Shaken and blurred.

Lets be honest, not everyone at a coffeehouse late at night has been drinking coffee.  There are many tales, my friends, many tales indeed: of late nights and colored sugar, of window seats in packed coffee bars, of girls I long ago forgot and parties in apartments I may never live again.  These are all the spoils of the night owl.  The territory of the late night espresso bar cowboys.  The Pik-me-up will need to wait for another time, but let me just give you a taste of what it was like to live the life fantastic in Los Angeles circa 1989.

Cafes are a great place to read, sit and contemplate during the day, but at night, it is an entirely different crowd that fills the cafe.  For one thing, most of us are drunk as a skunk.  The bars have either closed or will soon.  People pack the coffeehouse because, well, because they just aren't done yet.  Sweet cappuccino drinks with almond syrup or mint mochas are made.  There is much smoking.  There is much talking and it is good.

Where does this happen?  Why wasn't I invited?  Well, it used to happen all of the time in LA.  The cafe was the cool down period.  You would go to the Mad Hatter's on Pico Blvd. for example, only if you were smashed. Not a fun place in the daylight, but really groovy with the lights out.  You would go to Jabberjaw's to see L7.  You would find yourself in the dark a creepy Bourgeois Pig after a night of who knows what and where.  And you would find yourself back at the Pik-me-up after a night of Ska or Gangster Bop next door at the King King on 6th and La Brea.

 

Back in the day, this was the center of the universe - King King

The cafe is part of the scene, but not part of the boozing.   Too much crazy gets more grounded most of the time.  You go there to meet up with your friends after the music and the madness and the drink.  Many of the places I will talk about on this blog are no longer with us, but in their day, they were often busier at night than during the day.  I actually kind of liked that aspect of the cafe.  I like to relax and work during the day, but at night all of the people and the noise and smoke give the place a vibe that really settles the soul after a night of indulgence.  Relax. 

It's a draw.

Anything worth while in life requires a little suffering.  A good hand drawn espresso is a zen-like experience which requires a skilled barrista who knowns his/her machine intimately.  This posting is by no means meant to be a history of espresso machines or the art of the pull.  My purpose is to describe what it is that attracts me to the mysterious "hand-pull" machines and their lovely golden eagles.

To begin, lets travel back to NYC in the early part of the 20th century.  There, at cafe Reggio in fact, you will find one of the first hand-pull machines in the US, a beautiful La Pavoni machine that uses a pulling force to draw water through the coffee.

 

La Pavoni circa 1927

As you may know, most modern machines, both industrial and the ones for home use, extract the flavors of the espresso using a pump to push the water through the grinds.  The mechanical machines, like the Pavoni, use the physical force of the barrista to draw the water through the grinds.  Most often this is done with a large lever handle like on this beautiful copper Gaggia machine:

 

Brevetti Gaggia once owned by Michael Jackson

You don't have to be MJ to own a hand draw espresso machine, however.  In fact, I lust after these on eBay on a regular basis.  The most common one you will come across is a little single shot La Pavoni machine that usually retails for around $700:

Home Use La Pavoni

As I was looking around for images of hand draw machines, however, I came across a little beauty with a fine looking eagle on top that is my new obsession at $1499:

The goddess Elektra

So what does all of this have to do with good espresso?  As I said at the onset, great things often come from suffering.  These are not plug and play machines.  It will take time and practice to draw a perfect espresso from even the home use models.  These machines take the "automatic" out of your shot and put the skill back on your hands.  The speed and pressure of the draw, as well as the quality of the beans, the grind and the temperature of the water, will all influence your ability to draw a perfect shot.  So why bother when you can push a button?  You bother because the journey is important.  You bother because sometimes you should stop and do something that isn't so easy.  You bother because the craftsman who designed and made these beautiful machines bothered as well.  Take a moment out of your button pushing day and draw a perfect shot.  It will even taste better if you do it yourself!

The X7 does the job.

Today my new Ferrari of espresso machines (the Francis Francis X7) arrived in a big brown box all shiny, red and sleek. Yeah, you can tell its Italian. Even the instruction manual is sleek and modern. It actually looks like it was made by the same guys who made the owners manual for my Ducati.

 

The X7 at work

OK, its sexy, but does it walk the walk? Perfecto!  The crema is thick and creamy, the taste is smooth - not too acidic - the hit is long lasting.  Long and short of it is that the machine and the new iper technology did not disappoint.  Let me run down just a few of the features that make this machine stand out to me:

• The size of the water resovior is enough for 8-10 shots.  I like that.  I am a bit sick of filling up my Cuisenart machine all of the time.
• The iper pods are clean and easy to use - but a bit wasteful.
• The machine lets you know as the water heats to the proper temp.  Its a nice feature and really adds to the look of the machine.  When it reaches optimal extraction temp the coffee cup symbol turns blue.  Very nice.  Very easy.
• I am not much for steaming milk at home - too messy and usually takes too much water to do on a non-commercial machine.  That being said, I warmed my cup using the steam wand on the X7 machine and was happy to find that it quickly recovered to enough water volume in the boiler to make my espresso shot.
• The iper pods make the entire process much cleaner and easier to do.  I really like the quality of the shots as well.

So far, I have no negative things to say about this machine.  The only thing I can think of, really, is that you have to purchase the iper pods, which excludes using coffee other than Illy.  Thats too bad, but not the end of the world, since Illy really does make some of the best espresso grind coffee in the world.

