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?