Coffee Ritual
Today was a very good day. And for me it's still morning.
The sadhus speak of clarity and invigoration that arrives with the sight of holiness. In my mind, this is a physiological effect, an evolutionarily-sound augmentation to the fitness of the self-aware that induces us to align with those things closest to perfection. These interwined asymptotes of biological competition form the guideliness for the rich space of visual, auditory, and olfactory esthetics. Nonetheless, on Valencia street accompanied by a mug and a scone, I made darshan.
I noticed, for the first time, Ritual Coffee Roasters through my car window last night, and it's faux-arabic logo and inviting subtle decor installed an interest. Primarily I just hoped to end the disappointment.
Taking BART to 16th in the dawn of my wakefulness, I walked a few blocks south on Valencia and found the storefront.
I was greeted by bustle. It looked a bit like the St*rb*ck's on Bundy and Santa Monica, with more laptops and less Hugo Boss. "Oh god no, please, please, please..." My heart sank, as memories of screaming milk and bitterness swept through me. I'd never go back, it's just not worth it.
Eileen greeted me and we discussed my order. Her knowledge of her work was evident. She answered my questions soundly, and taught me a few things about the de-gas process.
"Small coffee."
It was my standard order. Every good coffee house must base their business on that drink. It's the atomic unit of coffee aromatics. Give me as much as I need, with the most straightforward process. It captures every aspect of the intention. The small coffee is the keystone.
As I walked to my table, I carried a medium mug. Somehow Eileen delivered what I was asking for. It was the same size mug I used at home, their small being the size of my tea cups. Fair enough, they just need to adjust their nomenclature.
I sat down, looked into the drink and took a deep inhale. It was french pressed (as are all of Ritual's brewed drinks) and I could see the smoothness of the silt freckling the glossy surface. I walked back to the counter to reach for the half-and-half, then paused, then sipped then sat back down.
It was the best coffee I'd had in memory. It was the best coffee I'd had in San Francisco no doubt. And it was the only coffee that had ever talked me out of changing it.
The bean was an Ethopian Sidamo, medium roast with a mild almost sweet disposition. It tasted of the highlands, cool and inviting with a calm but brooding understanding of something worth exploring.
Barely 15 minutes after leaving the place, I returned with whole beans in hand to stand in line for the 3rd time to finish off my coverage. I'd dealt with retail drip and wholesale bean. Now it was time to sample the espresso.
"One espresso one capuccino, one shot each."
Eileen smiled, amused by my caffeine binging. At the counter I dropped back the espresso, taking a moment to note its warm amber crema before I mouthed the lot of it. It was most certainly an 8. Texturally pleasant, it had a minimal sourness, a full body, and just a bit of smoke.
I asked Eileen if she was looking for investors. Two drinks and I wanted to join the cause.
She looked slightly offended, as though she couldn't imagine such a thing. I credited her motivations, and sat down with my cap. I was just a bit disappointed that my foam was sub-par for what I'd been expecting. So far these guys were a shoo in to displace my Roman coffee allegiance, and them being so much closer... Well, I'd still be happy to go to the Cafe D'San Eustachio, but so long as I'm in the bay Ritual would be my top recommendation.
The foam was just a bit too airy, though nicely steamed otherwise with a clean not too milky flavor and just a touch of caramel. The preparation was visually attractive, and the espresso (as I'd just tasted) was well homogenized as it should be.
It turns out Eileen is one of the owners along with her partner Jeremy. They aren't actually roasting yet but will be soon, under the apprenticeship of Duane, owner of Stumptown roasters in Portland, the current source of their bean inventory. Stumptown, as I've since learned is a like-minded organization that will surely receive more of my business.
The sadhus speak of clarity and invigoration that arrives with the sight of holiness. In my mind, this is a physiological effect, an evolutionarily-sound augmentation to the fitness of the self-aware that induces us to align with those things closest to perfection. These interwined asymptotes of biological competition form the guideliness for the rich space of visual, auditory, and olfactory esthetics. Nonetheless, on Valencia street accompanied by a mug and a scone, I made darshan.
