Astute readers will have noticed the change in focus of the blog from, well, all kinds of things, to mostly reviews of cafes. This is intended to be a short diversion rather than a permanent change.
I’m trying to accomplish a few things with these cafe reviews: let me know if there are other things you’re curious about.
- Get some use out of my cameraphone, now that I have one
- Try and better understand the appeal of a cafe by visiting a lot of them, and considering the different factors that make up the cafe experience
- Build up a better understanding of the flavours and presentation of coffee
- Have the site better reflect its domain name
- Wander from my comfort zone of cafes in the hope of finding some (good) new ones.
- Remember more of the places I’ve been
An unexpected side affect of trying to visit different cafes is the loss: there’s something pleasant about being recognised by the barista, about not having to verbalise your coffee order. By going to a different place every time, there’s a sense of lost routine which is unsettling: it’s a little like always being in a new town. Has anyone else experienced that?
Haven’t experienced that problem Dave – mainly because I go to so few cafes. I find SO many an utter disappointment.
Choosing my own beans and roasting them here means that I can get fine, really fresh coffee right where I live and work.
The only cafe I ‘frequent’ (3-4 time a year) roasts his own, but not really to my taste.
I like the idea of the ‘cafe culture’ but (mostly) not the actual coffee experience.