Third Floor Espresso (3fe)

If there's one thing I like more than going to a birthday party full of three year olds it's going out for coffee instead. So imagine my sense of joy when, this morning, my wife suggested that she would take our younger two kids to a party if I would take responsibility for our eldest.

Oh what could we do......?

Wait a minute! As it happened I needed to run into the city centre to pick up a couple of bags of coffee I ordered. (I'll tell you about that another time). The location for the pick-up was at a brand new cafe that I was excited to visit. Following the promise of sweets child A was just as excited too!

So I headed down to Third Floor Espresso, located at the Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey St in the centre of Dublin. 3fe is a new venture (just open 6 days) of Colin Harmon - current Irish Barista Champion and fourth place finalist in the World Barista Championship. I knew I was in for a treat.

Before I talk about the coffee, let me start with the name of this great little place - and when I say little, I mean there was room for maybe a dozen people at a time at most. I really liked that. It meant that you were right there watching and participating in the crafting of the coffee. That said, I believe there is more room available for expansion as the business takes off. Anyway, the name: Third floor espresso is very conveniently located at street level! The 'third floor' comes from the history behind the genesis of this new cafe. You can read about it here. And as for 'espresso', yes of course that is served along with the usual additions of variously foamed milk (and latte art). But what is also great was the offer of filter coffee made using not-so-common methods. And so to the coffee:

Moments after walking in I was handed a cup of coffee that was just produced using a vac pot. I wish I had arrived a few minutes earlier as I've not seen one being used before. (Why did I promise to stop and buy those sweets!?) Soon after Colin brewed up another cup using a 'pour over' unit from Japan that made the preparation and brewing of the coffee almost ceremonial. And the result was a fantastic cup of coffee. Colin's friend, Dave, was on hand to talk me through this coffee and could confirm that what I was tasting had a big, fruity blackcurrant flavour to it. It was amazing!

By this time sweets and patience were starting to run out for my little girl. Just time for an espresso. Another great result! I didn't say what I was thinking in my head. (I've learned that making uninformed guesses can make you look a bit daft. I can admit now that when I first met the Bald Barista I asked if he put a chilli pepper in the coffee beans because it was so spicy!) The espresso blend is seasonal so every few months it will change which is very different from most other cafes.

All-in-all 3fe looks like a good place to get a great cup of coffee and learn a bit more about what goes in to making a perfect cup. A welcome addition to the Dublin coffee scene.

Season of Goodwill

I've decided to set myself a couple of challenges for the month of December.

Over the past year I have discovered that the more I learn about coffee the more critical I can be about the cup that I am served at a cafe. Sometimes that has come out in my blog posts, but most of the time it's been in my head...or said to my long-suffering wife. The flip side of this knowledge is, of course, a greater appreciation of a cup of coffee when it is well produced.

However, for the next few weeks I'm going to try my best to simply enjoy the whole experience of coffee even if what I am served isn't that great - the location or the people I talk to or the thoughts in my head might be instead.

The other thing that I am going to do is impose on myself a 10% charity tax on any coffee I drink during December. I'm doing this in response to my thoughts about yesterday's post. So the more coffee I drink, the bigger the donation will be to Christian Aid.

What if I didn't drink coffee?

Representing my church I attended the AGM today of Christian Aid (Ireland). The event was held at Bewley's Hotel near Dublin Airport. For those outside of Ireland, Bewley's is a well established and historical purveyor of tea and coffee in Ireland. I guess they also purvey guest rooms too. But it's not Bewley's that I want to talk about - though it is coffee related.

Christian Aid is an international development organisation who raise funds and help local churches connect with vital projects in the developing world. I noted down what the Chairperson said was the driving motivation behind Christian Aid: "To eradicate absolute poverty because absolute poverty is an affront to God."

One speaker highlighted a recent trip to Ethiopia - the home of coffee. His presentation included the story of a small group of women who pooled some money in order to give micro-loans to the local residents in order for them to develop some sort of livelihood. The way this collective of about a dozen women initially raised some capital was through coffee. Actually through not drinking coffee.

Part of the tradition for many in rural Ethiopia is the drinking of coffee in a ritualized way. Typically this coffee ritual takes place three times a day. However, these ladies for-goed one ritual each day and pooled the saved money instead - about five cents each. Five cents!!

You and I wouldn't think twice about such a trivial amount of money, but once enough had been collected fair loans could be made. So the story continued:

A woman takes out a small loan from the group and buys a large bag of corn and a large can of kerosene. These then she decants into small vessels and sells on to others at a small profit. From that profit she buys a goat which she milks for extra income. Her newly earned money is then used to buy another goat which she breeds with the original and several months later the goat gives birth to two more. These new goats are sold for a decent enough amount of money to start to give hope for this woman and her life is transformed. All for just skipping a coffee and investing five cents. It was a powerful lesson and one that, as I write this now, causes me to think about what I could do if I skipped the occasional coffee and did something else with the money.

Costa Coffee in Ireland???

Wandering around Dublin city centre on a cold, wet, windy Saturday morning is not really my idea of fun. Especially when accompanied with three under-5 children, one of whom had had a high temperature the night before. Still, a bit of fresh air and exercise never killed anyone. Probably.

However, my morning was brightened up when I noticed a Costa Coffee store on a busy corner of Dawson Street just up the road from my favourite toy shop - all 50 sq. meters of it (if that) packed form floor to ceiling with classy toys! So while the kids were peering in through the toy shop window I headed into Costa for some coffee and the low-down on their arrival in Dublin.

Costa Coffee have been brewing up a pretty decent cup in the UK for years, and as a chain store over there would have been the biggest rivals to Starbucks - with probably a couple of hundred more outlets than the mermaid. What I have always liked about Costa is their support of Fairtrade long before it started becoming trendy and certainly long before their biggest rival did. That and they do a nice selection of pastries.

I return from my recon trip with a vanilla latte for my wife and a regular latte for me, plus a chocolate mini yule log. (I can't believe I bought something so Christmasy already...but I guess we were in the process of helping out Santa).

"Get this," said I to herself. "Costa have been in Ireland for ages and I never knew it! And they have 27 cafés across the country!!"

"Let me stop you right there," says she, nipping in the bud any thoughts of an another pilgrimage....

Coffee Diagrams

A while ago someone asked me if I would explain what the differences are between the various styles of coffee. So, going on the premise that a picture is worth a thousand words I shan't bore you with intricate details......even though I might find it interesting. Instead, here's a great picture I came across:



(Designed by Lokesh Dhakar)

Why would you do that????

My mother-in-law from America has been over for the last couple of weeks. Although living in Ohio for many years her family history is from the South. Every now and then she will give me a little insight in to some of the customs of that part of the country - like what they serve for breakfast: biscuits and red-eye gravy.

The "biscuits" I can cope with. Think a lighter, fluffy/flaky bread roll, a bit like a plain scone but less dense. (Nothing like a chocolate digestive biscuit). Served with the biscuit is some bacon. Ok so far. All this is topped with red-eye gravy. Here's how that is made: after frying the bacon remove the meat from the pan, but leave the fat and juices behind. Then add to the pan......my goodness I can hardly bring myself to say it......then add to the pan............coffee!!!!! And you got yer gravy.

Please, anyone from the Southern States, can you confirm this abomination is true?

That said, I did take my m-i-l to Temple Bar market last weekend where we sampled chocolate covered bacon.

Farewell to Starbucks

I wasn't planning on going to Starbucks in Ranelagh today, I just happened to go past it. Actually to be more precise I happened to go past where it was! I wound up doing a double-take and thinking, 'Wow! Starbucks has closed.'

The door was open so I peered around inside the empty store, save for a display of coffee packets and a few bits of unsold merchandise. I found someone to explain what had happened. Apparently this wasn't the only Irish store to close. Five of them closed on Friday!

Unfortunately the grounds ran out for Starbucks cafes in Ranelagh, Dundrum, Tallaght, Swords and Dalkey. I can't help feeling the people of Dalkey may be feeling a little bit smug right now.

