Aug 14th, 2008
Cappuccino Watch
Once you have had your life changed by a perfectly made espresso drink, it’s tough to go back to the schlock that helped you through college. Traveling to Europe only makes this inevitable snobbery worse. I think SF should be able to compete, as we do in bread, restaurants, wine, chocolate and cheese. But no, we lose. It seems like most cafes and cafe patrons are too obsessed with size, speed and bottom line (pun intended), so a cappuccino is often served in a 12 oz paper cup, even when ordered “for here,” a shot or two of espresso is poured into the cup, then a random, inconsistent amount of scorched milk is added, and then piles of dry foam sculpted like an ice cream sundae adorn the top. I don’t even order cappuccinos anymore, unless I see ceramic cappuccino mugs warming on the espresso machine and the menu does not offer large, larger and massive cappuccinos, flavored mocha’s or green tea milkshakes. And even then, I have only found two places…
Ritual Coffee Roasters (pictured) and
Are there any other Bay Area cappuccino snobs out there who can suggest another haven?