A Coffee Snob

Coffee snobs gush over indie cafes and deride commercial chains as adamantly as music and movie snobs denounce anything mainstream and rave over indie records and films. Since I'm an aspiring coffee snob and can't seem to complete a single movie review, I'll ramble on about coffee for a bit.

On Friday night, with only a minute until the movie started, I ordered coffee at the Camera Cafe. Walking over to the dispensers, I noticed angry people holding empty cups and staring impatiently at the slow drip coffee machine. Surprisingly, it didn't drip any faster.

A huge puddle of hot coffee covered the floor behind the counter. Somebody had knocked over an open carafe. Unable to stomach the sight of spilt coffee and unwilling to miss the film, I acted out of desperation and filled my cup with Decaf Columbia Supremo. Shameful, I know.

Fortunately, there was plenty of coffee and a clean floor on Sunday, when I returned. I was able to have my favorite theater blend known as the FogBuster. Not only does it taste great, but the name is cool, too.

Just as some people choose their favorite sports teams based solely on the mascot or jersey colors (not that any of you would do that), I'll often try a coffee blend simply because of the name. At the Second Street Coffee Exchange, they serve the Big Sur blend. There's nothing special about it, but the name appeals to me. A true coffee snob wouldn't be swayed so easily. It's something I need to work on.

On the edge of town, hidden away in a strip mall anchored by very corporate chains like Target and McDonald's, is Y'a Bon Espresso. The interior is colorfully decorated and some of the walls have signs that read "N'awlins" and "Be Nice or Leave". The cafe offers blends from Torrefazione Italia. If you're curious, it's pronounced "Toray-fot-see-ohnay", according to the company. All of the tables and chairs have price tags on them and are for sale. I used to pass by it all of the time. It wasn't until this January that I finally stopped in and had an espresso. Now it's one of my favorite places.

This entry earned me a point or two towards coffee snobhood, don't you think? It certainly didn't help me finish any movie reviews.