Review - J Cafe

I apologize for the delay in posting reviews recently. The last few days have been exceedingly busy for me, though I did manage to squeeze in another visit to a local coffee shop, the J Cafe.

Last week, Portland played host to the Open Source Convention (OSCON). For those who don't know what 'Open Source' is, the Cliffs Notes version is that it's software that is built with (usually) freely available code so that other developers can modify, alter, and improve it. Check the Wikipedia entry to learn more if you'd like, I need to get back to talking about coffee.

The reason I mention OSCON is because it was why I was in the neighborhood of J Cafe. During lunch on Thursday, I searched Google Maps for "coffee" with my BlackBerry and found a couple nearby shops. J Cafe wasn't the closest, but it was the the only one on my screen that wasn't a national chain, so off I went.

The J Cafe is nestled along the MAX a couple blocks east of the Convention Center and as I could tell is definitely a volume based business. The inward and outward design of the J Cafe reminded me more of the sidewalk cafes in Germany than a tradional coffee house and that observation held true.

Unfortunately for me, the J Cafe isn't so much a coffee house as it is ... well, a cafe. The difference being that a coffee house is a place to get coffee and a cafe is a place to get a light lunch, drinks, and if you're in the mood, some coffee. So again I found myself reviewing a place that served coffee instead of a coffee house. Still, I wanted to get a drink and eat some lunch so I got in line and waited my turn to order.

The place was very busy so I didn't have time to get a good feel for the personalities of the wait staff, though it seemed they were very polite despite the lunch rush. Though I walked away from the counter with my double-shot espresso, I had to wait about 10 minutes for my sandwich. I took a seat at a barstool and started snapping pics and videos with my phone while I waited for my espresso to cool down a bit. After sending myself the media, I sat down and started sipping my brew and found that it wasn't too bad. It didn't measure up to the Juniper Java, but it was still pretty good for being an ancillary product. The espresso was a bit on the bitter side, though when it reached the middle of my tongue there was a distinctly sugary taste along with it. It didn't leave much of an aftertaste and didn't leave much of an impression beyond being caffiene.

The sandwich, though, was delicious! I had the 'English Pub Dip' which came with a side salad and some tasty potato chips. To wash it all down I ordered a cup of iced tea which was probably he best part of the meal and complemented the sandwich nicely. Since the sandwich and drink are more to the heart of the J Cafe, I'd say that it falls into the category of "if-I'm-in-the-area-and-slightly-hungry", but not worth going out of the way for on its own.

A Method to the Madness

First off, thanks to @caseorganic on Twitter the tip about the Ace Hotel Lobby being open late, I'll make that my next stop. Secondly, I've come up with what I feel is a unique way to find new places to try which I'll explain below, but first I need to provide a bit of background:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as tweets) which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application such as Twitterrific or Facebook. For SMS, four gateway numbers are currently available: short codes for the United States, Canada, and India, as well as a United Kingdom number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email.

What I've done is to create a search query that will pick out when someone around Portland posts a note referencing "coffee" or "cafe" or "roast". Of course this generates quite a number of posts about "Ugh, want coffee..." and the like, but it also helps me find new places that other Tweeters talk about. You can check it out by subscribing to this RSS feed.

If you're already a Twitter user, you can find me there at @bandit36. Also, if you know what a "fail whale" is and want something else, try Identi.ca, I'm @bandit36 there also.

And on a final note, I found this post on Life Hacker pretty interesting and though it fit the topic enough to mention it here:

Scoop Clip Keeps Coffee Fresh, Measures
The Scoop Clip from Pampered Chef is a simple but useful multi-tool that works as both a freshness clip and tablespoon and teaspoon measuring tool. It may seem a little silly, but if $5 means you don't have to fumble bleary-eyed through your drawers for your tablespoon and your coffee's going to be that much fresher, it's not a bad buy. Then again, if you don't feel like shelling out the extra cash, rolling your own is a very simple kitchen DIY project waiting to happen.
Scoop Clip [via Cool Tools]

Help Me Find Coffee After 6

I went downtown again yesterday for a networking event sponsored by PDX Mindshare. I was one of the first to arrive at Paddy's Bar & Grill and since this was my first time I felt a bit out of place when people asked me if "this was where that PDX Mindshare thing was meeting?" Note to self: arrive fashionably late next time. I also quickly found that trying to make professional contacts when you have to shout so the person next to you can hear you isn't the best way to make professional contacts. At least I felt very awkward doing that, but that might just be me.

