As most baristi will agree, coffee is temperamental.  The hardest part of the extraction process is consistency.  A great espresso comes with no guarantee of one just as good the next. It is imposible to name a single shop with the most consistently good espresso, because there is no such thing as consistently good espresso. It is only possible to share where and when all the variables, ranging from the barista to the weather, aligned to create an incredible extraction.

In this list, I present the top five espresso shots I’ve had this year.

#5 Kafé Esaias, Stockholm, Sweden (Nov 21, 2011 / La Marzocco Strada MP) (Photos)

This shot was pulled from da Matteo‘s Guatemala beans which, while bright, were tempered by the beans’ darker nutty flavors. Barista Charl draws some of the finest latte art I’ve ever seen, from an ornate rosetta to a fish swimming in the ocean.

#4 The Queens Kickshaw, Astoria, NY (May 25, 2011 / La Marzocco Strada MP) (Photos)

This shot was made with Coffee Labs beans from Nayarit, Mexico, full of berry notes with a gentle acidity. The flavor was remarkably like strawberry — add a dash of milk and it would have been strawberries and cream. Owner/Barista Ben Sandler is obsessive with the quality of his espresso, often pulling multiple shots until the extraction is perfect. This was the shop that opened my eyes to the burgeoning culinary scene in Astoria. Go.

#3 Nozy Coffee, Tokyo, Japan (Jan 3, 2011 / Synesso Cyncra)

At Nozy, espresso is pulled from a variety of single origin beans, each generally high in acidity and fruit notes. The shop is located just outside the city center, creating a calmer suburban atmosphere in which to enjoy a cup of coffee. The staff is young, but don’t let that be misleading: they are very experienced. This cafe is a must visit for any coffee lover while in Tokyo.

#2 Bear Pond Espresso, Tokyo, Japan (Jan 2, 2011 / La Marzocco FB80)

Barista Katsu Tanaka has strict guidelines for his espresso. So much so, in fact, that his shop in Shimokitazawa only serves espresso between the hours of 10 and 12pm, when he is personally in house to pull the shot. He has a strong dislike for sourness and shies away from acidity. The result is a thick, chocolately shot with a subtle hint of smoke. His extractions are so viscuous, one could likely turn an espresso cup upside down without any liquid spilling out. A visit to Bear Pond Espresso is worth a trip to Tokyo alone.

#1 Sweetleaf Coffee and Tea, Long Island City, NY (Nov 15, 2011 / La Marzocco Strada EP) (Photos)

Sweetleaf was the first cafe in New York City to receive La Marzocco’s Strada EP, the newest electronic paddle version of its popular Strada series. This machine allows baristi to focus on the myriad other variables of the extraction while the machine handles the pressure profiling automatically. When co-owner Rich Nieto received this machine he said, “all hell broke loose” in learning how to use it. It’s clear that the time and effort the team at Sweetleaf put into mastering this machine has paid off. This was not only my favorite shot of the year, but likely that I’ve ever had. The shot, pulled from Ritual Roaster‘s Volare beans from Guatemala, was extremely balanced, straddling the line between fruit and acidity. The texture was smooth like velvet leaving behind a creamy, buttery mouthfeel. I can’t wait to see what happens in 2012 as Sweetleaf further masters this powerful machine.

Honorable Mentions:

• Blue Bottle Coffee, Williamsburg, New York
• Café Passmar, Mexico City, Mexico
• Johan & Nyström, Stockholm, Sweden
• Ritual Coffee, San Francisco
• Stumptown Coffee, New York

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Owner Ben Sandler is the barista in charge. While he’s made it clear from the beginning the Kickshaw is not only about coffee, they happen to serve a great shot; one of the best in the city, in fact.  Single origin coffees from Coffee Labs Roasters rotate in the grinder, most of the lots trackable online to a specific farm ensuring fair-trade practices. In addition to espresso drinks pulled from the Strada MP, the Kickshaw does V60 pour over and, more recently, 12-hour cold brew coffee on tap.

When talking with Ben, one quickly discovers his insatiable curiosity as he speaks enthusiastically about how he plans to tinker with this and toy with that; he’s always thinking of something new and exciting.  This explains the Queens Kickshaw being the first shop in New York — and perhaps the country — to serve cold brew coffee on tap. It explains the constantly changing rotation of artisanal beers and the ever changing single-origin beans in the grinder. It also explains the experimental dishes behind the counter, such as house-fermented berries used to make fruit shrubs. What really makes the Queens Kickshaw special is its juxtaposition of three seemingly different foods: coffee, beer, and grilled cheese. Only when they are under one roof in a shop open most of the day and night does the combination make sense.