While I'm not really bothered about these stores closing down, I do feel sorry for the people who worked in them. I guess that even in a small country such as this the mighty Starbucks over-stretched itself. I'm glad I finished visiting them all when I did! It almost now gives my Starbucks coffee Odyssey an historical perspective.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Cosmo

I've never had my own laptop before...until today.

Now I'm sitting in a cafe, writing my blog, using wifi! I feel so free!!!!

I might even go out this week and get one of those telephone things with no wires coming out the end. Can you imagine? Phones without wires!


Oh, man. I'm more behind the times than Great Uncle Bulgaria.

My Next Door Neighbour

If I don't blog this right away I will forget,and it's too wonderful to be lost...


I just put the kettle on and made a cup of tea - the lazy way: just a tea bag in a cup. On going to the fridge for milk I discovered that we had none! Not one drop! So I went, with hot cup in hand, and knocked on my elderly neighbours door. She answered, still in a dressing gown and curlers in her hair. She's great craic. A real, old Irish woman who always has a story to tell and a quirky saying for every occasion. If chatting at the front door were an olympic sport she would win a gold medal.

Anyway, I explained my predicament and she was only too willing to oblige...and tell a story: Apparently she doesn't drink tea and always drank coffee, even as a young child. She was out the other day with her nephew and stopped for a coffee in "one of those Starbucks places", to which she added:

"Call that coffee?! My granny! It was bilge."

I literally LOL. And I don't even know what bilge is!

Square Mile Coffee - Autumn Espresso

I deliberated for a couple of weeks deciding whether or not to order a couple of bags of beans from Square Mile Coffee Roasters. This is not because I was unsure of what the quality would be. They are the people who roast for Flat White cafe. No, my hesitation was purely based on what it would cost to have the coffee sent to Ireland. But last week I decided to go ahead and order some beans, mainly for three reason plus and obvious fourth:

1) I had just run out of my stash of Flat White beans.
2) It would be cheaper than me flying to London.
3) They come in 350g bags as appose to the regular retail standard of 250g.
and 4) I was just curious!

Despite there being a postal strike in the UK my coffee arrived today - a seasonal short-run blend: Autumn Espresso - with a roasting date stamp of 28th September. One week for the beans to settle. Perfect.

I wasn't in a position to try them out straight away, but for the next couple of hours my mind was distracted from productive work just at the thought of running them through my machine. (Good grief! I really am starting to think I might have a problem.)

Eventually I got my chance! Cutting open the top of the bag I gave it a gentle shake and then stuck my nose in for a good sniff. Ahhhh, a wonderful nutty smell combined with the sweet aroma of warm buttered toast.

I was amazed at my first shot of espresso that I pulled. The pour was a delight to watch and the crema was incredibly thick - about half the volume of the shot itself. I was amazed that my little machine could get such a result. It proved to me what you achieve with fresh roasted, high quality beans and a grind seconds before pulling the shot.

And the taste? After sipping through that crema the flavour was warm and fairly sweet, kind of like dark chocolate. Then, a second or two after tasting, a fruity sharpness comes back and pokes you in the throat. Coffee is so multi-sensory. I love it!

I followed up my espresso with a double shot latte. The added milk made it caramely and really quite rich. Perhaps even too rich for my taste. I'll see what tomorrow brings.

Alas, I had to pull myself away and get on with the rest of the day; so maybe I don't have such a problem after all. That said, I have been thinking about the coffee a fair bit this evening...

Tir na nÓg Caife - St Anne's Park

I once came across a shocking statistic that there are more golf courses in greater Dublin then there are children's playgrounds! If I may take that further, I have come to discover over the last few years that there are no playgrounds that I know of that are located next to a cafe!!! I'm not sure why this is as I am sure they would do a cracking trade in take-away coffee. At the very least, as someone suggested to me last week, one of those travelling coffee wagons could do worse than to hang out around playground gates - especially as autumn draws in. (Coffee Angel, if you are listening, there is a market to be exploited).

Today, despite forecasts of possible rain, we ventured across to the other side of the city to collect conkers and go bike riding in St Anne's Park, Clontarf. Oh what a picturesque family scene, you're thinking. Yes it was......but we did get wet. I don't like being wet.

Anyway, there are two other features I like about the park. One is the Saturday farmers market at the Red Stables and the other is the playground which, although not right next to each other aren't too far apart. Within the market is the usual mix of organic fruit and veg, bread and baked goods, olives, flowers, crepe van, wool stall, cheeses, and a coffee stall. But I didn't get coffee from there.

Also located in the Red Stables is a cafe which is open everyday and recently under new management. It is Tir na nÓg Caife. But I didn't go there for coffee either. And here's why:

While having fun with the kids in the playground my mind wandered to the thought of enjoying the slab of M&M cookie bar that my wife had made and packed in her bag. Naturally it would be best enjoyed with a coffee so I began thinking of reasons why I should be the one to leave the three kids in the playground to fetch a couple of lattes. And then something wonderful happened...

Coming from out of the mists, somewhere from way beyond the west, two youthful figures strode into the chaos of the grounds, smartly dressed and donning green aprons. Did her name badge say Niamh? And I felt sure he was refered to as Oisin, but my caffeine withdrawal may have been playing tricks with my mind. Regardless, they came with wonderful greetings from Tir na nÓg and asked if I'd like to order anything from their menu. Within minutes they returned with two very good lattes.....and then they were gone.

**********

By the way, the Tir na nÓg is the mythical celtic Land of Eternal Youth. Find out a bit more about it here.

After Hours

Too many cafes in Dublin close too early in the evening. That includes my latest favourite. However, the thing about having a cafe on the premises of an international hostel is that just because the coffee stops flowing doesn't mean the whole place closes down. Quite often people still stick around to chat or browse online. Sometimes someone decides to provide a little entertainment.

Usually the entertainment is some international traveller pulling out a guitar and singing a few songs...if you're lucky. If you're unlucky you might be there when the Bulgarian guy comes in, pushes the tables and chairs back, and starts performing Riverdance with the hope that spectators will join in.

But this evening was a bit different. A young American girl had just arrived in Ireland this morning and immediately jumped at the chance to perform an impromptu concert of her own songs.....on the ukulele! I couldn't help but stick around because I kind of like the sound of the ukulele - once you get past the comic value of the way the instrument looks. I find that there is something about its sound that even if playing a sad song in a minor key you still can't help smiling and tapping your feet.

The artists name was Milly Geronimo. You can check out her myspace page here. Have a listen to 'Heat me up' which is the first track on her wonderfully homemade EP that I bought.



Oh, and as it's the last day of September (ally-ally-o) that brings me to the end of my blogging challenge of posting everyday this month...except most weekends....and a couple of missed days. However those minor under-achievements meant that serendipitously - a word which is used in the song above - this is my 200th post on my blog. A cracking average of one post every 6 and a bit days. Hmmm, that's at least once a week I guess....

Here's to 200 more! But maybe not tomorrow as I tend to always wind up blogging way after hours.

Coffee at any price

Yesterday I managed to get in to watch the Irish Latte Art competition. I say 'managed to' because, a) it was part of a trade show only for people in the catering business, and b) I didn't have a ticket. However, the words "I think there is meant to be a ticket left at the desk here for me to get into the coffee competition" plus a nice smile seemed to do the trick.

After getting past a crowd of exhibitors offering me free samples of ice cream, pizza, chocolate, olives, bread and information about a start of the art walk-in refrigerator unit I found the show stage of SCAE - Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (Ireland Chapter). They were hosting the coffee competition.

After waiting around for a while longer than expected the competition got under way to see who could pour the best looking latte art - those little designs on the top of your drink. It was interesting for a while, but to be honest the views of the final creations were not great and I got a bit bored so I left before it was over. However, the bonus was that there was free coffee to be had. After the judges had viewed and tasted the drinks they were offered to the audience. For some reason I couldn't help thinking of this experience of passing around a special cup as similar to a common chalice used in Holy Communion! Imagine that: coffee and a danish instead of bread and wine.

