Friday, June 11, 2010

From Long Black to Café Alongé

When I landed in Sydney, I wasn't a devotee of the caffeine. However, when I left, I had been seduced by more than one cup of cappuccino. Arriving back in Montreal, I wondered if I would find the same quality coffee.

So far, I have witnessed textured milk with foam leaning more towards whipped cream than milk (ahem, Cafe Souvenir and Nespresso [although, truth be told, to the true coffee connoisseur, Nespresso can't be taken seriously from the beginning]. The milk in Montreal is definitely not as finessed as that in Australia (I am still baffled as to how coffee culture has become so elite in the most isolated of continents). Textured milk should be seamless, blending just right with the coffee, a duet.

Have I become a coffee snob because of my Australian barista training?

At Cafe Neve and Cafe Myriade, perhaps two of the most lauded cafes in the city, I've had very good capps. But I'm not wholly satisfied just yet. Maybe I've been spoiled by the hint of chocolate powder sprinkled into my milky coffee drinks in Australia. I am looking for a smoother symbiosis of silky hot milk and espresso, with a sensual sip that makes you spring to life. I am willing to continue my quest, I have faith in this city. I think I should go back to these two cafes and sample others in the city. Where is that excellent cup of coffee? Australia has set the bar high. I do hear good things about Caffe Art Java, and I am willing to go back to Neve when its Melbourne-born owner, Luke Spicer, is juggling the handles.

Buon Caffé!

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