As usual, I wanted to make the most of my trip and get some material for my next review and become more familiar with the lay of the Portland coffee house land. That roughly translates to, "I wanted to drown my sorrows for lacking bar room social grace in a cup of joe." During my desperate search for a cup of hot, steamy caffeine I learned a very tough lesson: most coffee shops in downtown Portland close at 6PM. Oh, sure, Starbucks and Peets are open, but as my friend who recommended Juniper Java said, "I'm not a fan of dishwater and cookie cutter baked goods..."

I wanted caffeine, but I didn't want to take the easy way out, so I walked the streets of downtown Portland for about an hour and a half looking for a coffee house that was 1) open, and 2) locally owned. I sadly found none that met these two simple criteria. The places that I did come across that fit the second criteria failed to meet the first. Every single one of them closed at 6 PM, like all the coffee suddenly turned into pumpkin juice (congratulations if you get the reference). It doesn't seem realistic to me that there wouldn't be a local coffee house open past 6 PM so I'm officially asking for help -

Help me find a local coffee house that is open after 6 PM!

Review - Juniper Java

Today I made a trip down to Southern Portland for a meeting and decided that I should make the most of my trip and stop at a coffee shop so that I could do another review. Totally selfless you know, strictly for the benefit of my readers ... all two of you (hi Dad!).

After the meeting I asked for recommendations for local coffee shops that I could stop by on my way out of town. The guy I was meeting with pointed and said that there was a nice little place right across the street that he liked to go to called the Juniper Java.

I was thrilled that I would finally be able to review an actual coffee house since, you know, this is a coffee review blog. So I went across the street and found what has become officially my first coffee house review here on PDX Coffee. I'm happy to report that the Juniper Java is definitely on my 'worth it' list.

Finding the place is pretty easy; if you're headed south on Macadam, turn right on Dakota and make the very next left into the parking lot. Inside you'll find that the atmosphere is pretty typical of coffee houses with a mix of couches, comfy chairs, bar stools, and regular old tables and chairs. One side of the shop is plate window so you have a lot of natural light and a good view of Macadam street so you can watch busy folks hurry about their business as you enjoy you brew. Over the bar was a huge mirror which I found a bit unique, but it fit in well with the rest of the shop.

When I walked in I saw that there was already a couple other folks inside, one of which was chatting pleasantly with the Barista. I walked up to the counter and asked for a small cup of coffee and was told it was self-serve on the table by the door. I went over and poured myself a cup, added a bit of cream and sugar, and went back to the bar to order my double shot espresso. After picking up my double and paying, I took a seat in one of the tall chairs to begin the toughest *giggle* part of the review - drinking coffee.

(side note - I think I'll continue to phrase it that way to see what kind of response I get - them, "What can I get for you?"; me, "A cup of coffee, please."; them, "What kind of coffee?"; me, "You know, coffee-coffee."; them, "Huh?" - in my opinion, the term "coffee" should mean house blend drip by default. If it's not, to me, it's a sign that the shop wants you to know that they know what the heck they're talking about and you lowly peons should know to be specific when you ask for your coffee, dangit! But I digress...)

The cup of coffee was good. Not knock-you-on-your-butt good, but it had a good, strong flavor that wasn't overpowering or leave much of an aftertaste. As I sipped away at the cup I listened- ok, eavesdropped on the conversation that the Barista was having with her customer. Based on that conversation, and the conversation that she (the Barista) had with several other customers, I came to the conclusion that the place was pretty popular with the locals since every one of them called her by her first name (which escapes me at the moment) and she responded in kind. Definately high marks for knowing you customers by name!

When I finished the coffee I moved right into the double shot which was outstanding! I don't think I've ever had such good espresso. The whole experience was great. The flavor was very strong, as it should be, but not bitter at all. It was as if the espresso was softly caressing my tongue and telling it that everything was going to be ok as it jabbed a needle full of caffeine into my bloodstream. This was good stuff!

I tried to take my time with the double shot and enjoy it, but it was tough to pace myself and I quickly found that my tongue had been lied to because the goodness came to an end at the bottom of the too-small cup. Don't get me wrong, it was your standard double shot sized cup, it was just so good that I drank it too fast. I like to think that the espresso tried to make it up to me by leaving a wonderfully sweet taste in my mouth. Even hours after finishing the cup, I still have a delicious aftertaste lingering on my tongue.