I was the recipient of a great looking cappuccino created by Bela Zudor of Avoca Cafe in Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow (a lovely, if a bit expensive, place to go for lunch). He went on to win the competition!

Leaving the competition I wondered around the trade show again and bumped into Buzz who was demonstrating machines for Milano Coffee Systems - the people he just bought a machine from. Buzz didn't seem to be into the coffee competitions scene. All tricks and no substance, I wondered?? I chatted with one of the guys from Milano about their cheapest fully automatic machine - press one button and it does everything for you. We have a ministry project set for Rathmines and I'd like to be able to offer quality coffee to people who are part of what we will do. The price for the machine? €10,000.

I gave a nice smile, but it didn't seem to do the trick.

Flat White Video

Needing to come up with something to blog about today I hit upon inspiration when I opened up a bags of beans that I recently picked up from Flat White cafe.

I know! I'll make a little video!

So here's my attempt at making The Flat White - an AUS/NZ classic.

An Evening to Remember

Yesterday evening while I was at the Bald Barista I was chatting to the owner, Buzz, and he was telling me that they were getting a new espresso machine on Thursday. After talking through what the main features of the machine would be Buzz then invited me back to watch them install and set it up!

So this evening I was back again. (Big thanks to my wife for releasing me from kids bedtime duty!) There on the counter, waiting to be plumbed in, wired up, and brewing was Buzz's new pride and joy - a Faema Stylema.

For about the next three hours Buzz, his staff, a couple of guys from Milano Coffee Systems and me talked coffee, watched numerous shots of espresso being pulled and tasted a few too. Buzz was obviously thrilled with the new addition and anyone who came into the cafe the rest of the evening wanting coffee got it for free. I guess, though, that he's no longer particularly excited about his water boiler as he still charged for tea. :-)

What was particularly great was that this expert barista was talking through his techniques with me - some great insights into the way he works.

But wait! The evening then got even better!! As we all sat chatting around a table Buzz turns to me and says, 'Do you want to have a go at pulling a shot?' I couldn't believe it, and to be honest I was a little bit giddy with excitement. It was brilliant!!! Monica, Buzz's other pride and joy, talked me through the process then entrusted me with this brand new piece of equipment. (I thought it turned out as a pretty good shot, IMHO).

One of these days I'll write a post about significant moments in my coffee history. This moment will definitely feature.

So thanks, Buzz, for allowing me to experience a bit of coffee culture at a new level.

Espresso fueled bike ride

Was it just me or did large quantities of espresso make my bike ride home from the cafe this evening a little easier? Perhaps even faster??

It's in the post

Last January a small group of us met in our home one Sunday morning for 'Brunch Church'. As part of our gathering we wrote down on cards various goals we would like to achieve by the end of the year - a movie I'd like to see; a way I'd like to develop my spiritual life; somewhere I'd like to visit, etc. etc. The cards were sealed in an envelope to be opened at a later date.

Last Sunday we opened the envelopes to review how we were doing. Hmmm. Some done, but more to be accomplished. Just as well there is still three months left of the year!

One of the tasks that was yet to be completed said on the card: "What is something meaningful you could do with €20?"

I can now cross that off my list.

Somebody will (in 3-5 business days) receive their own copy of The Perfect Cappuccino movie.

;-)

An Ethical Question

You know how when you're in a grocery store and you buy a bunch of grapes and you eat a couple before you get to the checkout so the bunch is lighter than when you first picked it up and therefore cheaper than it should have been which means you didn't really pay the full amount that you should have which means that technically you stole those two grapes.

Does the same apply to coffee beans?

Buzzing Along

Congratulations to Buzz the Bald Barista who has just won another award for his part in creating the Fixx blend of coffee which he uses in his store. He made a point of showing me the letter as I stood in the queue the other day. The espresso blend won a Gold Award at the Great Taste Awards 2009 - check out the amazing variety of foods and drinks that were judged on from producers in the UK and Ireland.

Added to that, earlier this summer Buzz opened a second store, this time solely for take-away. I like it. There is room for a couple of people to stand and chat (which I did), but what I really like is that he has opened on the doorstep of some big coffee chains in the Harcourt area of Dublin.

Good on yer, Buzz. I hope you can draw a good number of people across the road for coffee that is a little more exciting.

And added to all that, this evening I received a limited edition gift voucher to the Bald Barista!

Who's for coffee? I'm paying!

Coffee Quiz

Regular commenter and young and naive newlywed Snot Head recently posted this coffee quiz. If you missed it when it was on my sidebar, click below to see how well you know your 'ristretto' from your 'no fun latte'.

Can you speak coffee talk?

I think he missed a couple

Following my goal to visit all the *bux in Ireland I was doing a little research this evening. I came across an obsessive man named Winter who I presume was the inspiration for me taking on this challenge. Not only is his goal to visit all the store in the North America (99.1% complete - ie. 8,459 stores) he wants to visit every store. In the world!!!

He has been doing it for about 12 years now and trys to visit around 15 stores a day. You can find out more at Starbucks Everywhere.

Anyway, it looks like he has visited Ireland a couple of times, most recently at the end of May this year. But in checking his records I have a feeling that he has missed some that I've been to. He says he doesn't visit "licensed" stores (as opposed to company owned) which may account for the two in Dublin airport and the one in Cork airport. But I still think that leaves him short one or two.

Perhaps I should tell him?

Mission Accomplished!

It has taken far longer than I thought and certainly longer than it should have, but today I brought to realisation a goal that I have been pursuing for over three and-a-half years. This morning I walked into a Starbucks store in Dublin's Docklands and said those now too familiar words, "I'll have a tall latte, please", thereby securing the crowning achievement of having a coffee in every Starbucks store in the Republic of Ireland.

Ta-da!!!

Fair play to that last cafe. It tried to out wit me. For a long time I thought it was a double listing on the Starbucks store locator (like the one in Blackrock) so I hadn't been pursuing it. When I eventually discovered it existed it took three attempts to complete. On Saturday I couldn't find it. On Sunday it was closed. But this morning I made a major detour on my bike to a meeting in the city only to be able to spend about four minutes with my latte before I had to head off. But it was enough to get the task done!

I'll write more later this week about the whole experience.


*Big sigh*.....now what?

Coffee and a good nights sleep

When it comes to drinking coffee it is clear that people have differing levels of tolerance for caffeine. Some, like myself, are quite content to drink coffee at all hours without incurring adverse effects while others just stick to a morning jolt to get them going. I have heard people say, "I don't drink coffee after lunch as it would keep me up at night." I find this both bizarre and a cause for curiosity regarding what time they actually go to bed!

So, how do you strike a happy medium. What should a person do who enjoys coffee in the evening, but is worried about the consequences of caffeine? Tonight I attempted to create a solution.

I brewed up a double shot of espresso and steamed some milk in order to make a latte. Then I added a few spoonfuls of Horlicks to the hot milk before pouring the components together. I thereby created a cup of coffee that had the potential to both wake you up and help you to sleep.

The only problem was that it didn't taste very nice. It wasn't as shockingly horrific as my last experimental latte, but I couldn't face more than a few sips before pouring it away and making something far more satisfying.

That said, however, I suppose I could have just made decaff.

Sentosa Art Cafe - Ranelagh

I'm not sure if anyone would really need to ask me what my favourite month was, but if they did I would probably say September. It's a month where you would fully expect it to rain, but not feel too grumpy about it. It is, after all, autumn. (That said, the ancient Celtic calendar has autumn starting on the 1st of August. The 1st of August!!!) But it is the fact that September is often sprinkled with beautiful days that I appreciate the month so much. Today was one of those days. A fresh cool start to the morning that soon warmed up to very agreeable temperatures and a cloudless blue sky that was worthy of a pair of shorts.

