Friday, March 6, 2009

Eating your words: coffee talk

We think food... and now it is time to write, spell or draw food! These yummy blogs Savor the Thyme and Tangled Noodle came up with a wonderful idea for bloggers to let the food do the talking.

And here is my contribution, I think coffee a lot... Coffee is about taste, fragrance, the aroma of coffee beans filling the air, and memories... I love traveling... and everywhere I have been to has memories of a coffeehouse, and the good times I had with a friend, the way she holds her cup, the conversation we had, the weather, the special times shared together.

Oh... and the morning coffee... The first sip of coffee is a sweet ritual my husband and I have, nothing can take away the moments we spend together sipping a coffee of cup, as sometimes it might be the only quality time in the busy day we have ahead.

So next time the barista (the Italian term for the coffee expert who makes espresso-based drinks) asks what your name is (oops, sorry, Starbucks is just around the corner...) or what you are having, remember that a simple cup of coffee can hold more than just coffee...

How do you like your coffee? Walking into a coffeehouse or café may be an adventure these days as you try to figure out the words on the board... Not to mention the names in French or Italian that are already part of our coffeehouse menus.

Not sure what to order? Espresso is freshly brewed by steam and pressure and it is more concentrated than the drip or filtered coffee. If you are not sure you like your coffee strong... go with a café americano, that is made with espresso, but diluted with water, and you are still having an espresso! We also have this version in Brazil, it is called "carioca," just in case you visit... Or you can have a cappuccino, the most popular espresso-based drink in the world.

Cappuccino with dulce de leche (milk caramel)

Espresso-based coffees - finely ground coffee brewed by steam and pressure. Just to mention a few espresso beverages I recall seeing on coffeehouse menus:
- Latté: espresso with steamed milk
- Cappuccino: espresso with hot milk and steamed-milk foam, and cinnamon please...
- Mocha: latté with chocolate
- Café au lait: half espresso, half milk
- Espresso com panna: espresso with cream (whipped cream)
- Macchiato: it means stained or marked, so it is an espresso lightly marked with milk.
- Café breve: espresso with steamed half and half, it is creamy.
- And so on...

To join in the fun, blog about your creation, including photos, and add a link back to Savor the Thyme and Tangled Noodle. The details are here.

Coffee beans
Round-up part I: Savor the Thyme
Round-up part II: Tangled Noodle

6 comments:

Tangled Noodle said...

Cris - What a wonderful post! It's so sweet to read about the special moments you share with your husband over morning coffee as well as time spent with your friends. I will keep in mind 'carioca' - it looks so delicious!

Obrigada! Thank you for participating in the challenge - I love your 'beans' tableau with the beautiful napkin and cup of coffee. This has been such a fun event; I can't wait until you see your work alongside the other entrants!

P.S. I really wish I could leave these comments in Portuguese just as you leave your comments to me in English. Unfortunately, your command of English is WAY better than the few words I know in Brazilian. But I'm working on it! One of these days, I will surprise you . . . !

Jennifer said...

Great article and contribution. I love to have my coffee two ways: my iced coffe I enjoy having while out and about with the kids. My hot coffee I like to sip alone and without kids as I actually get a chance to drink it while it is still hot.

Shreya said...

Love this!:-)

Thistlemoon said...

Yum Cris, as you know I am a huge coffee fan. My favorite are latte and cafe au lait....although I would take your cappuccino with dulce de leche any day!

Lori said...

Muito criativo! Eu gosto muito!

Anonymous said...

You're right, coffee (and food in general!) is so full of memories and feelings. I'm something of a coffee fiend so I really enjoyed this post. I could go for a cafe au lait right about now.