[geeks] Barbeque Geekery

[Francois Dion]

On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 11:29 AM, Sheldon T. Hall <shel at artell.net> wrote:
> Saith Dan Sikorski ...
>>
>> Are the french more of tea drinkers?
>>
>> Or do they just start the morning with wine? ;)
>
> While there are a few barflies sitting behind a glass of wine or beer down
> at the cafe at 09:00, I think most folks over here actually drink coffee in
> the morning.  That's usually "cafe au lait," or a shot of alleged espresso
> in a small bowl of hot milk.  Later in the day, coffee for most folks is a
> "petit cafe," or a demitasse of "espresso."  "Espresso" here, though, while
> made in an espresso machine, isn't the same as it is in Italy.  Or in
> Seattle, for that matter.  French espresso is just very strong coffee; it's
> not thick, like the Italian stuff, nor does it have the underlying
> sweetness.  Back in Seattle, I put only a tiny bit of sugar in a straight
> espresso; here, I have to put a couple of lumps in the stuff at most of the
> cafes.
>
> -Shel

Shel!, do you need for me to get you some good addresses? Are you in
Paris or what? You want to get some whole bean coffee?

The French are really particular about their coffee, just as you guys
all seem to be. They import from the typical places, but also from
Haiti, Fiji, Madagascar (un p'tit Kouillou? at least twice the cafeine
of your typical coffee), Martinique et Guadeloupe (Bonifieur). Yauco
de Puerto Rico tambien, es bueno. I've found it around DC, cant find
it in North Carolina :( At the other end of the spectrum if you prefer
a bit weaker, there's the Yirgacheffe.

I really want to find some Kouillou. They had it in Montreal. Of
course, St-Denis street was great for that, you could just walk in a
"brulerie" and get coffee just freshly roasted at about any time of
the day.