Q: What are the criteria for a cafe to be listed?
A: Every cafe on this map should pour an excellent, sweet espresso, or
perfectly textured milk-based espresso drink, every time, regardless
of who's behind the counter. I'm not personally interested in
drip/press coffee (hence the site name), so it really comes down to
the shot in the cup. See David
Schomer's books, or Home-Barista's
guide, or description of "third
wave" as starting points.
Q: Why isn't my favorite cafe
listed?
A: I get recommendations frequently, about 10% of which end up on
the map. Here are some reasons that a cafe might not get listed:
The cafe hasn't been discussed in any online forums (see below), or isn't represented in regional competitions, so I haven't really heard about it.
Either I or other trusted palates have been to the cafe and determined it doesn't meet the above criteria.
There are higher-quality cafes nearby. This may seem harsh, but I really am trying to point people to the very best cafe in any locale.
Q: Who are you to judge?
A: True, I've never been a regional or USBC judge, but I hang around
those types and am passionate about quality espresso. I roast my
own, I pal around with other excellent roasters, pull my own shots,
and know what espresso should look and
taste like, having experienced the best of the Northwest. Plus I rely
on similar snobbish palates around the continent for their opinions.
Q: Only espresso, not drip/press?
A: My personal preference is for espresso, as I enjoy the qualities of
coffee it extracts. I fully appreciate cuppings and
subtleties in a cup of drip coffee, and roasters make the world
go round. But for this map, it's about espresso.
Q: Only North America?
A: It's hard enough getting trusted locations for this continent.
Besides, you Europeans, you've already got great espresso everywhere,
so just walk down to the corner.
Q: Can you add reviews or discussions?
A: There are already great sites for that (coffeegeek,
coffeed, coffeecrew,
home-barista).
I didn't want to get into any raves (or rants), so I'll leave it to
those sites.
Q: How can I donate?
A: Actually, this is a never-asked question, but if you'd like to help
offset my $18/month outlay, donate via Paypal.
Thanks.