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Espresso
24 Sep 2003 by Brad Hurley
A poem by Tomas Transtrmer, as translated by May Swenson
Black coffee at sidewalk cafs
with chairs and tables like gaudy insects.
It is a precious sip we intercept
filled with the same strength as Yes and No.
It is fetched out of gloomy kitchens
and looks into the sun without blinking.
In daylight a dot of wholesome black
quickly drained by the wan patron…
Like those black drops of profundity
sometimes absorbed by the soul
that give us a healthy push: Go!
The courage to open our eyes.
11 comments so far (Post a Comment)
25 Sep 2003 | erik whlstrm said...
Ah, espresso. How much do a cup of excellent espresso cost in the US? Here in Sweden (i think the poem is written in swedish based on the name of the author) a cup costs 10 SEK, or around 1EUR. Add to this, the place, Bar Centro, got the second place in last years Barista Cup. Mm.
25 Sep 2003 | stone said...
I'd rather have a black dot of profundity in the morning.
25 Sep 2003 | Toby said...
Wow, that Transtrmer is more than meets the eye.
25 Sep 2003 | RS said...
How much do a cup of excellent espresso cost in the US?
Excellent espresso in the US is hard to come by :)
Somewhere around $1.50 USD is normal.
25 Sep 2003 | Matthew Oliphant (formerly fajalar) said...
Excellent espresso in the US is hard to come by :)
If I roasted it and brewed it for you it would be good. But maybe it is too much to have an understanding the of emulsion, suspension, and solution levels of a shot of espresso.
Perhaps it is enough to sit and allow the healing powers of the bean flow through you.
Here's a place with great coffee. We order a couple of pounds each month. Much better than anything available here.
26 Sep 2003 | ek said...
Man, I love Peet's espresso roast. I brew (is that the right term for espresso?) a single shot almost every day using my el cheapo espresso maker at home and it's better than any of the heinously expensive espressos I've had at coffee bars (Starbucks and local shops alike).
26 Sep 2003 | Don Schenck said...
Now, ek ... take the next step.
26 Sep 2003 | ek said...
Do you have one of those Don? If so, do you get your unroasted beans from the same site? I'll bet it smells amazing while they're roasting, but I'm wondering if it's really worth the added time and effort?
BTW, did you see the BiGHA in this month's Robb Report (the one with Mercedes SLR McLaren on the cover)? They said the bike "rides superbly"!
26 Sep 2003 | Don Schenck said...
ek -- don't have a roaster ... yet. We're in the process of re-doing our kitchen. After that ...
Missed the BiGHA. I saw the Robb Report cover and swooned and haven't recovered yet.
I'll check it out this weekend; thanks for the tip!
(I'll also be: preparing my garage for the new epoxy-painted flooring, smoking many, many cigars, drinking wines of various grapes and appelations, some Maker's Mark, cutting the lawn -- hopefully BEFORE the bourbon! -- and tasting my wife's test-wedding-cake -- said cake for my daughter's Oct. 11 wedding!)
Whew! I'm beat already and it's only Friday afternoon.
Oh; and I'll detail the Saab.
28 Sep 2003 | Sonia said...
ek -- don't have a roaster
Use a normal pan! Weve found good espresso hard to come by in Spain as well - that dark bitter variety. So we ordered up some green coffee and do it ourselves. Only problem with a pan is that you can only do so much, you stink like coffee afterwards (not such a bad thing) and your arm gets tired from stirring the coffee constantly.
10 Jan 2004 | http://www.prettypiste.com said...
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