Drink Recipes

For the Eleventh Coffee of Christmas my barista made for me…

December 23rd, 2010, by MyCoffeePro

I also added today’s review to Yelp: Caffe Carpe Diem @ Yelp

The Coffee: Eggnog Latte with cinnamon sprinkles

The Shop: Caffe Carpe Diem located at 3139 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104

The Espresso Shot: To be fair, Juliet the barista has only worked here for 2 days and this machine is a gorgeous Elektra, which I know from experience can be tricky to operate and get used to. The straight shot that she pulled for me was a bit too tart, the crema was a bit flat, but it wasn’t bad. I didn’t have to toss it. I would give this shot a 3 out of 5, but with the caveat that I will be back to give Juliet another try because she was very pleasant and we talked a lot about coffee.

For the Tenth Coffee of Christmas my barista made for me…

December 22nd, 2010, by MyCoffeePro

I also posted today’s review on Yelp: Claire de Lune @ Yelp

The Coffee: Brown Sugar & Cinnamon White Chocolate Mocha

The Shop: Claire de Lune located at 2906 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104

The Espresso Shots: Short and Sweet, just like I like them. Joan the barista asked me how I prefer my shots which I much appreciated and I let her know that I like short, ristretto shots … she actually tossed 2 previous sets of shots saying that they weren’t coming out to her liking … excellent … my mouth started salivating at the upcoming joy I was sure to find. The crema was gorgeous, just like finding the perfect tiger’s eye stone, dark caramel with just a touch of cream. The first whiffs of the aroma were almost breath-taking, so sweet yet strong, smoky caramel. A gentle blow on the crema didn’t even make it move the tiniest bit, yay, another great sign … more salivating going on. The first sip was indeed just as sweet and rich as all the portents foretold. I was very happy with these shots. The only improvement that I could offer to Joan is to watch for the rat-tailing effect as the espresso extracts and make sure that it’s nice and tight, which should lead to a slightly sweeter shot … the only mark off I can give this one. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For the Ninth Coffee of Christmas my barista made for me…

December 21st, 2010, by MyCoffeePro

The Coffee: The Recession Peppermint Mocha

The Shop: MyCoffeePro’s Cafe, aka Chase Mann’s home kitchen Smile

The Espresso shots: Made with … Dunkin Donut’s Drip Coffee (hey, be nice, my roomie bought it). Since this is a recession drink at home and I currently have no espresso machine at home, I had to use drip coffee that my roomie bought. I actually tasted the Dunkin Donut’s Drip by itself first to see what it would taste like … a bit too weak and watery, but very nice floral and citrus undertones … a surprisingly good aftertaste, almost woody. I could tell from the coloration of the grounds that they use a lighter roast than I usually care for, but the taste wasn’t as tart as I had anticipated. I would give this coffee 3 out of 5 stars, surprisingly.

For the Eighth Coffee of Christmas my barista made for me…

December 20th, 2010, by MyCoffeePro

I also added today’s review to Yelp: Kona Coffee @ Yelp

The Coffee: Peppermint Mocha, not syrup

The Shop: Kona Coffee located at 3995 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

The Espresso Shots: I caught poor Vicki just as she was opening up and I’m not sure she had set her espresso shots just yet. They were a bit light and limp with a thin crema that parted as I blew on it. The shots weren’t bad though, just not at the right strength. I would have to give the shots a 3 out of 5 which is pretty good from an espresso snob like me. The aroma of the shots were a little deceptive though because it smelled sweet and strong and just wasn’t quite there yet.