I noticed, for the first time, Ritual Coffee Roasters through my car window last night, and it's faux-arabic logo and inviting subtle decor installed an interest. Primarily I just hoped to end the disappointment.
Taking BART to 16th in the dawn of my wakefulness, I walked a few blocks south on Valencia and found the storefront.
I was greeted by bustle. It looked a bit like the St*rb*ck's on Bundy and Santa Monica, with more laptops and less Hugo Boss. "Oh god no, please, please, please..." My heart sank, as memories of screaming milk and bitterness swept through me. I'd never go back, it's just not worth it.
Eileen greeted me and we discussed my order. Her knowledge of her work was evident. She answered my questions soundly, and taught me a few things about the de-gas process.
"Small coffee."
It was my standard order. Every good coffee house must base their business on that drink. It's the atomic unit of coffee aromatics. Give me as much as I need, with the most straightforward process. It captures every aspect of the intention. The small coffee is the keystone.
As I walked to my table, I carried a medium mug. Somehow Eileen delivered what I was asking for. It was the same size mug I used at home, their small being the size of my tea cups. Fair enough, they just need to adjust their nomenclature.
I sat down, looked into the drink and took a deep inhale. It was french pressed (as are all of Ritual's brewed drinks) and I could see the smoothness of the silt freckling the glossy surface. I walked back to the counter to reach for the half-and-half, then paused, then sipped then sat back down.
It was the best coffee I'd had in memory. It was the best coffee I'd had in San Francisco no doubt. And it was the only coffee that had ever talked me out of changing it.
The bean was an Ethopian Sidamo, medium roast with a mild almost sweet disposition. It tasted of the highlands, cool and inviting with a calm but brooding understanding of something worth exploring.
Barely 15 minutes after leaving the place, I returned with whole beans in hand to stand in line for the 3rd time to finish off my coverage. I'd dealt with retail drip and wholesale bean. Now it was time to sample the espresso.
"One espresso one capuccino, one shot each."
Eileen smiled, amused by my caffeine binging. At the counter I dropped back the espresso, taking a moment to note its warm amber crema before I mouthed the lot of it. It was most certainly an 8. Texturally pleasant, it had a minimal sourness, a full body, and just a bit of smoke.
I asked Eileen if she was looking for investors. Two drinks and I wanted to join the cause.
She looked slightly offended, as though she couldn't imagine such a thing. I credited her motivations, and sat down with my cap. I was just a bit disappointed that my foam was sub-par for what I'd been expecting. So far these guys were a shoo in to displace my Roman coffee allegiance, and them being so much closer... Well, I'd still be happy to go to the Cafe D'San Eustachio, but so long as I'm in the bay Ritual would be my top recommendation.
The foam was just a bit too airy, though nicely steamed otherwise with a clean not too milky flavor and just a touch of caramel. The preparation was visually attractive, and the espresso (as I'd just tasted) was well homogenized as it should be.
It turns out Eileen is one of the owners along with her partner Jeremy. They aren't actually roasting yet but will be soon, under the apprenticeship of Duane, owner of Stumptown roasters in Portland, the current source of their bean inventory. Stumptown, as I've since learned is a like-minded organization that will surely receive more of my business.
posted by Arif at 2:07 PM
2 Comments:
Your hair is long, looks cool. Hey have you heard of Voxtrot? They are getting huge buzz despite having only 5 songs. I thought it was interesting, and their singer is indian.
Their website
Singer's Blog
Oh and by the way, I told a bunch of music blogs (like Brooklyn Vegan, Copy, Right and whole crapload of others) about your cover of There Is A Light, so don't be surprised if you see it popping up all over the internet :)
i had given up coffee. it has been little over a month so far but after reading this blog i'm dying for a cup...espresso mmm
capuccino mmm coffee...
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