coffee in the valley

Let’s be frank… for some, coffee is as important as wine.  And after having just fasted for 14 days, it is a toss up as to which poison-of-choice is my favorite.

Coffee is in my blood:  my dad’s family once owned the Beechnut coffee company (an early American coffee company) — but my true love for coffee was solidified by my maternal grandmother who was born in Cuba, and really LOVED the ritual of coffee in the morning.  She took breakfast in bed every morning, on a bamboo bed tray — and the staples were always the same:  cafe au lait, saturated in brown sugar and served alongside buttered Pepperidge Farm toast, crisped to perfection under the broiler– which she then dunked in her coffee.  The whole combination makes me weepy.

My addiction to Cuban coffee started at 7 years old. To be clear, Cuban coffee, is like VERY strong Italian latte, and relies on a good splash of whole milk… Over time, I became seriously professional and totally OCD about the ritual of making my coffee and interviewed every Cuban coffee drinker about their own, personal techniques, while forming my own.  So after much debate + experience I settled on the right tools:  1. the Bialetti stovetop, 6 cup aluminum maker 2. the Frabosk Creamer to make world-class froth.  3.  Cafe Bustelo Cuban Coffee… and there you go!  Like a witch’s brew, my early morning science project depended on the perfect foam and the perfect Cuban “sofrito”/ chemical combination, that mixed sugar with the first drops of the morning’s percolation.  Choice of cup/ mug is a whole other post.

The moment I had my first born, those ridiculous shenanigans flew out the window– and I am ashamed to admit, my witch’s brew now is a daily dose of Peet’s Coffee, French Roast, doused with 1/2 + 1/2. Yes, I have become that person I vowed never to be… the same person who shows strangers pictures of their kids. Oye. Anyhow, I still love and can sniff out the best coffee in a 26 mile radius.

So, all this discussion takes me back to who is serving the best espresso drinks in Napa Valley… I am very opinionated about this. I have learned through much trial + error, as much as I LOVE a good cappuccino or latte, it is very hard to come by in unknown entities, + the safer choice is just straight up coffee, dressed however you like. I rarely order a latte unless they are a KNOWN entity– and even then, success is determined by loving hands, as opposed to angry hands. You can instantly eyeball a latte made with a lot of love by the weight and texture of the foam– espresso drinks made with unloving or angry hands are instantly transparent and a dangerous gamble, and ultimately not good for the personality department.

The best coffee purveyors in the valley are in Yountville: Bouchon Bakery is serving Equator coffee, Bardessono Hotel serving Blue Bottle, and then there is the Coffee Caboose serving organic Ritual coffee. After much sleuthing, I have to say that the darling ladies at the Coffee Caboose are making the best espresso drinks OOOOOOOOZING with love + care + intricate foam art (the hallmark of intensive foam training!). I know they are doing things right when I see the managers + waiters from Bouchon Bistro regularly slink over.

Johnny + Delphina (my little children) are even in on the act, personally asking for their own “vanilla milk, at 120 degrees, please”– perfectly parroting their mother.

Coffee Caboose 6523 Washington Street Yountville, CA 94559 Bouchon Bakery 6528 Washington Street Yountville, CA 94559 Bardessono 6526 Yount Street Yountville, CA 94559

{photo credit: nicole mcintosh bruce}

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