All told, this was a great coffee house. If I frequented the area I would definitely make it a regular stop and if I do happen be within a 5-mile radius of the place, I will swing by and get a fix.

Home Brewed

Some times I'm just not motivated enough to go out and get coffee somewhere else, but I still wants me some coffee so I have to brew my own. As with many other coffee drinkers, I've come up with my own brews and mixes to simulate my favorite drinks to the best of my ability. Remember, I'm not an espresso or coffee expert, I'm just a guy who likes, ok really likes coffee.

In my amateur attempts at brewing drinks like those available at coffee houses, I've developed a favorite drink that I'd like to share here in hopes of getting other folks to share their home-mixing techniques and recipes. The method is simple and so are the ingredients. Below is a step-by-step to brew what I call a 'Pogey Mocha':

What you'll need -

• Normal, drip-style coffee maker
• A filter to fit your coffee maker
• Enough ground coffee to suit your taste
• Water
• Milk
  
• Hot cocoa mix
• Table spoon
• Coffee cup

What you do -

1. Brew a pot of coffee. I've found it's better to brew this pot a bit stronger than normal as you'll be diluting it a bit in the mix. That and I just like strong coffee. So if you have to guess on how much ground coffee to use, it's better to guess high.
2. Put a heaping spoon of cocoa mix into the cup.
3. Fill the cup to about 3/4 full while stirring & mixing the cocoa. Putting the cocoa mix in first and pouring the coffee on top makes it easier to mix it than putting the cocoa on top of the coffee.
4. Fill the remaining 1/4 of the cup with milk. This thickens the mix a bit and helps cool it down so you can drink it right away.
   

Please note that I tried to avoid being specific with measurements or sizes because the point of this is to find what you like, not what is written on a recipe. Your taste buds will tell you if you got it right.

At the end of this you'll have what I call a Pogey Mocha. If you want to know what a 'pogey' is, you can look here to get the full back story on how exactly this drink came about. The short version is that spent a year in a place where I couldn't just run down to a Starbucks or Peets and get my fix so I had to figure it out for myself.

Anyway, I hope you give this brew a try and if you have your own mix, please share it with us here. And remember, your taste buds are the true judge of whether or not you get your mix right.

Review - Pastini

I took another trip into downtown tonight only this time I brought the whole family hoping to find a nice little cafe style coffee house that we could all enjoy. Katie wanted to get a panini and I wanted to get some coffee so that I could write up another review ... and get some coffee.

We drove around downtown, parked, and the three of us walked around trying to find just such a place. After having walked many blocks on his own two little legs, Mark had reached his limit and decided it was time to be carried. Then, after walking many more blocks without spotting a suitable cafe, I decided that my limit had been reached and we needed to compromise.

Enter Pastini.

Like the Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe, Pastini wan't a coffee house, it's an Italian restaurant so I'm 0 for 2 with reviewing an actual coffee house here at PDX Coffee. I'm so willing to continue such a bad average because the experience was such a positive one.

From the outside, Pastini seemed like a relatively high-class Italian restaurant where you might take someone for a fancy night out so I was a bit hesitant to go inside carrying a kid and wearing cut-off cargo pants and Birkenstocks. Katie, however, showed me the menu and with little more effort convinced me that it would be worth it. My fears of being out of place were entirely invalid. We were quickly shown to a table right in the middle of the main seating area and Mark was given crayons and some paper to draw on. The waitstaff was polite, prompt and courteous and I suspect that it was the owner of the restaurant that actually brought us our meal. We both ordered paninis with a side salad and were very pleasantly surprised at the size of the portions and, after taking a bite, the quality.

I couldn't let the opportunity pass so I ordered a cup of the house blend which was provided by Portland Roasting Company. Incorporating the lessons that I learned from my previous review, I accepted the cream and sugar this time. The coffee was decent, not great, but worth the price and definitely an overall positive experience. While I can't say it's worth tripping into downtown just to buy their coffee, I can whole heatedly recommend them for the total dining experience, especially for families.

Pastini is definitely on our "good places" list.