Time will tell if I remain happy with my purchase, but I have to say, I feel good about this one.

The Onyx Sequel 1982-1998

Let me start by saying that I spent a lot of time at the cafe because it was quiet, comfortable and the owner, John Leech, had a knack for hiring the most beautiful and interesting women you could imagine.  All of them were different, some were artists, some were actors, some musicians, but they all had a certain self confidence that drove the place.  It was one of my favorite places not only to study, I was in college at the time in Los Angeles, but also just to get away from everyone I usually interacted with and be alone - in public.  The espresso and cappuccino drinks were fantastic.  I think I used to get an iced almond cappuccino there a lot. I certainly would get espresso often.  There was something else that this place had though, that made it my favorite cafe.


The Onyx was located on Vermont Ave. just off Hollywood Blvd. in the Los Feliz neighborhood.  It was the anchor for a hip little art/music scene and several little businesses cropped up in the same block in a short time.  I remember a place I used to call the Japanese Greasy Spoon that was not more than a doorway wide and had counter seating only.  They had the best Tempura and the noodles were fantastic.  Next to that was a book store that also sold underground magazines and maintained a huge stash of Bukowski, Burroughs and Thompson.  The movie theater next to that would show the type of arty films you would expect - Tie me up, Tie me down - Cinema Paradisso - etc.  I also remember a quirky store filled with Mexican religious knick knacks and T-shirts, and also I think there was a record store.  The message here was that this place was in the heart of a thriving, but quiet and cool neighborhood in close proximity to big bad Hollywood, but almost an island to its own.


The Onyx was not just a cafe, but also an art gallery.  Although this is not one of my main interests, I enjoyed the changing scenery and general atmosphere provided by some odd LA art.  It worked for me.  But there was also something else that worked at this place.  A calmness.  I can still remember sitting in the window or just outside at a sidewalk table and looking out across the street to the four story apartment building and thinking - I should live here someday.  I have everything I need (including two or three good restaurants nearby - not including Burrito King - which kicks ass).  That time of my life and that place will always be a sort of peaceful perfection that I never will really find again.


To the Onyx!

The Cafe.

Although you can get a good espresso after dinner and a fine restaurant, my favorite way to enjoy "the tiny cup" is to sit quietly at a cafe, reading the newspaper and taking my time.  If you were in Italy, or most of Europe for that matter, finding a nice outdoor cafe to sit and drink you espresso would not be a problem.  I live in America, however, so finding good espresso and a comfortable cafe can be a challenge.  It is not impossible, even in parts of the country that appear to be "coffee challenged".  Here I am going to list a few of my favorites in different cities, all still kicking, and maybe in your travels you will have a chance to visit for a nice little cup and a bit of relaxation:

• Cafe Reggio: a classic New York City cafe with excellent espresso.


• Cafe Tieste: in the Italian section (North Shore) of San Francisco.  No hippies!


• Gelato Vero: a tiny scooter cafe with a surprising good quality espresso.


• Rue de la course: get your cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde but drink your espresso at the Rue on Magazine Street.


• Empire Cafe: a fantastic place to eat, but also a nice cafe to read or work in Houston, of all places.  Try the sweet risotto with figs.


• Cafe Eclectic: a perfect cup of Illy espresso on the right day.

Don't give up on your local cafe!  I will post another time about some of my favorite places that don't exist anymore some other time, but it is very important that you patronize your locally owned cafe - or drink Starbucks for the rest of your life - ick!

It's just coffee, right?

Lets get some things out of the way.  Here is a partial list of some of the ways you can make an espresso drink.  WARNING: do not go to Starbucks and ask for any of these unless you like drinking bitter, gritty, dirt drinks.  Go to a locally owned cafe where they actually know something about coffee AND the process of making espresso.  This is not always the case.  A lot of cafes will have a beautiful industrial espresso machine which could make a fine espresso if they didn't fill it with burnt coffee grinds that have been sitting out all week. 

We will get to the details of the perfect espresso later (as soon as I figure out how to make the perfect espresso).  In the meantime, here are some variations on the theme:

Espresso : served in a 3 oz or demitasse cup. Strong in taste, but not bitter, with a rich bronze froth known as a crema on top.

Doppio : Simply a double espresso.

Ristretto: More concentrated than a regular espresso that is made with less water.

Caffe Americano: An Espresso made with more water or water added.

Macchiato: Espresso that is topped with a dollop of steamed milk on top.

Corretto: Espresso that with a shot of grappa, cognac or sambuca.

Shakeratto: Two shots of espresso mixed with sugar and poured in a cocktail shaker over ice.  Shake till frothy and pour into a Martini glass.  Cold and refreshing.

The illy X7 - Espresso Upgrade.

Today I bit the bullet and spent $400 on an espresso machine.  Wow, I've bought running motorcycles for less than that!  What the hell is wrong with me?  First of all, let me just say, I bought a piece of artwork from a company that, in my opinion, makes the best Italian espresso I have ever tasted.  They also know how to market their product.  Sexy espresso, you say?  Yes.

We are over the sexy part, now for the coffee geek.  This new iper technology is a great idea.  The grounds stay in the pod where the entire extraction process occurs.  No messy grounds everywhere and no cleaning the little holes in the machine where the grounds go.  I like it.  I don't know if it works yet, but I will let you know soon.