All this to say that this evening, in the dying minutes of sunshine, the golden light bid me to come out and have a bit of a ride around the streets on my bike. I soon found myself cycling through the back streets of Rathmines and into the neighbouring urban village of Ranelagh. As I cycled up the main Ranelagh thoroughfare I made a point of glancing around for a cafe that I hadn't been to, but had received a tip off about. It soon jumped out at me.

Sentosa Art Cafe, which opened in the spring of this year, is part of the Sentosa Art and Home company whose focus is on "bringing colour into your home". This was clearly evident in their cafe. Bright coloured sofas of varying prints and designs spaciously laid out, high-key lighting, and large, vibrant pieces of artwork that they hope can be transferred from their walls to yours. My favourite feature was the front 'wall' on to the busy street. It is floor to ceiling windows that force you to look in as you are passing, and a wide, open door that makes the entrance easy.

I got the impression that a high proportion of people who frequented the place where women. The magazine rack with nothing but 'Women's Interests' publications was a bit of a give away. The people at MummyMaps have narrowed it down further to mothers with buggies. Big double buggies!

The only thing I found disappointing about the cafe was, ummm, the coffee. (And maybe that Q102 was providing the soundtrack).

Unfortunately, as I find myself slipping more and more into coffee snobbery, I now make a point of watching how my coffee is made, if at all possible. Partly to critique and partly to learn. So I couldn't help noticing that, for my latte, after the shot of espresso was pulled the barista simply touched the side of the milk jug to check the temperature and then went ahead and just poured the milk into my cup despite the fact that there wasn't someone just ahead of me in the queue. Immediately this made me think of two outcomes. Either the latte was going to be cold or if it was hot enough that would be the result of overheating the milk in the first place for whomever the previous customer was. On tasting I discovered it was the latter option. The milk was burnt.

Never mind, I thought. I'll have another go around and try an espresso. Another disappointment I'm afraid. On two accounts. Firstly, the double-shot of espresso was served in a mug. A mug!!! The only redeeming feature of which was that I could get my nose right into it to get a good sniff of the aroma. It was quite bright and fruity which I thought (whether purposeful or not) went well with the decor of the cafe! But then I sipped it and burnt my tongue - thereby rendering the tasting of it pretty redundant. However, because I have a somewhat reserved nature (most of the time) I didn't make any mention of serving an espresso way too hot. Instead I just quietly wondered how I was going to drink half a mug full of espresso and then cycle home with it sloshing around in me!

However, dear reader, don't let this put you off visiting Sentosa Cafe if you are ever in the area. It seems like a great space to meet, work or read. They are open until 10:30pm on weekdays and 9:00pm on weekends so I have no doubt that I'll return for a longer visit next time. I just happen to think that they could craft their coffee to a higher standard as an extension of the artwork they are trying to sell.

Hope I'll finish this book

Good grief, it's been over a year since I started reading Tom Wright's book Surprised by Hope. I'm not sure why I haven't finished it yet, but it might have something to do with the fact that there are currently at least 12 books sitting on top of a couple of bookshelves waiting to be finished - this probably says something about me as a person.

So this evening I armed myself with the book and headed out for coffee to make a determined effort to get it completed. (**Spoiler Alert!** The main character in this story doesn't actually finish reading the book by the end of the evening, but instead spends time talking to the barista and completing a double espresso and a very nice latte.)

The book explores the issue of Christ's resurrection and what that means for believers today...and in the future. It is far more than simply 'Jesus died and was raised again so that when we die we will be "raised again" to go to heaven.' The emphasis is on the resurrection as a sign of the new creation to come and how we make that future hope a reality in the way we live today.

I was particularly struck by these words to do with the creativity in the church in the light of new creation possibilities:

"Part of the role of the church has been in the past, and could and should be again, to foster and sustain lives of beauty and aesthetic meaning at every level, from music making in the village pub to drama in the local primary school, from artists' and photographers' workshops to still-life painting classes, from symphony concerts to driftwood sculptures. The church, because it is the family that believes in hope for new creation, should stand out in every town and village where new creativity bursts forth for the whole community, pointing to the hope which, like all beauty, always comes as a surprise."


It's good stuff and I kept reading on further for more inspiration. Though, I must confess, I didn't get to the end of the book this evening as I found myself chatting to the barista while I enjoyed some fine espresso and a latte.

Hmm, I wonder what a little creativity could do to the coffee-and-a-biscuit time after a Sunday morning church service?

I'm not blogging today

The only problem with setting yourself the challenge of blogging almost everyday in September (weekends optional) is that if you have nothing worthwhile to say then what's the point in saying anything.

I'm afraid I didn't have any coffee inspiration today so I won't be posting anything......except this notice - hereby fulfilling my challenge for the day.

Coffee to commemorate the dawn of mankind (?!?)

Somebody somewhere at sometime thought that it would be a good idea to take the car that they drive to work in everyday and turn it into a four wheel advert. You know the kind of thing I mean - the company phone number/email address/website plastered all over the vehicle. Obviously somebody thought that it might work in drumming up some business.

This evening I happened to be driving behind one such car. It caught my eye because it was advertising a brand of coffee and tea that I hadn't heard of before: Gurman's. A little research online led me to discover why I wasn't familiar with this company. It is based in Lithuania!

Anyway, I was delighted to see that along with their brand of coffee they also have a number of speciality shops that serve over a hundred blends of tea and coffee, plus a cafe. I was even more delighted with they way they described the cafe on their website:

Enjoying the great coffee at the Coffee and Tea House “Gurmans”, situated
in Klaipėda „Friedricho pasažas“ at the old marketplace, which was also enjoyed
by the Lithuanian noblemen and gentlemen going back to the 16th century, as well
as other different kinds of coffee and tea, which you will certainly not find
either elsewhere in Klaipėda, the entire coast, or even Lithuania, you will get
into the mysterious world of drinks, commemorating the dawn of the mankind.
Coming to us will turn to some nice entertainment. You will be embraced by the
blend of amazing aromas, playful colors, and discriminating tastes.



The cakes and desserts of the House will pet your palate, and the scent of
hot buns will make you forget the ado of the day.

Here's a photo from their site:


I believe the man in the middle is having his palate petted while the lady on the right seems to have forgotten her ado. The lady standing seems to be consulting some ancient document probably from the dawn of the mankind.




Unfortunately you can't get Gurman's coffee in Dublin (so who knows why one of their cars was driving along Rathgar Road - the driver possibly forgot the ado of the day and took a wrong turn). However, it looks like you can get it from a couple of shops elsewhere in Ireland.

I must get some of their coffee! I must pet my palate!

Two tall lattes to go

"Do you know why I don't order a cappuccino when we go out?", asked my wife as I handed her a paper cup and took a sip from mine.

"Because unless we go to an exceptional café they are never as good as the ones you make for me at home."

Aawwww.

Some Favourite Views

I've been blogging for over three-and-a-half years now and though I still haven't reached 200 posts (I will in a few days though at this rate) I do have a few views from my coffeehouse that are memorable for one reason or another. I've put them in the side-bar to the right, but if that is too far to travel then you can also find them below:

Boy in the window

Black Gold

Don't try this at home, kids

Intelligentsia Coffee

Keep Left

So, why did Jesus die? (part 2)

Starbucks in Dalkey

Stealing kisses

Voices in my head

Why I dislike iced tea

Living Coffee

Scanning across my (meagre) DVD collection this evening I was looking for something to watch which I would enjoy, but my wife almost certainly wouldn't. I wasn't being cruel. My wife was out for the evening.

Would it be Sunshine or Memento? Dark Knight, perhaps, or Prestige? Hmmm.....

Then it jumped out at me - Living Coffee. A tv series produced a couple of years ago for some food channel in Australia and hosted by former World Barista Champion Paul Bassett that covers everything you need to know to imerse yourself in the wonderful world of speciality coffee.

13 episodes. Over six hours of viewing. Awesome.

I like to think that Paul Bassett gave me my first lessons in making great coffees like Roger Taylor first taught me how to play the drums (albeit with two wooden spoons and an armchair).

Rock on!

