I want to begin the new year with a post about my greatest culinary love: espresso.
I enjoy espresso like a wine-lover is passionate about the world's finest wines. When freshly roasted, freshly ground, and properly extracted, espresso has complexity beyond any taste I could ever wish for. One obsession I have developed over the past year is a search for the perfect espresso. I have had my own espresso machine for three years and have learned more and more as time has gone by about the craft of great espresso, and I am on a constant journey to perfect it.
Most people tolerate bad coffee every morning as a way to wake up. I crave the elusive, short-lived taste of a good espresso. Great espresso. Intelligentsia espresso, please. The perfect traditional cappuccino. Ceramic cup, 8 ounces or less. As you can tell by the nature of this blog, I take mine with soymilk.
What I search for is not something you can get at Starbucks (gag).
Three cheers for espresso!
The soy latte at the top is from Northwest Coffee Roasters, and I enjoyed the bottom one at Caffe Medici.
48 comments:
Wow! Looks great! Sadly, I am one of those people who can drink a cup of instant coffee in the morning for the caffeine, but this looks sooooo much better!
Gorgeous cup of espresso!! Keep lovin' it ;-)
LOVE YOUR NEW BLOG LAYOUT, GIRL!!!
To bad I hate coffee, the smell alone makes me sick.
But I love the patterns on the top, they are so cute =)
Love the new layout!
I too am one of those sad people who wake up to a cup of instant (but super strong) coffee each and every morning. That's not to say I don't appreciate a good cup of coffee when I splash out and buy one. Yum!
I haven't had coffee in a decade, but you make it look so good! Love the patterns in the foam--and the new banner :)
I love espresso art!
wow those look good, i am definitely now craving coffee, happy new year
Ahhh, One of my favorite loves as well :)
I enjoyed cappie's most in Italy this past September.....the perfect little cup!
Cheers to the New Year!
espresso is the key to my heartttt :)
I agree, espresso, one of the best things...
Hmmm you're making me think that I should take a breather from my tea obsession for a little espresso break!
Hummm i love a nice hot cup of coffee but i try not to have it as i am normally full of energy - believe me, i get REALLY hyper with some caffeine -. the pictures are so cute.
I just made the mapple glazed vegetables you talked about some posts ago and i LOVED IT. thank you so much for the tip!
I totally agree with you, I LOVE expressos! They are the bestest!
You and I are 2 beans in an espresso pod! ;)
I looooooooove it, and happen to think you should come visit me at MY coffee shop haha!
espresso is awesome, i agree. i am pretty impressed that you have your own machine!
now i am craving intelligentsia. may have to make a trip out there before i start my day. :)
Hey Ruby Red! What beautiful espresso photos!
Did you know that coffee is actually PACKED with antioxidants? So it's good for you, right?
This reminded me (weirdly enough) of the post I just did on my own blog about a DIFFERENT antioxidant packed drink that I am currently obsessed with- check it out!
love,
Leading Lady Lis
leadingladylis.blogspot.com
P.S. I love your blog- I just wish you posted more often because you're writing and photos and descriptions are always so fun! But I know that life is busy and blogging is probably not first on your list. Just wanted to let you know I love reading your posts!
now you definitely need to make me a cup of espresso! do you start back this week or next? I'm moving back into my apartment tomorrow, but no classes until next week. So...if you're free, let get some food. Harvest cafe perhaps? or maybe just a veggie burger from OR, it's been awhile.
Holy mother of all that's good and pure! Now I have to settle for my stupid, generic, burnt-tasting, non-fancy decaf. I will never look at my coffee the same way again, and it will know that it's your espresso I'm dreaming of every morning. *sigh*
I love the deco they always do on top. takes talent and skills!
Happy New Year! What a pretty cup of expresso! I myself have never drank coffee of any kind, but I sure do love a good cup of cocoa!
I got my soy cappuccino fix from Kaldi's last night...I missed them so much when I was on vacation!! And we can go to Intelligencia later this month :)
Perhaps a name change is in order for ya: Coffee-Covered Vegan? Naw, I like Ruby Red better. But I love the espresso art :o).
I know! And my favorite puddings were discontinued too, and my fave raspberry odwalla drink! Do I just have weird taste buds that make me buy things no one else likes? Boo :o/
Wow I am so jealous of your espresso!
The designs look awesome!!
I just got back from Spain and man can they make espresso there. If you order a "cafe", you get super strong coffee in a really tiny cup (well, tiny to us). You also can't get coffee to go, so you have to enjoy any hot drink in the cafeteria. It's really a cool approach to drinking coffee.
Those cups are so beautiful, practically irresistible!