The front of The Queens Kickshaw facing Broadway.  In addition to one of the few shops in the city with great coffee, it’s perhaps the only one open serving coffee of this quality until 1am.

Cafe Cortado, single-origin Nayarit Mexican beans - Two ounces of milk to two ounces of espresso.  These Nayarit beans had a subtle acidity that, when combined with the steamed milk, yielded a flavor similar to strawberries and cream.

Double ristretto of beans from Nayarit, Mexico – A single shot pulled from a 18g double basket. This shot was fragrant and fruity. While the La Marzocco Strada MP does allow for manual paddle control to adjust the pressure of the extraction, it seems like that feature goes unused: the paddle is simply too sensitive for baristi to manipulate. However, that doesn’t seem to affect the quality of the shot.

Cappuccino - A welcome morning shot of espresso with 5oz of steamed milk and a gorgeous rosetta.

Iced matcha tea - A concentrated shot of unsweetened whipped matcha tea with oversized cubes of ice. This is absolutely delicious; its flavor is grassy and bright.

From the beginning, the Kickshaw was set up to serve beer on draft from the existing tubing piped up from the basement. Given the limited amount of retail space, Ben explains, it was a natural extension to keep the cold brew in the basement and push it up through the tap. Apparently the first few cups that he served this had a hint of beer left over, which actually tasted quite good when combined with the coffee. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something like this on the menu soon.

Cold brew on tap - A chilled glass of concentrated cold brew coffee piped up from the basement through the tap line. The flavor was light and citrusy making it refreshing.

Fontina Val d’Aosta – An open-face sandwich of marinated mushrooms and basil pesto on focaccia. A cheesy, earthy blend of mushrooms and pesto with a semi-firm Italian cow’s milk cheese atop a springy focaccia. The cheese itself is woody which pairs really nicely with the mushrooms. This is one of my favorite sandwiches on the menu.

Manchego and ricotta – Grilled multigrain bread sandwiching manchego and ricotta cheeses with minted eggplant and capers. The first thing I noticed about this sandwich was the butter and how it brings out the flavor of nuts from the bread. This pairs well with the nuttiness of the Spanish sheep’s milk manchego, whose tanginess also helps reduce the buttery mouth feel. The bite of acidity from the capers adds another layer of complexity. This is a very good sandwich.

Cheddar and mozzarella - Thick wedges of buttery brioche pouring with white cheddar cheese. This is the quintessential sandwich that comes to mind when I imagine grilled cheese. The light and fluffy bread soaks up the butter on the griddle adding a bit of weight, while the griddle adds texture and a gorgeous golden-brown color. The balance of sweet butter and salty cheese is what makes this sandwich a classic.

Arahovas Feta – An open-face focaccia topped with feta, red pepper, and dill. A lighter sandwich with minimal saucing, led by the frutiness of the red pepper spread.

Egg & cheese - A morning favorite. Thick slices of crustless, buttered brioche sandwiching egg, ricotta, and gruyere with thyme and a maple hot sauce. The balance of sweet, spicy, and salty combined with the umami from the cheese makes this a great sandwich.

Great hill blue - Crunchy cranberry-raisin bread oozing with Great Hill blue cheese, prune jam, and fresh pears. This is my favorite grilled these sandwich at the Kickshaw. The balance of sweet dried fruit with the salty intensity of the blue cheese keeps every bite interesting.

Hellgate Farm Open Market - Recently on Sunday’s, Astoria’s Hellgate Farm has set up a stand inside the Kickshaw selling organic locally grown produce. All the fruits and vegetables are grown are grown in Queens utilizing the courtyard and roof of a townhouse just down the block. Tough to imagine a better way to enjoy a summer Sunday than starting with a shot of espresso pulled from a Strada MP and leaving with a basket of fresh tomatoes and mission figs.

The Queens Kickshaw is a shop that features several concepts at once: coffee, beer, grilled cheese, and occasional farmer’s market without spreading itself too thin.  The Kickshaw is at the forefront of a new wave of artisanal shops and restaurants opening up in this outer borough. If you haven’t ventured into Astoria yet, this is a pretty good reason to do so.

