November 23 2007, 11:08 PM The Trick With The Coffee

There's a trick to coffee. Find yourself a barista (any gender will do) that pulls a good shot with good coffee in a good space. Be their client until you are their regular; be humble, make no trouble, be predictable, and pay with as exact change as possible. Over time, let this become comfortable. Eventually, ask them to change your drink; ask them to make you an Americano, with a bit less water in it than usual. They may ask you if you want a long pull or a short pull - opt for the short pull, but with water, hot water. Take this cup of coffee to the side counter, and add to it four sugars and a healthy dose of cream.

This is, of course, unpardonable. But what you get, if things go right, is a cup full of hot coffee ice cream. I do not know why this trick works (it doesn't work any other way). For myself, I have annoyed my barista. I have ordered this for more than two years now, and these days I order something else.

Progress is also being made on the home front; with my brother here, we decided it was time to bust out the moka pot. We drink the stuff strong and sweet, with as much hot milk as coffee. It's fantastic. It is also a clear sign that I have too large a moka pot for those mornings when the house is empty of all but me.

I think there is a cat living under my porch. It is getting cold tonight; this does not bode well.