there looking at me, while I sheepishly grinned and said "Thanks!"…

Newbie barrier to entry #3: AKA What Starbucks does right; newbies know how to get in line, and order from a bright menu with visual cues about the main product offerings.  Private coffee houses are daunting and fraught with their own protocol that the usual clientele know well.  I've personally avoided them because they always seemed snooty and I'm too bashful to just blaze my way in and order… I just don't know what to ask for!

The barista didn't leave!  OMG she stood there!  I had already tipped at the counter, was she expecting another tip?  ack!  So… I did what I've seen jason do in the videos!  (LOL!!) I picked up the tiny mug and sniffed it and said "thank you" again, at which point she turned and left with a happy wave… yes, a WAVE!  Did I miss some coffee connoisseur etiquette lesson here?

Newbie barrier to entry #4: Confusion about etiquette.

I don't really know how to describe the scent.  It was a little musty, and made me feel like I was in an old library… how odd.  so, I took a little sip and rolled it around my mouth and…  Sourness?  I quaffed the little mug full of oily looking stuff.  And it hit me, this coffee tastes like muscadine.  Sour muscadine.  Muscadine is to the south what grapes are to Napa; I grew up in the south.  The espresso did not taste burnt, nor did it have that cardboard box taste that I'd grown familiar with.  Wow!

I can't say that I'd ask for that specific bean again, it wasn't terrible, just unexpected and not a flavor I would normally appreciate.

The Latte, however, was good with just the right amount of coffee and milk and a nice design in the foam.  I had ordered a blackberry scone to go with the latte (detecting a trend yet?)  I have to admit though, I prefer the taste of the latte at Chocolate Fish over this one.  The Latte was good but I liked the nutty flavor of the previous Latte.

I give the espresso one cool, two happys, and two confuseds:

I give the latte three cools and two happys:

All-in-all, I'm very content with my experiment so far; Temple Coffee is definitely a worthy addition to my scorecard.

@Jerry, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your coffee adventures.  I look forward to your future posts.  Did you down your espresso in 10 seconds like Jason?

@Jason, Why do you recommend a latte as an espresso chaser?  Is just a cup of espresso too bold on it's own?  I've never had an espresso, so I have no idea.  My husband had one once and he said it was very thick and he's never had another since.