Whenever a coffee shop has a ‘house drink’ or a ‘drink of the month’ I just have to try it. So when I saw “The John Wayne” on the chalkboard at Village Coffee this morning I asked about it. They said it was two shots of espresso, vanilla, and cream.
Why not? Simply stated, the vanilla was a little bit strong, and there was a lot of it (you can see it at the bottom of the cup). The layers are: Vanilla on the bottom, cream in the middle, and espresso on the top. However, for a sweet drink with a punch, it was really good!
Village Coffee Roastery
8120 N. Hayden Rd.
Suite E104
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Phone: (480) 905-0881
Twitter: @VillageCoffee
Here’s an interesting finding:
Compared to a relatively quiet environment (50 decibels), a moderate level of ambient noise (70 dB) enhanced subjects’ performance on the creativity tasks, while a high level of noise (85 dB) hurt it. Modest background noise, the scientists explain, creates enough of a distraction to encourage people to think more imaginatively.
You can read the full article at The Atlantic.
I think that The Atlantic takes creative freedom here in suppositing that any gains in creativity are not reduced by ambiant distraction. Either way, I think everybody can be productive in nearly any environment… it just depends on the type of person, and the task at hand.
Often times, a new environment allows people to think and get away from the distractions they have at home, or in the workplace.
At an online auction on Tuesday, a lot of green, or unroasted, coffee beans from Finca El Injerto in Guatemala sold for $500.50 a pound, one of the highest prices ever paid for coffee.
Source: The New York Times
My wife and I rented a cabin in April up in Heber-Overgaard, AZ and visited the local coffee shops. There are not many options in this neck of the woods, so if you are in the area you have just a couple of choices.
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I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t expect much when it comes to coffee at restaurants. For one, they don’t make coffee their primary business and frankly, people don’t always care.
But I do, and some times when you find a gem that does a great breakfast + coffee / espresso, you go back.
All that to say, Butterfield’s Pancake House (in Scottsdale on Shea Blvd east of Scottsdale Rd. at 74th St.) isn’t that place. This photo is of my cappuccino from a recent visit. It was bland, and the foam was the kind of bubbly that you would rather see on top of a lemon meringue pie.
“If you love coffee… this is the time to be alive.” — James Hoffmann
An interesting presentation by James Hoffmann, writer at jimseven.com, which was sent to me by Rebecca and Stephanie at 32 SHEA.
Watch it here: tampertantrum.com/tamper-tantrum-live-presentation-number-two-james-hoffmann/
A news bulletin from Reuters shows that U.S. coffee roasters may have introduced robusta beans into their blends to avoid lower profit margins.
Realistically, this was probably done by bulk roasters. Interesting story, though.
U.S. robusta imports rose by almost 80 percent in the first quarter of this year versus a year ago, while arabica fell by close to a third
I received an email today from Danny Kirk. He is starting a a coffee shop and wrote in saying he would like this person to be part of the planning phase of the project in the coming months.
Needed: Barista/Beverage Manager for innovative cafe concept in Tucson, AZ. Must have 3 years of experience as a barista and as a manager. Bar-tending and food prep experience is a bonus. Please contact Danny @ dkirk@email.arizona.edu for more info.
