I’ve heard
it said that when the weather temperature is high, you should drink hot
beverages in order to make your body cool itself naturally. Now, in my opinion, though the principle is
sound, the application is not. First of
all, everyone knows you want something cold and refreshing on a hot day. Secondly, the human body cools itself by means
of perspiration. While it may be
natural, that does not seem like a desirable experience – for either the
individual or those in the immediate vicinity.
It was with these misgivings that I watched the temperature rise, but even
as the mercury peaked above 100, my excitement was not diminished. After many long months, I was going COFFEE
BLOGGING!!
Like a
child on the way to grandma’s house, I watched the second-hand tick. Somewhere in the back seat of my brain, the
little girl in me whispered, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Is it four o’clock yet? Huh, is it?
Huh? How much longer?” I chastised my inner-child for her
impatience, and forced myself to remain at work until the last possible
moment.. then just a minute longer.
Still, I had to consciously remind myself to breathe calmly and drive
safely as I battled past rush-hour traffic into the heart of downtown Denver.
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Crave
Dessert Bar & Lounge sits on what I would consider one of the most coveted
corners in the city - directly across the street from the Colorado Convention
Center. If the iconic, giant Blue Bear
was suddenly startled to life and stumbled backwards, he would probably trip
over Crave’s patio umbrellas, and collapse with his blue behind against the
plate-glass window. The question then is
whether he would wander off in pursuit of bearish-type things, or whether, as a
city bear, he would pause for a cup of freshly-brewed NOVO coffee (not being a
bear myself, blue or otherwise, I am unqualified to speculate on the
subject). My intentions, however, were
clear. I, blogger and coffee-hater
extraordinaire, was there to seek out new life and coffee civilization.. to
boldly go where I had never gone before
My good
friend Nathan, undisguised coffee snob, joined my adventure. We exited the furnace into a cool, inviting
retro-modern interior. The décor, with
flourishes of stainless steel, stone, and glass, created just enough of a 50s
diner atmosphere to be both edgy and comfortable.
As is my
custom, I asked our friendly barista Manfred for recommendations. He asked the expected, “Are you a big coffee
drinker?” I grinned and responded,
“Ummm… No. I actually hate it.” I explained briefly. Smiling, he responded, “So, you have to drink it.” I nodded, “Yep. Exactly.” He said then that Crave’s specialty is
making its own sauces. A slow grin of
the creative genius spread across his face as he described the caramel
latte. I ordered that, and Nathan asked
him which coffee blends were available.
The question seemed to surprise him at first. He said they brewed NOVO coffee – both
espresso and drip from Colombia. I
smiled to myself, thinking that Manfred may have never encountered true coffee
snobs before. He offered to go check the name of the roast, and we were gently
adamant that he do so. He returned with
the name - San Sebastian from Colombia.
Nathan ordered a large cup, black, and we both ordered specialties from
the menu.
They
weren’t lying. The cup of coffee was so
large, it possibly should have been marketed as “the great big bowl of
coffee.” Nathan described it as, “fruity
and slightly spicy,” with a definite tangy aftertaste. Wanting to test my fledgling coffee
knowledge, I said, “I think I remembered hearing that South American coffees
have more of a fruity flavor.” Nathan
agreed and added, “and Central American coffees seem to have more of a nutty
flavor.” I beamed, feeling like I almost
knew what I was talking about.
The caramel
latte was very mild. I’ve found that
over the course of time, I have come to tolerate foofy drinks if they are made
with quality coffee roasts. It used to
be that even coffee-flavored ice cream disgusted me, but now I can drink mild
lattes and drinks laced with flavored syrups and cream. That’s not good. I don’t want to be content with drinking
sissy coffee. When someone claims to
like coffee, but his or her preferred drink contains mostly sugar and cream, I
cringe with coffee-snobbish contempt.