Bean there. Done that.

It's been hanging over my head for too long now. My unreasonable desire to visit every Starbucks in Ireland. So I resolved to make the most of this blogging month and clear this thing up once and for all.

And I don't even like Starbucks anymore!

Anyway, a quick check of the store locations in ROI confirmed that the bux expansion across this land has seemed to have ground to a halt. Surely, with what seems like just two more stores to visit, I can achieve my goal.

So imagine my delight when my wife informed me that she was going to meet someone in the Lucan area of west Dublin. Aha!, I think. That's not far from Liffey Valley shopping centre, host to a *bux. I offered to drive my wife out to where she was going in exchange for my coffee excursion. She agreed as long as I took the three kids with me.

Now at this point I don't want to come across as melodramatic, but it was pouring with rain and there was no underground parking and the main car park was full so I had to park half way up the overflow car park and I had in tow with me a five, three and one year old (who was in a buggy with no rain cover - I can't believe my wife forgot to put that in the car!). After navigating several inviting puddles we made it to the mall. Now it's not a huge mall (like I said, I don't want to sound melodramatic), but I did traverse the length and breadth of the shopping centre, both high and low in search of my mediocre latte. The only way I was able to keep the three children quiet was to stuff their faces with chocolate. (I can't believe my wife forgot to tell me that the baby was too young for chocolate bars!)

Eventually I resorted to desperate measures and asked for assistance. I was told that the cafe was outside the mall and turn left. As I made my way in this pitiful pilgrimage an uneasy feeling started to develop in my stomach. My mind riffled through images filled away in my brain under folders marked 'Been there. Done that.'

Wait! What was the category of that folder?, I thought as I exited the mall and turned left.

Then I got visual confirmation.

Stink.

A Coffee Resolution

Right.

Let's give this another go then.

Let's get blogging.

Over the last few years I've made little resolutions for the month of September. So this September...I'm going to blog about coffee. Everyday. Or at least Mon-Fri....

Let's begin with something negative, shall we?

Best & Worst Coffee

I've just had my 10th wedding anniversary. By happy coincidence so has my wife. So we decided to celebrate together with a weekend in London while my parents looked after the kids.

I love London (maybe it's because I'm a Londoner). There is always something to see and do and I'm increasingly discovering places for great coffee too. I've already told you about Flat White cafe. I took the opportunity to visit it again with my wife. Another amazing espresso for me and me ol' trouble (that's me using London lingo) said that the cappuccino was even better than I make at home. I was happy to concede that title, but also purchased a couple of bags of their espresso beans to refine my craft on return to Dublin.

Now I don't believe in yin & yang, but on our trip I did experience the complete opposite of that great coffee. After a meal at a middle-east style restaurant I couldn't resist trying an Arabian Coffee from their menu. I had a feeling I knew what it was probably going to be like - similar to a Turkish Coffee which I might tell you about later this month.

To be honest, I didn't fully understand the description the waitress gave - she had a strong accent and the jingle-jangles from her belly dancing outfit didn't help - but I picked up the words: espresso, rosewater, sugar, cinnamon.

Oh. My. Goodness. It was foul. Without a doubt the worst cup of coffee I have ever had. I tried to be adventurous, honestly I did, but a couple of sips was all I could handle. It was a shame, really. The history of coffee is traced back to ancient Arabia (hence the variety of bean that is used in most quality coffees from around the world is called Arabica) and I was hoping for something a bit special. Now I can't help thinking, what if this is traditionally what coffee is supposed to taste like!!!

The Perfect Cappuccino Movie

I don't have very many coffee related DVDs on my shelf except for Black Gold, which I have previously blogged about, and Paul Bassett's 13 part TV series called Living Coffee, which has helped me in the preparation of my coffee at home - including my choice of cups! I suppose some DVDs in my collection feature coffee/cafés in someway, like Rik's Café in Casablanca or the railway station tea room in Brief Encounter (plus the strangest looking coffee contraption towards the end of the film that I later discovered was called a vacuum pot), but now I'm getting off track...

This morning a new addition to my collection arrived: The Perfect Cappuccino. I've just finished watching it this evening and really enjoyed it. The film is an hour and a half documentary following the journey of the film maker in search of a decent cup of coffee while asking the question of why people settle for a mediocre cup. While the film speaks from an American viewpoint it is quite easy to relate to what is being said by anyone whose life is surrounded by brands, mass marketing and consumption. That said, the movie does bounce back and forth a bit from the U.S. to Italy - the home of espresso and the cappuccino.

A large part of the film examines the ubiquitous nature and goings-on of Starbucks as aposed to small coffee chains or independent unique coffee houses. And while the film doesn't totally slam the mermaid it does set up space in your head for you to do that yourself. That said, the public have a lot to answer for in the fact that they continue to feed the animal - or do they not realise the animal is feeding them?? I digress again. Much of the documentary features the predicament of a small cafe (that seemed to be creating the reality of community and not just the experience of it) as it faced legal action from the bux over the café's name: DoubleShot.

The film will give the average coffee drinker a good introduction to the wider world of coffee without getting bogged down in the stuff that coffee geeks love. What I also liked is that it was filmed, scripted, directed, edited, etc by one person! The only thing that I don't think Amy Ferraris did was actually make any of the coffee - though she did recieve a grant to live in Italy for a year to study the cappuccino!!!

Because it is an independent film it made the price of it a little higher (plus shipping to Ireland almost doubled that!), but that is a price I am willing to pay to support a project like this - plus because it is independent it can say what it likes about globalized coffee companies.

The film has been playing in a number of places across North America and elsewhere. It hasn't been shown publicly here in Ireland yet, but I'm in the process of figuring out with the film maker as to how to do that!

Here's the trailer to whet your appetite.

Almost Famous

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to get down to the Bald Barista, but I made it this evening. As usual, with not much time to spare before they closed, I ordered a couple of drinks.

I watched my espresso pour like dark honey into the cup then immediately took a sip as I stood at the counter. The beans were just roasted six days ago. I'm really getting into quality, fresh espresso. Delicious.

While I was waiting on my latte the barista (one of Buzz's co-conspirators in the campaign to bring quality coffee to Dublin) said to me, 'Do you by any chance write a blog about going to coffeehouses?'

I was stunned! On two accounts: first that my cover had been blown (the give away was that I mentioned racing down to the cafe after putting the kids to bed - I guess I must have put that in a previous post). I was also stunned and quite flattered that a coffee expert read my blog.

I said to the barista that I'd blog about this, but in all my giddy excitement I forgot to ask his name - you know who you are, the guy behind the counter from NZ who does have hair.

All this goes to prove that you should really think about what you write in a blog as you don't know who is reading...and when you might meet them. Fortunately I've got nothing but good words for the Bald Barista cafe and all the staff.

Talking about going public...

Sometimes people seem more than willing to make a public declaration of what they believe (or don't believe). Sometimes this is achieved by being unwittingly invited into one end of a phone conversation.

As I sat reading my book, enjoying my latte, another customer in the cafe who was sitting a couple of tables away answered his phone. His end of the call went something like this:

"Hello....yes, that's right.....sorry, who is this?.....No, I'm not interested.....No, I've tried this stuff before and it doesn't work for me......Well the whole idea of spirituality and.....no, it's kind of like one of those pyramid schemes....No, I don't need to..............."

I was intrigued and very curious as to who was on the other end of the phone call. Religious groups and pyramid schemes??? Could this be some sort of indulgences for the 21st century?

Anyway, the phone call ended with the guy giving a brief summary of his feelings towards religion which amounted to "hating organized religion because it was so closed minded."

Obviously that's not a new statement. It's been said thousands of times before. But as a person of faith with a few minutes to spare I decided to ask myself the question as to why so many people think and feel that way.

Firstly, lets get out of the way the notion of appealing to the fact that the church you or I might belong to is pretty disorganized anyway. I don't think this would help. But I can't help wondering in an ironic way how much thought and open minded analysis is actually put into making a blanket statement about such a huge, historical movement?