Coffee Trends

I've been doing a bit of research to see what else is out there in regards to restaurant and coffee focused blogs to get ideas for mine. Since I'm a heavy user of Google products, I decided to use Trends to get a picture of "coffee" searches. Interestingly, Portland was the second ranked city in the world for "coffee" searches. Minneapolis ranked first, I wonder why.

It would make sense that with such a high concentration of people interested in coffee that there would be an equally high concentration of websites related to coffee in Portland. So far, I've found ... one - besides mine of course.

Perhaps I'm on to something =)

Review - Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe

I was in downtown Portland yesterday for a meeting and decided to make my first attempt at a local coffee shop review. After walking out of the hour-long meeting, I eagerly set out to find the closest source of human go-juice I could find and guess what I found - Starbucks. Big surprise, right?

Despite fitting the target of being a coffee house, I decided to forgo doing a review of a globally franchised business since everyone who would care to read about PDX coffee houses probably already has their own opinions of Starbucks. In my mind, Starbucks is the McDonalds of coffee - it's not the best tasting, but you know what you're going to get and that sense of security and dependability can be appealing at times.

So I continued on my search in much more of a aimless wandering fashion than I suspect is recommended for such adventures, especially when it's HOT outside and you're wearing a jacketed suit. After walking a couple blocks in search of a coffee based establishment I managed to run into the Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe. The initial appeal for me was the fact that it seemed to have been shoe-horned into the line of buildings that it was a part of and seemed like a small, local coffee shop. Just what I was looking for.

In my eagerness I rushed inside and ordered their house blend drip. After pouring me a cup, the barista asked if I wanted cream or sugar. It's a simple question and one I answer internally every day, but now that I was drinking coffee in order to review it, I was stumped. After an unusually long period debating with myself, I decided not to take any impurities because I wanted to taste the coffee for what it was. A decision I now regret for two reasons:

1. I usually take cream, sugar, and/or cocoa with my coffee and to suddenly avoid it is to be untrue to my taste buds. Next time I will sully the blackness of my brew.
2. Coffee is hot. Especially when you haven't added the usual cream to cool it down a bit.

So in my eagerness to conduct my review, not only was I untrue to my taste buds, I was also cruel to them by scorching them in hot coffee. I'm still paying the price. Almost a day later my tongue is still fuzzy where the un-creamed coffee enveloped it. Lesson learned.

Despite these setbacks, I was able to regroup and slow down to actually get an impression of the shop from which to do a review.

The outward appearance of the Cafe is as I described earlier; it looked like someone used a shoehorn to get it shoved into its location. An observation that was reinforced when I went inside. Inside was a typical coffee bar setup with a counter to order and a nice bar stool counter facing the window so that you can watch people go by as you sip your HOT coffee. What was not so typical was that to get from the ordering counter to the nearest bar stool (you had your choice of two) you only had to take one step. The Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe is not designed for a person to sit and relax, it's much more of a place to get your caffeine and go about your business.

The coffee ended up holding true to this business model. It wasn't brewed too strongly, though I hesitate to say that it was a weak brew because that would carry a very negative connotation which I don't want to express, it just wasn't very strong. In addition to not being very strong, the coffee also had a very machine-y taste to it. It took me about 10 minutes to finish the small cup, mostly because I had to wait for it to cool down since I didn't add any cream, but when I was done I turned around (did I mention the shop was small) ordered my double shot espresso.

For the espresso I decided to go with the theme of the shop and I took it to go as I walked back to the parking garage. The quality of the espresso was similar to that of the drip brew and I would even go so far as to guess that they used the same beans for both. The machine taste in the espresso was much stronger than in the drip, but on the grand scheme both were on the not-strong end of the scale.

To be fair, the Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe is, as the name suggests, a chocolate shop and uses coffee for additional income so the quality of that coffee and the coffee house experience probably won't have a huge affect on their success. If I'm buying chocolate I'll definitely stop by if I'm in the area, but if I'm looking for coffee I think I'll pass it by next time.

One more word of advice - if you're going to be drinking a lot of coffee shortly before driving through Portland at rush hour, don't. Coffee dehydrates you, but not through sweating.

Review - al-Rasheed Cafe, Baghdad, Iraq

I'm dusting off an old review I did of the al-Rasheed Cafe in downtown Baghdad back in September 2006. I wrote it while stationed in Baghdad record what was a surreal experience and find that it's now somewhat relevant to the subject of this blog. Yes, yes, it's nowhere near PDX, but be patient and I'll do a local review.