Thus, when I found myself content to sip the robust, slightly sweet, pleasantly enjoyable caramel latte, I realized that I had sold myself short. As soon as I got the chance, I ordered a
small drip coffee. When asked if I
wanted cream and sugar, I said no.
Nathan smiled and told the barista that I had to drink it black. 
The Mile
High Layer Cake, “a flourless chocolate cake layered with caramel mousse,” had
ten layers of two contrasting textures.
It was surprisingly mild, and not nearly as overpoweringly sweet as
I had expected. It seemed to be the
perfect dessert to pair with a robust coffee blend - accompanied by buerre naissette
caramel, a slice of brülee banana, bailey’s ice cream, and a florentine cookie
with crushed peanut. Nathan thoroughly
enjoyed it, and appreciated the slight variations from the typical flavors.
The White
Hot, Black Forest, was described as, “mocha pot de crème with hot vanilla
anglaise pour, caramel French macaron, hazelnut ice cream, and espresso
sauce.” I tried the ice cream first,
and was surprised by its sweetness. At
first taste, I thought it was not unlike a frozen cup of Nutella®, but Nathan
thought it wasn’t quite that sweet, and I had to agree. The macaron was extremely sweet as well, but
light and satisfyingly crunchy. I found
the mocha pot de crème very difficult to describe. The bottom layer was cold, the middle layer
warm, and the top layer of vanilla anglaise was hot. When at first I tasted it, I had to stop and
think about it for a moment. When Nathan
tasted it, he too sat speechless at first.
It was very sweet, yet bitter from the dark mocha and espresso. I could not put words to the texture..
smoother than a custard, thicker than a sauce.
Nathan described it best as being similar to ganache.
While
eating dessert, my coffee arrived. I
waited a little bit, trying to decide on the best time to take a sip. I finally decided it was kinda like getting a
vaccination – better when you don’t know its coming. I was wrong.
With the first quick taste, I cringed and whispered hoarsely, “I should
have warned myself.” Nathan looked up,
pausing mid-sentence, and the look on his face said it all. It might seem strange, but one of my favorite
things about having company when I go out for coffee is seeing the look on
someone else’s face when they see the look on mine. The surprised bemusement on his face told me
that my distress and dislike were very obvious.
If ever he wondered whether I truly hated coffee, he had no doubts at
that moment. As hard as I try to hide
it, when I am caught off-guard, I can’t control my facial expressions.
I
immediately regretted ordering the coffee last.
Having tried the sweetened latte and sugar-indulgent dessert first, I could
not fairly judge the flavors of NOVO’s San Sebastian blend. I had ruined my palette, and my tonsils were
fighting every drop. I found it very
bitter, obtuse, and citrusy. Yet I knew
it wasn’t the coffee’s fault. I’ve
gotten so that I can tell when a coffee is well roasted, even if I can’t stand
the taste. Although I have preferences
between blends, NOVO has proven to be the best local roaster thus far - in my opinion. My inability to taste past
the bitterness was unfair to the coffee, unfair to me, and unfair to the
experience as a whole. I put the dessert
aside and began to focus on the coffee – cleansing away the defiling sugar with
every sip. Within a few minutes, other
nuances began to surface. I still tasted
the citrusy fruit flavor - which had a bit of a bite and continued into the
aftertaste. For some reason, the flavor
reminded me of un-ripened bananas. That
was cradled in a robust, medium flavor with hints of caramelized
nuttiness. I found it similar to other
NOVO roasts that I tasted several months ago, but very much unique to
itself. Just for fun, I later looked up
the description of the San Sebastian roast: “medium body, molasses, dried
cherry and walnut, malt finish.”
I’d have to
say that this experience was one of my favorites thus far. I was reminded that my quest from the
beginning was not just for the purpose of tasting coffee, but also to explore
the coffee culture. I remembered that the
impetus for beginning my quest was the desire to build a greater sense of
community. Sitting there, enjoying the
conversation, I realized once again that the best thing to have with your
coffee is a friend.