However, I think I understand what he was probably saying between the lines. It would be quite easy to list a handful of issues that many people would accuse "organized religion" of being closed minded about - although they probably mostly revolve around sex: who can have sex with whom; when can you have sex; what happens after you have had sex; and so on. But I can't help thinking that these and other topics are, at best, secondary issues in matters of religion and faith. If we were to take a moment to look at the primary issues I think the perception of closed mindedness could be dramatically brought into question.

Speaking from my religion - Christianity - at the heart of my faith is an ascent to these beliefs: that somehow out of complete and utter nothingness a supernatural personality, that we have come to name as God, spoke, and life and all that it means to be alive came into existence. Then several milenia latter following numerous attempts to figure out life (to varying degrees of success), this same divine power in some incredible way (God only knows how) was enfleshed and stood on the dirt that he had created. Many of us came to know him as Jesus the Christ. Then after a few years of preaching, teaching and just being, many influential people thought of this Jesus as espousing a far too liberal view of faith and had him killed. But that's not where the heart of my faith ends. (Get ready, folks. This is the point at which it turns mind blowing.) Within a short weekend that dead god-man was resurrected - not like some sort of ghostly apparition, but full on flesh and blood! And not only that, but this resurrection was a sign of a future event guaranteeing that we too would one day, somehow (there's that word again) also be resurrected from the dead!!!

I can't help thinking, how much more of an open mind do you need to believe something like that?

Does anyone else think this..?

I walked past an Insomnia cafe yesterday and noticed a big poster in their window advertising their new "recession busting menu" which included a muffin and any coffee for only €3. So called great deals like this are springing up all over the place. Not just at cafes, but for cars, TVs, furniture, whatever!

While I assume that I'm meant to feel some sense of appreciation and excitement at being able to get a coffee and muffin for only €3, that's not my first thought. The first thing that come into my mind is: 'Now only €3! I knew you had been ripping me off this whole time. And I can't help thinking you are still making a good profit.'

Don't try this at home, kids

When a professional barista enters a championship the three drinks they present to the judges include their most excellent straight espresso, an exquisite cappuccino, and a signature drink which is an espresso based creation of their own.

This evening my wife asked me what signature drink I would make to represent our kids. As it happened the children were watching one of their favourite shows - Charlie and Lola (probably the best children's animated show around at the moment. And it has an brilliant theme tune that just seems to make you feel nostalgic for childhood). Lola is particularly keen on strawberry flavoured milk so it seemed obvious and easy enough to make a pink milk latte. So I mixed together a little Nesquick and gave it a go.

I have to say that aesthetically it looked quite good. I managed to pour the steamed milk to create a pink heart on the top of the dark coffee. But oh my goodness, it did not work as a drink! Even the tentative half-sip was enough to make me gag.


If you're curious as to what the real guys do you can check out the 2009 World Barista Champion, a Welshman who works for a small coffee outlet in London.

McCafé vs Starbucks

There is a war going on, particularly in North America, and it is over coffee. (Actually there are probably several real conflicts going on in the world over coffee - but that's for another day.)

It would seem that Goliath is taking on Goliath for the title of most popular (ie. most sales) of espresso based drinks. Business analysts seem to suggest that the Hamburgler is stealing market share from the mermaid, but there is rarely mention of taste. So the good folks at Coffee Review decided to simply test a few drinks from both establishments - McDonald's McCafé and Starbucks.

Four drink types were tested: Cappuccino; Latte; Mocha; Caramel Latte.

You can read the full article here. Or if you can't be bothered I'll tell you the results.


When it came to price McCafé was always cheaper. But it would seem that you get what you pay for and Starbucks had the edge for quality. That said, the regular latte was rated as pretty much equal.

The research didn't take into account that compared to the "speciality coffee" sector neither of these companies produce excellent coffee. It was simply a test between brands.

You might like to have a go at this research yourself!

For what it's worth though, I'd take a Whopper with cheese over a Big Mac any day.

Flat White Cafe

This past week I was in London for a meeting. I managed to get over a little ahead of time (while the wife and kids were at home with a virus - oops) and decided to use those moments of solitude wisely...drinking coffee.

God bless the Interweb. A quick search for great coffee in London brought up a few choices which I was able to narrow down and plan a route from one to the next. I managed to have a couple of really good coffees, but the one that stood out for me was Flat White cafe. Run by some Aussies and named after a classic Oz style of coffee, the small cafe is located on Berwick Street in London's Soho district. The walk along the street takes you past such establishments as the Gourmet Hot Dog, Pastry Pilgrimage, and a collection of XXX clubs with peep shows for a fiver - do yourself a favour and spend the money on thrilling yourself with a couple of Flat White espressos.

Ah, the espresso. I placed my order and then asked them if they minded me watching them pull the shot. They were more than happy to and willingly answered my questions while doing so. The results were amazing (and I told them so). This short drink was the best espresso I've had - like the latte equivalent at Intelligentsia.

Many people would balk at the idea of drinking a double shot of espresso - too bitter. Not this one. It was smooth and bright, had a great crema and an incredible sweetness - almost too sweet. Delicious.

Of course, I also ordered a flat white. Also very good.

I'm back in London again this week with my (now healthy) family. If I can talk my wife into a visit...

By the way, a flat white is a bit like a latte, but with less foam on the top.

Bald Barista wins best espresso again!

I managed to get down to the Bald Barista again this evening - I've been a few times since I originally blogged about it. When I got there the man himself was particularly upbeat, and for good reason. The cafe has just today been voted as serving Dublin's best espresso according to The Dubliner magazine. The cafe won the same accolade last year from the Irish Times. However, this time the survey was done by a secret espresso drinker (can I have that job next year???) who discovered that attention to detail and quality is presented in every cup.

I have to say that the blend used does produce a flavour that I haven't yet experienced elsewhere in Dublin and after a few visits now it is growing on me more and more. Tonight's shot actually seemed that little bit extra special.

The article will appear in the special summer issue of The Dubliner - so I'd like to think that I might be blogging an exclusive breaking news story!

Anyway, congratulations to the Bald Barista. If readers are ever in the south inner city area of Dublin go check out the cafe on Aungier Street. It's about a five minute walk from St Stephen's Green.

An Apologetic for God

Sometimes when I take a book with me for coffee I hope to find something inspirational and thought provoking, but end up coming away disappointed. At other times I take a book or a magazine with no real expectations and come away with new insights or ideas. The espresso must have been good because the latter is what happened to me this evening. Reading a few remarks about suffering caused my mind to wander and think, ending in me formulating an apologetic for God (as if God needed someone like me to defend him - which is what an apologetic is, rather than apologising for God).

It went something like this.

When people experience suffering (in whatever circumstances it may be) there will always be some who blame God. Fair enough.

However, many people would cite suffering as proof that God does not exist:

"How can there possibly be a god when I see this child suffering from cancer?" Also understandable.

So I started thinking to myself, what if that same person imagined that God did exist? Would they resort to the same response as the first person above - namely to blame God for suffering? Quite possibly.

However, by their own admission God could not exist because of suffering, therefore who do you blame for the misery that envelopes so many people? Clearly not God because he doesn't exist. Yet suffering continues. It would just seem that bad things happen to some people (while others experience good).

So I began to wonder, would it be possible to bring God back into the equation despite the suffering in the world. Now God exists, but this time does not become the target of blame because stuff just happens. Suffering in the world can't be proof of a world without God.

Ah, but if there is suffering in the world and God exists, then why doesn't he do something about it? Why doesn't he cure that sick child? I suppose my honest answer is that I don't know, but that is wholly unsatisfactory. So perhaps I should answer that maybe God will do something about it.

St Paul wrote some famous words suggesting that despite what happens in life three things should remain: faith, hope and love. I like the idea of faith and hope. It has a particular optimism that says things could be different.

