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notes in black coffee, along with sweet dessert coffee drinks infused
with milk.”
Trends aside, experts all agree that sourcing and technique ultimately
make or break a great cup of java. “Great coffee is sourced
from farmers who maintain high standards in cultivation, harvesting,
drying, sorting and transporting every step of the way to the
roasters doors,” says Teri Hope.
Her Los Gatos coffee house is one of a dozen in the South Bay
whose output and ambience we recommend.
TOP TWELVE SOUTH BAY CRAFT COFFEE SPOTS
Want to find out what’s shaking in South Bay’s craft coffee scene?
Try these top twelve places (alphabetized) to enjoy your next jolt
of java. They all grind their beans on site.
B2 Coffee/Bellano
170 W. St. John St., San Jose, bellanocoffee.com
A San Pedro Square Market hot spot, B2 belongs to the Bellano
family of boutique coffee shops, and offers a range of hand-crafted
espresso and coffee drinks made with custom-roasted beans from
their companion coffee roasting company Kickback Coffee, as well
as a collection of loose leaf teas and baked goods.
Backyard Brew
444 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, aoccoffee.com
You’ll find Backyard Brew down a Palo Alto alley that leads to a
funky, festooned dog- and kid-friendly, wheelchair-accessible backyard
gathering place. It’s a designated “chill zone” for coffee lovers.
With a tagline urging customers to “Experience flavors, don’t
expect them,” owner Ryan Khalil steams a mean macchiato and
micro-roasts his own beans at his complementary coffee roasting
company Alloutcomes Coffee (AOC).
Backyard Brew boasts one of the largest repositories of espresso
blends and flavor notes around.
COFFEE CUPPING
Red Rock, 201 Castro St.,
Mountain View, redrock
coffee.org
Ever wonder what coffee
“cupping” is all about? It’s
the practice of observing
the tastes and aromas of
brewed coffee in the manner
of professional wine
tasters.
Tyler Toy, coffee manager
at trendy Red Rock
coffee, culture and community
hot spot in Mountain
View, offers these quick
tips on how to taste coffee
like a pro:
Tips on what to do prior
to tasting
• Avoid strongly flavored
food and drink beforehand.
• If you brush your teeth,
do it long in advance, because
the minty aftertaste
of toothpaste is not a good
pairing with coffee.
• Bread or bubbly water
make good pre-cupping
palate cleansers.
Tips on how to taste
• Smell it first, before you
taste. Then drink it when
it’s warm, but not hot. Hot
coffee only tastes like hot.
• Spit the coffee you taste
into a cup. It adds up, and
the more caffeine you consume,
the less your body
likes it, and the less you
like the coffees on the cupping
table.”
Tips on types of roasts
• The “in” thing these days
is light-roasted coffee. The
lighter the roast of coffee,
the more distinct and
transparent a coffee is.
• If you’re buying small-lot
coffee from some tiny,
high-elevation co-op in
Ethiopia, the darker you
roast it, the more it’ll taste
like every other mass-market
coffee in the world.
• In general, coffees from
African countries, specifically
Ethiopia and Kenya,
are going to be more
quirky—fruit forward, high
acid, exotic.
• Coffees from Central
America will be more
crowd-pleasing—chocolate,
nutty, sweet.
Tips on temperature
• “When we cup, the water
we use is at 200 degrees,”
says Toy. “For a home
brewer, this means bringing
water to a rolling boil,
then letting it sit for about
30 seconds off the heat.
We taste when the water
has cooled down enough
that it doesn’t burn.”
• Good coffees will continue
to taste good even
when it’s cooled down, so
you can take your time
once it’s at the right temperature.
Bonus tips
• The longer you can withhold
good/bad judgment,
the better you’ll be at it.
As soon as you’ve decided
a coffee is good or bad,
you’ve decided to stop
giving it thoughtful consideration.
• Also, wear a dark shirt or
an apron. It’s messy.
April/May 2019 67
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