"Viva Vivace and raw milk is REALLY good"

I have to give a huge thanks to Mr. David Schomer for giving a 'lost' (maybe not lost, but in limbo) barista a chance. After working at Vivace for several months now, I'm extremely grateful to be able to continue a craft I truly do love and enjoy. I get the benefit of learning more about espresso and refining my technique while getting to see lots of my former Hines regulars. I have missed being behind the bar, so much so that last week I worked four 12hr shifts in a row. Yes, I am insane. But, I enjoy playing with coffee. I recall showing my extremely coffeestained hands to Trish Skeie when she dropped by for the Alley 24 Vivace grand opening and her comment was "Those hands should be the next Barista Magazine cover." I hadn't looked at them since I started my shift and they were barista stained - not just the finger, but the whole palm. I felt pretty proud of myself at that moment. Thanks for noticing the details of hard work, Trish - it made my day.

How is it working at Vivace? It's actually good. I do enjoy playing with coffee and I do get to do that. I'm extremely grateful to Jodi Jaecks and Don Jones for their training expertise (and Jodi's extreme patience and making me work harder toward being a better barista). I get to mix it up a bit by picking up shifts at the different locales - the clientele and vibe of each keep things interesting. What I do miss - single origin coffees and different coffee preparation methods to keep my coffee-palate happy. I have to say that the espresso is decent. Not the most interesting blend in the world, but it is solid. But, damn, do miss a good drip/French press of a single origin. I want to be able to taste a Harrar other than in an espresso blend. MY TONGUE IS SO BORED RIGHT NOW (with coffee anyway)...it's times like these that I really wish Papa Sanders would hurry up and get something going again (are you reading this Sanders?? Get your ish together - the whole coffee world is waiting for you to wow them once more). Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Hines will have a home. Until then, I'll just continue to try and do the best I can with the espresso I have to work with.

Part II - Raw milk...IS REALLY GOOD. My chef friends, Matt and Nick opened up their new restaurant, Sitka and Spruce. Matt and Nick do AMAZING things with food, especially with locally grown and produced ingredients. They butchered a pig and served it up during a Sunday supper - I got a sneak peak at the head. I had clams and pork belly this evening for dinner (Chris Tacy, you would have LOVED the dish)... but I digress. The same week they butchered the pig, they also picked up some YUMMY raw milk that Matt generously shared with me. I made some TASTY macchiatos and this evening, some rich hot chocolate. So, the lesson to take away here my fellow baristas is to experiment with raw milk... you will be rewarded in a very tasty way.

It is now 3am in the morning and I must go to bed. More to report soon enough.

Ciao,
b