Where did the story go? Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth”

Talking Coffee

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On the way to get a coffee from Smart Mouth, makers of the best coffee in Gastown.

PHOTOGRAPHER 1: I’m so proud of myself, I’ve figured out how to make the perfect macchiato! It’s all in the tamping.

PHOTOGRAPHER 2: When I tamp mine down too much it just clogs.

PHOTOGRAPHER 1: You need to use 30 lbs of pressure—I figured out how that felt by pushing down on my bathroom scale. And you have to use 21 grams of coffee—the guy in Smart Mouth told me that. Standard machines only use 14 grams. Mine won't take quite 21 grams but I can get close.

PHOTOGRAPHER 2: (getting excited) Did you use your darkroom scale to weigh the coffee?

PHOTOGRAPHER 1: Of course! You just have to add a those few extra beans to push up the weight.

PHOTOGRAPHER 2: (laughing) And you didn’t have to spend $10,000 to buy that guy’s machine.

ME: (puzzled) What guy?

PHOTOGRAPHER 1: A guy who used to design darkroom equipment, which is now obsolete, so he’s designed a $10,000 espresso machine.

(pause)

ME: So what’s a macchiato?

Comments (5)

Comment Feed

and I thought my

and I thought my barrista-specific greeting was unique to my punishing sense of humour

"How You Bean?" more than 14 years ago

Amen. Smart Mouth is the

Amen. Smart Mouth is the best coffee in Gastown, and pretty much anywhere.

i bean there too more than 14 years ago

Right after that

Right after that conversation I drank my first macchiato. It was good! It’s a mix of espresso and foam—the foam is really stiff—and the espresso isn’t completely blended with the foam so the mixture looks swirly. Photographer 2 and I added sugar. Photographer 1 took his black. Watch the video at the end of my post to see how to make one.

pattyo more than 14 years ago

Hahaha. So what IS a

Hahaha. So what IS a macchiato?

sarah more than 14 years ago

These photographer types

These photographer types sound like modern day espresso alchemists!

Ross more than 14 years ago