OlaLatte

Another latte. Yum.

Home barista leaves and such. Cups by Rörstrand, Sweden (as always).

Subtle heart in bowl cup.

Volunteer barista. A Monday morning shift in February.

Home barista

I'm feeling beet 😋 Like coffee, like cup. Today's latte art failure turned into a fun win.

Today's pours included these small lattes and the new seasonal favorite spicy mocha - yum yum - with a hot touch of cayenne along with some cinnamon and nutmeg. Try it!

A brunch coffee at home.

Alright, I finally got all my gear in place. Bought a pretty Ascaso grinder from 1st-line Equipment outside of Freehold, New Jersey - which ended up being a 5 hour trip in total, haha! But hey, why not?! And got a tamper, brush and knock-box from various places on Amazon. So now I can actually grind my beans and start getting those little lattes right. Right now I'm working with Blue Bottle's Giant Steps, which is pouring okay, but I find it to be a little too smoky as an espresso. And I realized reading about it that it is more of a french press or drip pot blend/roast. Next time I'll go with one of their designated espresso beans, like the Hayes Valley or 17ft.

So, it’s early days yet. I’m working on getting the milk to behave as I want. I just got a new milk jug, which helps. The biggest issue now is that I need a grinder so I can get a fresh and exact grind of beans, rather than the ready ground that I’m pouring now (which is too coarse). But all shall be tweaked to perfection (or as close as I can get) in due time.

Another shift @housingworksbookstore cafe. Great to be pouring a bunch of cups again. Love the customers, the fellow volunteers and all the books!

A perfect guest appearance (as always) by @littlecollinsnyc

My first volunteer shift at Housing Works Bookstore Café in SoHo, NYC. For some reason I was nervous as all hell, my hands shaking like a leaf also when pouring my first cups. It was a blast though, such lovely people (shout out to Amy for being a rock), both behind and on the other side of the counter. I am already really looking forward to my next Monday morning!

Very last pours with my dear Isomac machine before leaving it behind in Stockholm, as we moved to NYC, with no machine of our own (yet!)