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Passmar’s house blend is entirely Mexican in origin, a secret mixture of beans from Guerrero and Chiapas.  The coffee is roasted just next door to the storefront at Passmar’s micro roastery.  This was the first time I’d tried coffee in the same country from where the beans originated.  All the best espresso I’d had previously contained beans that were cultivated, packaged, and air-shipped halfway the world before being roasted.  After seeing what the dryness and low pressure environment of air transport does to food I’ve packed myself, it would be hard to imagine that extended air transportation doesn’t have an effect on coffee beans.

The coffee I tasted at Passmar was some of the nuttiest most chocolatey espresso I have ever tasted.  My girlfriend — who despises coffee — took one sip and nearly finished my first cappuccino.

Café Passmar, a coffee oasis in the middle of a busy market

Service is laid-back and comfortable, hard to imagine a line

Cappuccino – The result of a single pull from a 14g basket.  The flavor was incredibly nutty and chocolatey with hints of butter.  The milk foaming was gorgeous, creating a microfoam that lasted until the last sip.

Cortado doble – A single pull from a 14g basket with significantly less milk than a cappuccino, around 3oz.  The flavor is more intense and concentrated.

Florentine La Marzocco in action

Stack of espresso cups

Passmar was a wakeup call that Mexican espresso deserves a lot more attention.  I’d always loved the beans but never been to a place that takes the preparation seriously.  This espresso gem — which the owner explained to my ignorance has been open for nearly fifteen years — is a place I hope to visit more often.

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I was particularly interested in how Japanese precision and general distaste for sourness would translate to espresso.  I started with a list of twenty-five cafes that my friend and barista Yukimim put together for me.  I went to all of them (in four days!).  Of all the cafes I visited, one place really stood out as extraordinary: Bear Pond Espresso.

Bear Pond is the home of barista-owner Katsu Tanaka, an 18-year New York resident who recently moved back to Tokyo and opened shop.  Tanaka — who doesn’t allow another’s hands to touch the espresso machine in fear of lack of consistency — closes the doors to Bear Pond at 2pm.  ”After 2pm,” he explains, “too many people come and I cannot make consistent coffee.”  Bear Pond’s shots, really a pseudonym for Tanako’s since he is the only barista, are remarkably consistent.

Tanaka’s penchant for chocolate and nutty flavor drives him to pull shots at the higher end of the temperature spectrum, and to roast his beans slightly darker than normal.  ”If you make a line where the left is acidic orange peel and the right smooth chocolate, Bear Pond is all the way on the right,” he explained with a pen and paper, nearly touching his pen to the end of the right side of the line.  ”Bear Pond is about smooth chocolate.”

Watching Takana pull a shot from his La Marzocco is a bit like watching a pianist practice: his voice goes silent, his hands run across dials and levers and his eyes never leave the twenty three gram basket.  Any questions asked during this time are deferred until after the shot is extracted.

The resulting espresso is no more than a few dribbles of syrupy coffee — no more than half an ounce — with streak marks (“angel stains,” as they’re referred to by aficionados) dotting the sides of the pristine white espresso cup.  The flavor is remarkably toasty and chocolatey, like sipping liquid raw cocoa powder.  The finish is smokey — almost like toasted bread — and it delightfully lingers in the mouth for some time after.

The cappuccino and latte at Bear Pond are reversed.  I didn’t quite understand why this is the case but a cappuccino here has slightly more milk than a latte and overflows from the cup.  A latte, with about 1oz less of milk, leaves about 1cm clearance between the surface and the rim.  After getting a bit spoiled from Cafe Myriade which uses a separate grinder for espresso and milk-drinks to allow for different grain sizes, extraction times, and volume, I thought the cappuccino here was a little diluted.  Likely a personal taste, however.  The milk art was gorgeous.

Bear Pond’s macchiato was excellent, a testament to how whole milk can really accentuate the flavor of concentrated chocolate.  With just over an ounce of milk, this was a pleasure to sip.

Bear Pond also serves a “Gibraltar,” a drink coined by Blue Bottle after the small 3oz glass tumblers by Libbey Glassware.  The drink is essentially a super-sized macchiato with a single shot of espresso and 2.5-3oz of milk.  The volume of milk combined with Bear Pond’s unique half-ounce espresso shot made the ratio on this drink just right.  It was also visually stunning.  Since the sides of the glass are clear, it was impossible to hide imperfections in the milk foaming.