There was once a man in an ancient land who, for whatever reason, was sentenced to death. His pleas to the king for mercy where to no avail until he came up with an idea. "Your majesty," groveled the man, "if you spare my life for one year I will teach your horse to fly". Intrigued, the king granted a 365 day extension to the man's life. When questioned later by one of the servants as to why the man made such a ridiculous promise, the man replied, "In one year I may die anyway. Or the king may die! Or, who knows, I may even be able to teach that horse to fly."

To me this simple illustration speaks in someway about faith and hope in times of adversity. But what do we do in the meantime for those who suffer as we wait in faith and hope for a change of circumstances? What can we do? We love.

But is loving through suffering something God can relate to?

Not everything lucky is good for you

I sat at a table by the window this evening so I could occasionally watch the world go past my latte. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a cyclist seemingly toss a packet of cigarettes on to the roadside. I found this quite annoying and couldn't understand why he didn't just find a bin to throw them away.

A few minutes later a man came walking down the street, saw the packet and gave it a good kick a little further down the road. Now I was getting cross! How could someone take an interest in a piece of rubbish only up to the point of kicking it, but not disposing of it?

Soon enough another cyclist came across the packet, but this time he stopped and picked it up. Hooray! Someone with a social conscience for the well-being of our planet. Then this cyclist flipped open the lid, looked inside and smiled. He pulled out a cigarette, popped it in his mouth and cycled off.

I wondered, who was the victim of a negative outcome in that interchange?

Bob Dylan and my brother-in-law

If you're a fan of music that speaks to the deeper aspects in life you might like to head over to my brother-in-law's blog, Songs for the Journey.

Nick hasn't been blogging for a while, but the arrival of Bob Dylan's new record seems to have brought about the inspiration needed to get writing again.

For me, Songs for the Journey would go well with a nice flat white - good quality with no froth.

The Bald Barista

I've gone past it so many times. Sometimes in a car. Sometimes on a bike. Occasionally on a bus. Always in a bit of a hurry to get somewhere else. So last week I was determined to pay a visit to the Bald Barista - but it was closed. They, along with too many other cafes in Dublin, close at 8:00pm, so I opted for The Joy of Coffee instead as I hadn't been there in a while.

But this week I got the kids out of the bath a little earlier than they would have liked in order to get them in bed and get out! (I didn't leave them alone of course. My wife was home.) I headed on my bike for the couple of miles down to Aungier Street just in time to get in before they closed.

At the counter a sign proudly recognizes the cafe as serving 'Dublin's best espresso' as voted for by The Irish Times in 2008. Clearly this was where I should start. The barista, who wasn't bald, but for all I know could have been the man himself in disguise, pulled a nice looking shot of espresso and told me I couldn't have it until I named the band that was currently playing on the CD. I couldn't, and would never have guessed The Doors at all. Fortunately he was gracious enough to give me my little cup anyway, although this may have been because I had already paid for it - which at €1.50 for either a single OR double shot is certainly the best value espresso in Dublin!

I was just saying to my wife this afternoon that I'd like to attend some sort of coffee appreciation class, so I thought I'd have a preliminary go at picking out flavours in the cup. I stood at the counter and had a couple of slurps before chancing my arm and saying, 'There's quite a floral taste there, I think.' To which I fully expected the barista to say something like, 'No, you idiot. There's a caramel and honey base with a hint of cherry and some chocolaty notes with grapefruit riding through.' But he didn't. He just looked at me for a moment and asked, 'Is this your first time here?', then followed that up with a couple of extra stamps on my new loyalty card. The Gracious Barista.

As I watched (with interest and envy) as he poured me a great rossetta on my latte I quipped that it was a shame they closed at 8:00pm, but he didn't think so. I guess he was tired. Fair enough. Fortunately the cafe is located in Avalon House - a backpackers hostel. So even though the espresso stopped flowing I could sit in the cafe for another hour reading my book.

I'll definitely be back. Not just for the espresso, but because the international flavour of people watching is fun too.

Someone's painful road to Calvary

Life, as beautiful as it is, causes us to ask many questions. The life of faith, which can be just as beautiful, can also provoke the same reaction. For me, one of the greatest questions centres around the events that are remembered over the Easter weekend. The latter part of the celebrations, the resurrection, I actually have very little trouble with. It seems, in essence, a perfectly reasonable and (super-)natural way to end the story. It is, however, the events surrounding the cross that I find so hard. But I was reminded this week in a daily email subscription that the resurrection follows the crucifixion; it does not erase it.

So once again I am left asking the question, why did Jesus die? What was the meaning of his death? Although this is a topic I have wrestled with for many years it isn't foremost in my mind most of the time. But of course this time of year demands giving it some thought. (I did a little thinking last year too: Part 1 and Part 2).

Tonight I took along a book to my local coffeehouse that presents various views of the atonement (the meaning behind Christ's death) through history. For sometime now I have been wanting to study more about the idea of liberation and victory as a consequence of the cross. So I read a little about Irenaeus and his understanding of the atonement. This is a theory from the very early days of the church which grew in popularity up until medieval times, became almost extinct during the Enlightenment, but started to gain popularity again during the first half of the 20th Century through the work of Gustaf Aulen's book Christus Victor (ie. the victorious Christ). The theory goes something like this:

Whether through voluntary action or external coercion, human beings have "fallen" under the control of oppressive and dehumanising powers - typically described as sin, Satan and death. (The Bible presents this through the story of Adam and Eve and their willingness to submit to the seductive ways of the 'serpent'.) Therefore humanity forever struggles with the realisation that they too often do the things they know (somehow) that they shouldn't do, and too often don't do the things that they should.

Since people cannot free themselves from this cycle of being, Jesus Christ appears as the power of God to liberate human beings. God becoming incarnate (meaning 'in the flesh') was able to share in the life of his creation and become subject to those pressures and sufferings that all humans face - the ultimate pressure being death. But by going through death and into life (the resurrection) Christ is shown as victorious over all oppressive powers - even the sting of death.

By his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ inaugurates a new age and a new community of freedom, marked by inclusivity and equality. The Church is then meant to be the sign of this new age witnessing to the victory of God over the powers that attempt to pull us down.

I find this theory quite exciting, but very humbling. As the words Tim Rice put in the mouth of Jesus say, 'to conquer death you only have to die'.

I want to explore this area further looking into the theology of liberation, but as I was reading and thinking about these things this evening it struck me that theology is all well and good, but is of little use if it can't be rooted in real life:

For the last few weeks now I have noticed a small group of people enter the coffeehouse at the same time each Thursday. Not always the same people, but certainly a core group of them that I have come to recognise. I had wondered why they always seemed to show up with such regularity, thinking that they must meet there first before heading out to a pub or club somewhere. This evening I figured out the opposite was true. It became apparent that they had all just come from a local AA meeting. One young man in particular seemed to be receiving some extra support as the others offered him various prayer cards, mini rosaries and good luck trinkets to help him in his sobriety.

What, I thought to myself, does Christ the Liberator say to that man? It seems a little too easy to say (and perhaps a little trite) that claiming the all sufficient power of God can free you from your addiction. While I believe that liberation is possible the process has to start somewhere. I soon contemplated that for that man, and for myself, it starts with a deep surrender of ourselves and the painful road to a cross where I may need to die to myself in order for a liberated life to arise.

Shortest of stories

One of the community projects that we run as part of our ministry is a toddler group called Paintbox. As part of the morning I do some storytelling, usually along with whatever the theme was for the day. So, to help me prepare for telling the fable of the Wind and the Sun I took along a copy of Aesops Complete Fables to the coffehouse to read some of the other 357 fables.

They are quite nice to read because they are so short, but leave you with something to think about at the end. So here's a few for you:

The Traveller and Chance

A man was worn out after a long journey, so he threw himself down beside a well and went to sleep. He would have certainly fallen in, but Chance [Tyche] appeared and woke him up, saying:
'Hey friend! If you had fallen down the well you wouldn't have blamed your own foolishness - you would have blamed me.'

Thus, plenty of people who meet with misfortune through their own fault blame it on the gods.