I've been to the al-Rasheed a couple times with friends and noticed that there were several shops selling the usual trinkets, jewelry, rugs, and the ever-present pirated DVDs. I never really understood what that meant until I came here. You can get almost any movie ever made and most before they're even released in theaters in the States out here. I took a few laps around the shops checking out what they had to offer paying special attention to the electronics since I was looking for radios. Alas, none were to be found.

I did, however, work up a slight thirst and decided that I'd try and track down a drink of some sort at one of these shops. Again, I didn't find what I was looking for. I did, however, find a nice little cafe. I don't think I've shared this yet, but I figure now's as good a time as any - my ultimate objective in life is to own a nice little cafe, sort of my own little haven where I can sit and read all day while sipping whatever brew I happen to choose and not have to worry about making a profit, just paying the bills and drinking coffee. Planning ahead, I've been trying to visit as many cafes as I can get into to get ideas for how I want my place to be and I figured that this would be a great time to try out some Iraqi fare.

I walked up to the greeting stand and asked the waiter if I could get something to drink. He mumbled something that sounded like "Yes, sir" and motioned to one of the open tables. Shortly after sitting at a nearby table the waiter came by and asked what I wanted. Since I was thirsty I was looking for something cold and since I was doing research for my coffee shop I wanted a coffee. The waiter politely informed me that they had any kind of "Coke soda, Pepsi soda" and that they only had "Turkish coffee." I asked for a Pepsi and a Turkish coffee and he then asked if I wanted sugar or cream to which I replied that I just wanted it regular and he went off to the bar.

I pulled out my camera and busied myself by looking through some pictures that I had taken while at the Swords. A few minutes later, I heard the clicking of shoes hitting the pseudo-marble floors behind me. When I turned to see who was there I was a bit surprised to see another waiter dressed in a formal black tuxedo, bow tie and all, holding a tray with a can of Pepsi, a glass, and a cup of coffee. He walked around in front of me and, bending at the waist, lowered the tray almost to the level of the table so he could drop off the drinks. I smiled and said "thanks" and he gave me a sort of sideways nod, stood back up straight and clicked away.

As I was pouring the Pepsi into the glass I was struck by the surreality of it all: I was sitting in a cafe in the middle of Baghdad with a pistol on my hip drinking coffee that had just been served by an Iraqi man in a tux. It would get odder.

I decided to drink the Pepsi first since it was a known quantity and my mouth was dry. I slowly sipped it and looked around the cafe, taking it all in. The only other customer was a portly, older, well-dressed Iraqi man who was engaged in lively conversation with the staff as he ravished the bread in front of him. While I was casually watching how he handled himself I looked out the window over his shoulder and noticed that I could see the Convention Center. The Convention Center has become the seat of the Iraqi government much like the Capitol building is in the States. Inspired by the sight of several Iraqi Army HMMWVs topped with PKC machine guns parked in front of the Convention Center, I tried to imagine the Capitol building with US HMMWVs stationed to defend it. It's easy to imagine the HMMWVs and the building, but not the two together.

While contemplating the parallels between Iraq and America, I finished the glass of Pepsi and decided it was time to take the plunge and try the Turkish coffee. I gently stirred the brew to get an idea for its composition and was surprised when I saw a slight ... something attached to the tip of the spoon. I dug the spoon along the bottom of the cup and collected quite a load of what I can only describe as sludge. "Well, okay, I guess this is what a Turkish coffee is like then," I thought while trying to stir up the bottom in hopes that I would dissolve the sludge. Once I was satisfied that I had gotten it all mixed up I took my timid first sip.

And it tasted like coffee, at least until I rolled it to the back of my mouth where a taste that is best described as ash invaded my taste buds. Yuck. I was determined to drink the whole cup though, remembering a similar reaction the first time I tried coffee in America figuring that the taste would grow on me. I put the cup down hoping that I had just made a mistake by mixing up the sludge and that it would settle back out of the rest of the drink and I could get just the liquid coffee. I let it sit for a few minutes and tried again. Sip, swish, gulp, eughh! I did my best to not make a face as I forced it down.

Over the next 15 or so minutes I sipped and sipped until all that was left was the sludge and put my cup down. It turns out that drinking the Pepsi first and last was a good idea since I knew what to expect and could rinse the ash taste out of my mouth.