It should be noted that some coffee drinkers prefer a brighter more fruity flavor profile.  Bear Pond is the complete opposite.  There is very little acidity in all of the shots pulled here.  The flavor, in contrast, is rich and full-bodied.

I’ve often heard that chocolate and nut-tasting espresso is more forgiving than its acidic and fruity counterpart.  This would explain why most espresso roasters put these beans in their house blend, to mask imperfections in the extraction process.  Whether that be true or not, I found ample complexity in the espresso here.  The high temperature of the roast and extraction added a very subtle toasted flavor that went amazingly well with the chocolate.  The flavor was like drinking toasted almonds in dark chocolate, really impressive and particularly unique.

And so my quest to find the best espresso in Tokyo ends here.  Bear Pond really does everything right.  Its meticulous attention to detail and unwillingness to sacrifice quality for quantity ensure a level of consistency that is very difficult — if not impossible — to come by.  I’ve never even heard of a shop that only lets its owner pull the shots.  I found myself wanting to return to Bear Pond daily.

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Across the river, however, things are more modern.  Impeccably clean streets are bordered with high end department stores and Swedish design shops.  There is more business.  It’s in this kind of area where the best coffee is often found, fulfilling a need for a caffeine fix before, after, and during work.  It is here that I found Espresso Sosta.

Stockholm has two locations for Espresso Sosta, one at Jakobsbergsgatan 5 and the other at Sveavägen 84 which is the smaller, original location.  The latter was the inspiration for Zibetto Espresso Bar in New York City which, like the Sveavägen location, is a narrow hallway-sized Italian-style bar that facilities a quick shot without too much lingering.  The location at Jakobsbergsgatan is a bit larger, and is where the owner tends to pull shots himself.  Both offer the best espresso in the city.

The cafe is modeled off the Italian espresso palate which prefers a darker more toasted flavor profile.  In Italian fashion, the beans are a mixture of Arabica and Robusta which is common in Italy, and increasingly uncommon in American coffee houses which dismiss Robusta beans as of inferior quality.  While I do prefer 100% Robusta bean blends, the reality is this is almost impossible to find in Europe right now and great technique and attention to detail can really compensate for less-than-perfect bean varieties.

The Sosta style is professional and polite.  Baristi are dressed with beige striped ties and blue collared shirts.  But while dressed to serve the workday public, they are far from aloof.  Very friendly, in fact.  Being from New York but living in Paris was a big hit, particularly since one of the baristi was about to take a trip to Paris and asked where to grab a good cup.  I regretfully explained that there is only one place.

Sosta’s espresso is dark and tastes like toasted almonds but is strongly supported by a dark chocolate body with hints of maple syrup and toffee.  The baristi only serve espresso when it is extracted perfectly; one shot which flowed too fast was quickly discarded.  The milk-foaming is exact and gorgeous.

The cafe also, in Italian-style, extracts fresh squeezed orange juice creating a sugary way to start the morning alongside a pile of fresh croissants and espresso.  A croissant, espresso, and glass of orange juice later and I was ready to start the day.  The shop also serves traditional Swedish pastries like the delicious coconut covered “chocolate ball” as well as panini and other sandwiches.

During my time in Stockholm this was the one place I visited every day.  Despite the dozen or so reputable coffee shops in the city this is the only one that cared about the quality of the espresso and getting all of its delicate variables right.  I woke up every morning excited for my walk across half the city for a great shot of coffee and my conversation with the warm and welcoming staff.  They are the first people who come to mind when I think about my great visits to this beautiful city.

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Myriade is owned and operated by Canadian National Barista Championship finalist Anthony Benda and his business partner Scott Rao author of The Professional Barista’s Handbook.  Its drip coffee, espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, eva solo, and french press are nonpareil.  Its syphon coffee is also at the top because, well, it’s the only place in the city that does it.  But also important is the atmosphere, one that just makes you want to come back.  Or, maybe that’s the caffeine speaking.  Probably both.