The Flies

Some flies had found some spilled honey in a cellar and started to eat it. It was such a sweet feast that they couldn't stop. But their feet became stuck to the spot so that they couldn't take flight. And, as they began to suffocate, they said:
'How wretched we are! We are dying for a moments pleasure.'

Gluttony is often the cause of much harm.


The Man Bitten by a Dog

A man who had been bitten by a dog roamed far and wide, looking for someone to heal his wound. Someone told him that all he had to do was wipe the blood from his wound with some bread and throw the bread to the dog which had bitten him. To this the injured man replied:
'But if I did that, every dog in the city would bite me.'

Similarly, if you indulge someone's wickedness, you provoke him to do even more harm.


The Horse and the Groom

A groom used to steal his horse's barley and sell it. To make up for it he spent the whole day grooming and currying the horse, who said to him:
'If you really want to see me look good, don't sell the barley that is intended to feed me.'

Thus, greedy people trick poor people with their seductive talk and with flattery, while depriving them of their bare necessities.

Suggestion Box

The local coffeehouse that I most often go to has been under new management for a while - although there haven't been huge changes that I can tell. (Except they now sell homemade brownies instead of from some company, but manage to charge more!)

But on the way out this evening I noticed that they had a customer suggestion box on the counter. Suggestion boxes are a little odd I think. Slightly cruel. They seem to invite negative comments that are probably directed at people who probably never suggested having a suggestion box in the first place.

So I am facing a dilemma. Because, as it happens, this evening I did think to myself, there was way too much foam on my latte. Probably more that you should put on a cappuccino. I also noticed on the way out that the steam arm on the coffee machine wasn't getting cleaned right after it was used. Plus, (oh boy, I'm on a roll now) I think it would be worth their while grinding coffeebeans just before they are used - but that's starting to get technical and I'm not sure it is the kind of suggestion that they want. (But they do have the equipment to do it!)

The other dilemma is the placement of the box. You know full well that once you've paid for your coffee, dropped a note in the box and left that they will get it out straight away. There's no sense of anonymity.

Of course there's the question of would it make any difference anyway!?

Do you ever put notes in a suggestions box? Was it followed up?

Confirming my suspicions

In my ongoing pursuit to visit every Starbucks in Ireland I managed to cross another off my list today. (A fourth one in Blanchardstown shopping centre!) My wife can't really understand why I bother visiting them all as they are "all the same". But, for the most part, she goes along with it and allows me to indulge myself.

Granted, Starbucks, like any franchise, are all pretty much the same. However, what they offer is coffee served in a hugely diverse number of ways - thousands of combinations. I experienced one of those today. The man ahead of me was ordering a drink for his wife which was made up of six customised elements. I know it was six because he had to repeat it a few times to the lady taking the order - and because he was counting the elements out on his fingers! Here's what he ordered:

A grande latte - decaff, non-fat milk, wet (that means no foam), extra hot, caramel syrup, and whipped cream. (Umm, didn't that last element just cancel out the skinny milk? And anything resembling foam on the top?)

I simply ordered a regular latte which I think confirmed my suspicions of myself that I've had for some time - that I live a mostly boring life. Either that or the poor guys wife was anal. Or pregnant. Or both.


No, that can't be right about myself because I've been really enjoying my espresso machine recently and getting deeper into the world of coffee. In fact, I realised that today was the first time I had been to Starbucks since Christmas! The visit confirmed another suspicion that I've had for a few years. Now that I know how to make a half decent latte at home it's clear that Starbucks coffee is not that great. I don't want to say insipid because that sounds a bit cruel, but it certainly wasn't as strong or flavourful as I thought it was.

Perhaps it's just as well that I only have one more store to visit to complete my mission.

A Liturgical Treat

It has already been said that a cup of tea without a biscuit (cookie) is a wasted opportunity. I would agree. The same logic can be applied to a cup of coffee and I always like a little something with my latte - a chocolate brownie, a caramel slice, a blueberry muffin...you get the idea.

This evening, to go along with my home made latte (I'm getting better and better at making them!), I decided to create my own special treat. Today marked Shrove Tuesday otherwise known as Pancake Day. It signals the preparation for the Christian season of Lent and while most people are unlikely to be reflective and shriven today many of them will make pancakes. I tried both, but will refrain from making public confessions of sin here opting instead to tell you about the pancake I made.

I should point out to readers who may not be from Ireland or the UK that pancakes in this part of the world are a little different from the version in North America - delicious though those are! Here they are bigger and flatter. More like a French crepe. Anyway...

I decided to combine the bookends of this season with Shrove Tuesday (pancakes) and Easter Sunday (chocolate eggs). After making the pancake I served it up and placed a Cadbury's Creme Egg in the middle, rolled the pancake up, placed it back into the hot pan for a minute then applied pressure in the middle causing the egg to goo.

Oohhh mannnnnn. Unless you have good reason not to try this like giving up chocolate for Lent or you have an egg allergy (yes there is real egg in Creme Eggs - I've had an allergic kid vomit all over my house because I gave him one. He lived.) then you've got to try this.

If you've never made pancakes it's really simple. Jamie Oliver gave me this recipe:

1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg (not chocolate egg!)

Mix it all together. Simple. Unwrapping a Creme Egg is even easier.

Let me know if you give it a go. I have a feeling I'll make more before this season is over.

A Moment of Inspiration

The other day my sister phoned me. She was due to attend a conference, but because of the snow it was cancelled. Instead, she told me, she spent two hours at home reading my complete blog!

How very nice.

It was enough to make me think about picking up a coffee cup and keyboard again and seeing what happens.

So, in the unlikely event of another heap of snow in which you are looking for something to do, feel free to start here.

What I've been up to...

Although I've let blogging go recently that doesn't mean that I've not been drinking coffee. Far from it. In fact I think I've probably drunk more lattes in the last six weeks than I had in the previous six months. You see I got a little present for Christmas which has, for the most part, kept me at home rather than going to cafes.

So here's a video of me making espresso. Um, it's kind of long. Sorry if you feel like I might have wasted 7 minutes of your life...especially if you only drink tea.




I've not given up on going out. In fact, I've noticed a couple of cafes locally that I haven't tried yet, so there's still plenty to do! (Plus I still have two more Starbucks to finish off my "goal").

Why are you wishing me a happy birthday?

I've not been at the computer all day today so I was surprised to see a couple of comments in my inbox from bloggers wishing me a happy birthday. I didn't recall ever writing about my birthday and yet the comments were clearly being directed from my blog. How strange...

And then I remembered how last night my wife was a little too interested in the signing in procedure!

Thanks anyway, everyone, for your birthday greetings. I hope you've all had a good day too.

(By the way, I'm not convinced that they are tights - more like a babygro that merely looks lacey.)

On a cold January morn, many years ago...

I was born in King's Hospital, London. Not with a coffee cup in hand (that wouldn't come along until seven years later) and my parents did't name me Cosmo (that came many years later).

Here's a picture of me as a baby. You'll notice that, even though I was a boy (still am, in fact) my mother dressed me in tights. Maybe it's an Ulster thing? Any insight, Ali?

So if you're having coffee today, have a piece of cake as well, because it's my birthday!

Ali IRL

Just back from a lovely evening with Ali and her husband Graham - tasty food, good conversation and a nicely presented latte at the end of the meal.

Ali has undertaken the challenge of meeting people from blogland in real life and (outside of her own family) I was the first to be visited. It was fun to meet a "stranger" that I only know from the internet. (But, hey kids, don't try this at home - they might not all be as nice as Ali).

As my wife and I drove home I realised that I should have thanked Ali for her blogging influence. I've become a bit irregular of late (get it? It's a pun on my blog address), but I'm going to have a go at getting back into writing a bit. However, the thing that motivated me in my early blogging days when I thought no one would read what I had to say was that Ali (then known as Chemical) showed up on my blog and from there drew in other readers to my site. So thanks, Ali!

And thanks again for coming down to Dublin. Enjoy the next part of your challenge in Huston!