godshots

Those of you familiar with Mexican coffee lore will no doubt have heard about the Cafe de la Parroquia in the city of Veracruz. This place has been serving coffee since 1909. Their machines, which are very early examples of italian espresso machines, are supposed to have been in service since at least 1913.

The coffee served here is very far from a traditional italian style espresso, though. A blend of local beans is used, and brewed to produce a syrupy concentrate with none of the crema we are used to seeing today. This concentrate is served in a regular glass and gallantly topped with milk to taste.

A family dispute split the business into two locales, and the original name and machines moved a few blocks away. While the original cafe changed it’s name to Cafe Portales and acquired new Victoria Arduino machines which are sadly now only used for steaming milk.

Regardless of these feuds, both are delightful places to stop for coffee during a visit to Veracruz, and each one has a distinctive characteristic to their coffee preparation. Check out the flickr set of my visit to both places to see the more pics of both places.

So we’ve been meeting up for quite some time now. And a lot has happened along the way, (good things and bad) but the coffee drinking hasn’t stopped, oh no. On the contrary, I think Chino and I have become more java-obsessed if at all possible. Sure, they haven’t always been good times at Godshots. We’ve had our fair share of darkness… But this past Saturday was quite the opposite, and even a pessimist like myself has to welcome this sensation with open arms. Could the tides be turning? I think so.

Oh, and we never listen to music here!!!!

Well, I’m out of Gimme! coffee’s Leftist espresso blend. It didn’t last long, but it was wonderful while it lasted…

I love grumpy’s. I just love it. The espresso is always great, and the guys there are awesome. And they always have some interesting new blends or single origins for me to try out. I wish I lived in Chelsea just so this could be my every-morning coffee stop on my way to work…

Another one of my espresso stops in Manhattan was 9th street espresso. Located at… well, 9th street. I had heard about this place before, but then the barista at Gimme! coffee mentioned them, and I had to hunt them down and give them a try.

They use Stumptown coffee. Hairbender’s in particular, for espresso. A wise choice IMHO. the latte I ordered was perfect, and the service was great. Another 5 star experience and a must-taste in the manhattan espresso tour.

check ‘em out here.

I had 10 full days to roam around during my visit to New York City this time around. So that gave me plenty of time to explore all the espresso joints we dig here at godshots. The first stop I made was to Gimme! coffee’s recently opened spot in the village. It’s a “on-the-go” type of place. No seats, no tables… Only a small bar at one end, and a couple of benches outside. It feels cozy and inviting, though.

I ordered the standard latte, which they make with their special leftist blend. It was a delicious tasting shot, and the rosetta on it was as pretty as they come. All in all an excellent experience. One I would recommend to any coffee lover as a must-visit!

Visit them at this Mott St location, or check out their webpage for other locations, ordering blends, and learning about coffee culture in general.

My recent trip to NYC neted me the following loot: 2 bags of Gimme coffee’s Leftist espresso blend, 2 bags of Grumpy’s Heartbreaker espresso blend, and 2 bags of stumptown’s Hairbender espresso blend. The black bag is a Rwandan single origin from Grumpy’s just for yucks. This saturday’s godshots will be a cornucopia of awesomeness!!!

Two of my favorite things in the world are video games and coffee. But this guy totally took that to the next level. An Arduino based wii nunchuck controller mod for a Rancillio Silvia.

That’s insane! Check out the rest of his blog for other DIY projects, and the coffeetronics section of the Arduino Wiki for more goodies.

(found via hackaday)

I won’t be going to godshots today. I’m too depressed. I can’t even remember the last time I missed out on a Saturday at Chino’s place. Well, it will be a sad day for me without a doubt. But I can’t leave the house, not today…

(link to fotoset of flickr)

Very tasty! Espresso a go-go and blendamentosis blends were the order of the day…