The cafe is just across the street from Concordia University leading to a constant influx of students seeking a quick caffeine fix.  The space itself is no more than fifty square meters with the espresso counter in one corner and a couple of small two-person tables lining the window and adjacent wall.  The cafe’s exterior has a few benches and tables which is great for a warm and sunny day, but not so great for the Canadian winter.  The centerpiece of the room is the Kees van der Westen Mirage triplette classic and array of Mazzer grinders.  This place has the equipment, ingredients, and its barista’s skill and attitude to compete with the finest espresso anywhere.

Right now, the contents of the grinders alternates between Ritual Roaster‘s bright Double Rainbow (with an occasional guest appearance from their Sweet Tooth blend), blends from Vancouver’s 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, and Inteligentsia‘s Black Cat.  I’m not sure what the default blend will become when Ritual stops roasting its seasonal Double Rainbow.  On the one hand this means that the flavor of the coffee changes pretty frequently.  But more importantly, Myriade’s non-allegiance to a specific roaster shows that the cafe is not afraid to shift sources should the quality of beans change.  Flavor comes first.

Shots are pulled through a 21g triple basket — the only place in Montreal currently doing this — maximizing the quantity of the bean’s natural oils.  The resulting espresso is thick and velvety, and very well-balanced.

But perhaps the most appealing aspect of the cafe, aside from the highest quality espresso in the city, is the staff.  Unlike New York’s Stumptown or Blue Bottle, the baristi here are plain-clothed.  Rather than serving espresso from top-down, where customers are “educated” on what good espresso tastes like, here clients are part of the discovery process as well.  ”How is your coffee today?” and “what do you think of today’s blend?” are fairly common questions and the feedback is duly noted (and corrected).  Here, the experience is interactive.

The confidence of the expert staff shows through their humility: even the best baristi make mistakes.  On one occasion a barista asked me what I thought of my macchiato.  I told him I thought it was a bit too bright (a euphemism for sour).  The machine was running cold.  He asked if he could try it and quickly acknowledged my suspicion.  Needless to say this was the last sour macchiato I had here.  Great espresso is about consistency which can only be achieved through a constant process of feedback and variable re-adjustment.  Through its humility and responsiveness, Myriade is self-correcting.

Unlike the house blends of New York’s cafes whose flavor profiles generally lean towards chocolate, almond, and caramel, Myriade has a flavor preference for bright and fruity.  This fall, Ritual Roaster’s Double Rainbow can almost always be found in one of the three grinders and is the most acidic of the bunch.  Its flavor is full of citrus and astringent red fruits.

At first I found it difficult to adjust to this brightness, but after drinking it for a few weeks I began to crave it.  Its subtle notes of nectarine and peach really taste good when served as drip coffee, which is calibrated weekly via refractometer.  Ritual Roaster’s Sweet Tooth is my favorite blend when its available; its flavor is a bit warmer than the Double Rainbow with additional notes of bread and pie crust supporting its more subtle acidity.

It’s difficult for me to say anything about this place short of glowing.  Everything is just right: the quality of the beans they serve, the care taken during their extraction, the down-to-earth clientele, and the friendliness of the staff.  These guys are just, well, delightful.  Irony and sarcasm are left south of the border.  The staff is not pretentious and has a genuine desire to explain everything about the coffee extraction process from origin to cup.  And if they don’t know an answer, they’ll be the first to say “I’m not sure,” though more than likely one of the other baristi does.

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It’s incredible that a food-oriented culture which values so heavily elaborate sauces and delicate soufflés, can completely disregard the methods by which to properly prepare an espresso.  Even simple ones.  I was once thrown out of Café Amazone for suggesting that the doddering owner/barista use the tamp to compress the ground.  He instead insisted on using the tamp as a measuring device, compressing the coffee into a spoon, and pouring the loose beans into the portafilter.  Even La Caféothèque de Paris and Verlet, which both have fancy La Marzocco equipment and all Arabica beans disappoint.  The city is like a parallel universe.

A lot of blame often gets put to the use of Robusta beans versus the more aromatic Arabica.  France is able to import these beans from former African colonies at much less cost than overseas Arabica varieties.  But frankly, I’m tired of this as an excuse.  Even mediocre beans can taste reasonable when prepared correctly.  With espresso, 85% of the flavor comes from the process and technique, not the ingredients.

I cannot count the number of “baristi” I’ve witnessed forget to tamp, under fill the portafilter, or even start the extraction and walk away to take someone else’s order.  The result is pure culinary neglect.  Parisians in general either don’t care or don’t know, as the undemanding clientele is more concerned with the trendy style-aspect of sipping espresso with a cigarette than the flavor.  Paris needs a coffee revolution.