I decided to take the second half of the Pepsi slow, I had nowhere else to be for hours and this place was as good as any, better than most in the area probably. It was getting to be late in the afternoon and I guess it was close of business for a lot of the locals because in the space of a few minutes three groups of Iraqis came in and sat down, some talking quietly amongst themselves, some in very boisterous conversation with their group. I was most struck by one couple in particular. I would guess that they were in their late 50's, he was dressed in a nice grey business suit and she was dressed in a long-sleeved pant suit and a thin black cloth that kept falling back off her head onto her shoulders. He pulled out a bottle of water and poured them both a drink as a waiter served them a bowl of bread which they daintily broke into bite-sized bits and nibbled on. Their conversation seemed light hearted as he would break into laughter and she would make a seemingly exasperated sigh while shaking her head and suppressing a smile.

I sat there for about 10 minutes just people-watching and sipping at my Pepsi. While doing this I thought that the coffee set would be a cool souvenir and I picked up the cup and saucer to check the label on the bottom to see if it was locally made. Unfortunately it wasn't, it was just some generic "Made in China" set, but I still figured it was cool, how often do you see a coffee set from downtown Baghdad. Once I finally finished the glass, the waiter that seated me appeared from nowhere and started to scoop up the cups. I stopped him and asked if I could buy the cup and saucer. At first he didn't understand and thought I was just asking how much the coffee cost, but when I grabbed them both and motioned that I was going to walk away with them he realized what I was after. Understandably, he didn't know if I could buy them so he had to go ask his boss. When his boss came out I explained to him that I wanted to buy the cup and saucer and wanted to know how much it cost. He pointed in the cup and at the Pepsi and said, "Coffee is $4, Pepsi is $2. For drinks and cup you give me $10." I flinched at the $4 cup of ash flavored coffee, but I figured that it was worth the experience so I handed over my $10 and walked out with a brand new (to me) coffee set.

While the set is nothing special to look at, I'm going to find it a nice place of prominence in my coffee shop years from now.

Metrics

My knowledge of coffee can be summed up in this:

• I like it!
• I know what I like.
• I know what I don't like.

To a certain degree, I don't want my knowledge of coffee to get much more developed than this because, I would assume, that this is representative of most coffee drinkers. Given these critical pieces of information, I've decided that, for the moment, my evaluation of coffees and coffee shops will be based on the quality of three main factors:

1. House blend drip coffee.
2. Double shot espresso.
3. Atmosphere.

While this is a subjective and elementary set of metrics, I think it's a good place to start at since it forms the core of the coffee house experience. Most drinks served at a coffee house include shots of espresso or are drip coffee and everyone is subjected to the atmosphere. Put it all together and you can get a good idea of the overall experience.

I'll keep thinking about this and refining it as I go. Now that some of the ground rules are set it's time to go get that first review!

One final note: the current header graphic is a picture I took in Baghdad of one of Saddam's Palaces. Not really relevant to the topic of coffee, but I thought it was cool. I'll replace it with something else when I find an appropriate picture in my archive.

Hello there!

Hi, welcome to the PDX Coffee Blog!

• Who - Regular folks in and around Portland who love coffee.
• What - Share your opinion of local brews & shops.
• Why - Because I really like coffee and Portland!

The PDX Coffee Blog started came into being following two major events; my relocation to the Portland area and meeting Gary Vaynerchuk, the creator of WineLibrary TV.

I moved to the Portland area with my family in March 2008 and brought my love of coffee with me. Not being a native of the area, I quickly found that I didn't know much about the lay of the coffee landscape and that I would have to undertake the arduous task of trying out as many coffee shops as I possibly could. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

As for Gary Vay-ner-chuk, I met him at a presentation where he was speaking about a lot of different things, most notably he advocated doing what you love and producing media, not consuming it. Not consuming media I can handle, coffee is another matter though. Gary started producing and publishing a video review of wines and worked his way into being a professional wine drinker/pitchman - getting paid (well!) to drink wine and talk about it, what a great job!

So it begins, slowly at first. I'll be playing with the template and design for a while and plan to offer up a review or two per week as things get going. I'm also working on evaluation metrics, but in the end the review is going to end up being my opinion - a regular guy, who loves coffee.

Stay tuned!