I love the smell of coffee but expresso's a bit heavy for me.
Happy New year to you! I must admit that I am not a fan of coffee...in any form. But they sure look wonderful.
Oh I love coffee. I spent a summer in Italy and fell in love with it!
Love the new blog layout! That pic of you at the top is great :)
BTW, I'm a big fan of espresso, too... and I was gonna suggest Intelligentsia as soon as I started reading your post - but I saw that you already love it. Yay!
PS You might want to try Peet's, too, just for something different. Theirs is good (but it's still no Intelligentsia)! :) Oh, and if you're ever in Milwaukee, WI, be sure to check out Alterra - it's great!
I have never been mnuch of a coffee drinker... but those swirly mugs of espresso are making me rethink that!
Happy new year!
Hey Ruby!
Wow, what a pretty drink!
I just read your last comment on my blog and saw that you will be in Chicago at the end of the month.
How exciting! I know you go to school in Minnesota, so you know all about bundling up as Midwest winters can be quite brutal!
When exactly will you be in town? I am back at school already, but I sometimes go back home for the weekends, so if our dates coincide, maybe we can arrange a blogger meet-up?
Let me know what you think!
Oh, and btw, I have yet to try the Chocolate Mint one, but I saw that my school stocks them, so I shall try one and let you know what I think of 'em! Yes, Chocolate Coffee and Chocolate Hazelnut are the bomb! :-)
Ruby,
That's totally fine.. I completely understand! In fact, it works out because I will not be able to go to Chicago that weekend, so maybe next time?
Oh, I didn't know you transferred! I've never actually been there, but I would love to visit there sometime. I was actually trying to convince my mom to make a quick road trip down there, since it is so close...
Hopefully someday we'll meet, it would be so awesome! ;-)
I hope you have fun with your friend in chi-town, and if you can convince her to try out a vegetarian restaurant, DEFINTELY consider going to either Chicago Diner or Karyn's Cooked. Both are great!
Oh, awesome, thanks for telling me about the Chocolate Mint bar.. now I'm definitely looking forward to trying it! And I will take your tip on eating it slowly, ;-). I'm hoping it tastes like those Andes Chocolate Mint bars that they give you at Olive Garden.. I used to love those!
Man, I always want to like coffee, but can't bring myself to enjoy the taste.
I love the new look!
hey Ruby Red! Have you tried a green smoothie yet? Thanks for checkin' out the blog- it's been so fun putting it together and your blog is an inspiration for me! Keep up the fun work!
what a gorgeous cup of espresso! the art is simply magnificent.
RUBY RED VEGAN I want to send mail to you! can I have your address?
email me: spoulette [at] gmail
Hi RRV--
Re: your comment on my blog, glad you liked the sound of the smoothie! It may sound a bit weird, but it was really delicious (though nowhere as pretty as that cup o' espresso)! ;)
The perfect pick-me-up!
I'm reeeally late responding, but I just *have to* respond to your comment on my blog about puffy cereal and kix! Kix and puffed rice were my sister's and my fave cereals growing up, too. My mom would put mini chocolate chips in the bowl, and it was so exciting "searching" for the sunken chocolate chips :o).
Beautiful! The barista has some skills to make it soOo creamy w/o air bubbles (in 2nd photo) w/ soy milk. Gosh I haven't had one of those in a while! Miss 'em!
We should start replicating the vegan versions of all the crap food they eat, then sneak them into the packaging when they're asleep. They'll never know what hit em'.
After a month we can let them in on the secret, and they'll have no choice but to become believers :)
i am doing my internship this semester, which is the final part of my intership rotation, so i will be completely done and be a registered dietitian! so cool! where do you go to school? good luck on finding an intership!! we should have food and coffee (which we both love) next time i am in st.louis! it should be soonishly!
Woah, hold the phone. There is something in existence that is BETTER than the mighty maple pb??? I MUST get my hands on this Justin stuff! My Whole Foods only carries Justin regular and the honey one, but I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for the maple.
it was great to hear from you!! I am glad you are doing well! As for self-confidence tips, just get out there and do something completely new! What helped me was traveling, just me and my boyfriend, throughout europe and planning everything and navigating foreign cities. I never imagined myself riding the subway in Paris, but there I was and I figured out which trains to take...I never imganied myself navigating the streets of Rome, but I had the map and I lead the way and I got us to our destination even when we took a wrong turn. Overall, if your school offers study abroad and you can do it, DO IT! :) It is just one of the many things that can make you feel accomplished because you did, no else, just you!
Yum that looks like a great!
LOL I love the word you made up in the comment you left me. I am going to be saying "perfecter" all the time now!
Wow, such pretty coffee!
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