21st Street Coffee and Tea

Ahh- my “breakfast” latte. This is one of the best things about owning/working in a cafe. Each morning after getting the espresso grinders dialed in and testing the shots, I make a drink for myself to start the day. This meets three needs- I need a coffee to “get sharp”, this drink is also my breakfast until after the morning rush is over, and it allows me to goof around with latte art. We always make it a rule to make one drink for yourself before you make a drink for a customer.

This drink started with a triple ristretto of Kid-O’s Organic Espresso Blend (aged about 7 days) and whole milk steamed to 140 degrees F. Below is the final product after some fancy milk pouring skills. I was going for a a tulip with this one.

Anyway the shop got busy right away so it got cold before I had a chance to drink it all- but it was quite tasty. This is why you’ll sometimes catch me downing one of these at 7am as we’re opening up shop!

Here’s the drink I made about two minutes later for a customer (12oz skim latte for here). I took a picture since the camera was still on. It’s nice when the “latte art hand” is working first thing in the morning!