Coffee Nerd Party

Last night Josh and I went to a coffee nerd party at Riley's Coffee and Fudge. Josh, who has infiltrated himself into the coffee scene, was really looking forward to this endeavor. I, on the other hand, like the Jarrett family, love going to their shop, and enjoy their coffee, but would rather curl up on the couch with my pug. Being the good wife that I am (Ha!) I tagged along.

When we arrived, the parking lot was quite crowded and I had no idea what to expect. Inside there were a group of men crowded around the four group La Marzocco espresso machine. Since this was definitely a coffee-centric-crowd, I expected this. Josh quickly joined them. I obstructively tagged along. I didn't quite feel like inputting in the conversation because I don't quite match up to their level of expertise.

Josh brought his portafilter along so that Barry Jarrett could cut the bottom off to make it bottomless or "naked." The portafilter attaches to the group head of an espresso machine where it carries a tamped puck of finally ground coffee. When the machine is in use, the pressurized water flows through the portafilter to produce an espresso into your cup. Apparently, a bottomless portafilter helps determine if you are preparing a proper shot of espresso. (Disclaimer: I am not a coffee professional, nor do I play one on television. I know enough about coffee through Josh, but I cannot pretend to be exact. Please take this into consideration. I'm just trying to explain my experience at the party in everyday terms.) Nonetheless, they had a good ole' portafilter cuttin' and Josh has a brand spankin' new bottomless portafilter.

Since this is kind of a coffee thing, I just wandered around a lot eavesdropping on various conversations. There was a light note in the air. Finally I stumbled upon Jenny, an acquaintance from Picasso's coffee shop. Jenny is a nice girl that really loves food. I participated in a fruitful conversation with her. Now I know way more about the drama that is involved in working at a mediocre coffee shop. This really made time fly by a little, and before I looked up it was almost midnight.

The Cinderella that I am, Josh and I had to run back to the comfort of my own home so the I could get my beauty sleep.

The whole evening really was surprisingly interesting. (I really wish my social phobia had not prevented me from taking some photos.) These are some things I can take away from the event:

1. Being around coffee people, really makes me want to learn how to drink espresso. I would really like to be able to take the nuances and such.

2. I also really look forward to sampling various origin coffees with Josh and possibly trying to choke down some espresso. (Is it really an acquired taste?)

3. Wine! Where do I even start?

4. I love food!!!! No surprise there.

5. I love Josh even more. I'm really glad that I can participate in his world every once in awhile. We have had several engaging conversations about coffee and I am really excited about that too.