In this java wasteland, however, there is hope.  Gocce di Caffè in the 2è is the sole consistently perfect espresso I have had in the city.  Antonio Costanza, barista/owner from Milan, opened shop in the center of Passage des Panoramas, the oldest covered passage in the city.  The covered passage resembles a miniature version of Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, with a humble espresso counter and its handful of seats decorating the center.  Barista Costanza is the sole person pressing the espresso, so quality remains high and visitors are never at the expense of inexperienced trainees.  As a former barista from the main café at Harrod’s London, Costanza speaks excellent English as well as French and Italian.

The beans from Gocce di Caffè come from Milan’s Caffè Guiducci, a family-run shop in existance for over 50-years.  The beans are an Arabica-Robusta blend, 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta.  Given that 100% Arabica blends are the current trend in US coffee houses, I raised my brows upon hearing of the 20% inclusion of what I was taught were inferior beans.  Barista Costanza explained that robusta beans are included to add structure to the flavor.  That without their inclusion, the flavor would be too sweet, oily, and one-sided.  After doing some research, I was surprised to learn that the majority of Italian espresso bars intentionally include a small pinch of Robusta beans.  Robusta beans have essentially become a scapegoat for poor technique.

Espresso at Gocce di Caffè most often tastes of dark chocolate, hazelnut, and at times has a hint of smokey almond.  The texture is consistently thick with moderate crema.  Barista Costanza’s milk-foaming skills are nonpareil.  At times he adds a sprinkle of cocoa powder to enhance the contrast to his art, which with a teaspoon of brown sugar adds rich notes of caramel and milk chocolate.  (Authenticity police can simply ask for no cocoa-powder.)  Barista Costanzo’s espresso is delicious and can compete against Stumptown, Ninth Street, or Joe the Art of Coffee any day.

All visitors to Paris looking for outstanding coffee must visit.  However be warned: if people-watching or fashion-spotting is the intended goal, this is not the place.  For that any of Paris’ thousand cafés will do.  This is a place for the coffee-obsessed who are tired of espresso with notes of ashtray.  And go quickly; so far, it’s dominated solely by locals and Italian tourists seeking sanctuary.  And while there, consider suggesting to Barista Costanza that he open a few more locations in the city; there’s a huge need.

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It would be unfair to not give Starbucks tremendous credit for raising awareness of coffee and its many forms; however, most of its products remain heavily sugared and over-diluted with milk, cream, and syrups. It’s become fast-food drinkable dessert.  And even assuming that its beans are of decent quality, its computerized machines over-extract them while many of its unskilled “baristas” continue to flip on the milk steamer and walk away to help other customers, leaving the milk burnt and undrinkable. What was once a trendy logo to carry in your hand is now a red flag for poor taste.

However, a better educated coffee-craving public now has higher demands that Starbucks cannot fulfill in its current form.  For this new demand, boutique coffee shops have been opening up and thriving. So much so, in fact, that Starbucks has been opening unbranded, clandestine shops with a community feel to trick consumers into thinking they’re local shops.  But no matter how hard they try, it will be hard to emulate what’s available at Joe the Art of Coffee on Waverly.

In looking back at my summer in New York, this small corner shop at 141 Waverly is the one place I kept re-visiting over and over again.  Not only is this the best espresso in New York; but frankly, it’s better than anything I’ve had in Italy.  I can’t get enough of it.

Espresso here is really a misnomer, since all shots are double ristrettos; instead of 7 grams of ground beans extracted for 25 seconds, 14 grams are extracted in the same amount of time.  The net effect is half the stress on each bean resulting in a richer, rounder, thicker pull with more of the natural oils.  The resulting taste is of rich dark chocolate and caramel with an intoxicating scent of butter popcorn.

I have noticed that each barista here leaves his own unique signature on the coffee.  But whether you get more or less milk in a cappuccino or a heart versus an olive branch in a macchiato really comes down to preference: all the barristas here are highly trained and skillful.  Granted the La Marzocco equipment used here, accurate to 0.1 degrees farenheit, narrows the possibility of error a bit.  But great coffee is no easy task, and consistently great coffee, as found here, requires the unique blend of deft barristas, great beans, and careful machinery, everything which can be found only here at Joe’s.

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