One of the many, small things that I have missed about Moscow is Bucer’s cuban style espresso. I miss all of it: I miss making it, and smelling it, and tasting it, and watching others do the same. I graduated in May, but even now I’m starting to forget many of my favorite little things (which helps me understand why Maria from “The Sound of Music” had to write a song just to remember her
favorite things). I was, however, pleasantly reminded of this caffeinated comfort on Sunday when I discovered that a local coffee shop called, “El Diablo” (which is an ancient Spanish idiom for, “the fun-loving, coffee-making devil of the Northwest”) made cuban style espresso. The baristo making our drinks not only knew how to pull a shot, but he also specialized in milky, foamy, latte magic. Here are some pictures of his work.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make cuban espresso, here’s a little how to, just for you, from me to you. The key to cuban espresso is full caramelization of the sugar. I’ve always said that a little bit of sugar in the right place, at the right time can make all the difference in the world, and it does. Put some sugar in the glass which the shot will first pour into. The first part of the shot that comes out of the filter is also the hottest part, but it will cool down very quickly. It is dark, and less foamy than the crema that comes out later, and this is the stuff that can be hot enough to caramelize the sugar. I say “can” because not all machines are hot enough. It’s worth a try on your home espresso maker though because it just might work, and if it doesn’t, then you’ll probably need a lot of sugar in that coffee anyways.
Good coffee is sort of like poetry, you may not like it at first but it grows on you each time you partake. With that in mind, here is a poem I discovered when I lived in Moscow:
Behind the Coffeehouse Counter
You stop seeing people after a while,
and everyone becomes a fragment,
or an enlarged detail obscuring
everything else about them.
She likes her coffee sweet because
nothing about her last divorce was.
He loves mocha frappacinos
but pretends they are for his pregnant wife.
She is a groggy shot in the dark every morning,
but blossoms into a latte with a milky flower for the afternoon.
He is a foaming pint of Guinness,
who tells me he would taste better in Ireland.
In the evening the pipe comes in with his books,
hoping to puff his way from freshman to Inkling.
He is the silhouette in the clouds of Black Cavendish,
studying only his books, and not the women.
My leggy, blue-eyed Americano sits at her table,
and I forget about pubs and coffeehouses.
She sips from her small paper cup as she turns the pages
of books about beakers and Bunsen burners.
These walls are home to a brewery of happiness.
It is a place where man does not live by bread alone,
But by every granule of every bean
Roasted for his happiness.
Wow! Whoever the person was who created those pictures in the coffee has certainly found a way to find enjoyment in their work. Bravo for him! :)
Pumpkin TT !!!
Very clever and mathematically adept coffee maker out there!
And I love the poem!
Who wrote that poem????
lol! Pumpkin Pi!
I have an Italian stovetop “espresso” maker. If you’re a picky coffee person, it’s not real espresso — no crema. But it’s really good coffee, and I often drink a small mug straight with some cream. Coffee shouldn’t need sugar. But I’ll give this Cuban thing a try! :)
delightful poem “aileen”
Thanks, “dad”
“My leggy, blue-eyed Americano sits at her table,
and I forget about pubs and coffeehouses. She sips from her small paper cup as she turns the pages of books about beakers and Bunsen burners”…. Uhhh if that’s not about 38″-inseam-mad-scientist-Aileen I don’t know what is. Very clever.
This was bringing to mind so many images of Bucers and then Aileen popped in there with the crowd of freshmen and their pipes and I was certain. I love it.
Love that poem Aileen! And I love your posts too. Did you write that poem? It almost sounds like something Jas might write too… Nice work!
:) Actually, he did write it! My mom says she should fire me and hire him… He’s definitely a talented writer!