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I
wasn't planning on including this place - a quaint little
coffee shop in the heart of Kennebunkport's tourist
area. What would they know about quality espresso
and lattes and such? Turns
out - quite alot.
I
ordered my regular - a latte with three shots, skim milk and
no foam. Parked myself by the window, sipping and
reading the local paper.
I
was the only customer. The coffee guy had to tell
someone. "I drew two perfect cups of espresso
today."
"Huh?"
"In
the two years that I've worked here I've only drawn three
perfect cups of espresso. Two of them were
today."
"What
makes espresso perfect?"
"Everything.
The grind has to be just right. It needs to tamped
down evenly, not too firmly, not to lightly. Just
the right pressure of steamed water going through the
grind for the right amount of time and the right amount of
steamed water. The cup has to be warm. The
"crema" (the light head that forms on a cup of
espreso) tells all. Fine, evenly distributed foam,
just the right color crema, no streaks."
I
thought back to all the other espresso places I've been to
where the workers seem more interested in quickly moving
the customers through than putting their heart and soul
into each and every cup of espresso.
Yeah,
they know about espresso in Kennebunkport.
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