Heart & Soul
of Coffee
Welcome to the
Where Coffee Meets Life!
Cup of the Day
Down the Batpole 5/6/24
Practice, Practice, Practice 5/15/24
A few weeks back I ran into a green barista and decided to give him some time to perfect his craft before I ventured back to his coffee bar. I had sort of forgotten about him until I arrived again. My initial instinct was to bail, but this late in the day it was the only game in town. He made me a cappuccino by mistake, but was quite happy to remake my precious latte. Kudos to the young man! He had perfected his craft and left me with a beautiful latte to have, to hold and—most importantly—to drink.
Latte art has permeated café culture. Many delicious lattes are now punctuated with a rosetta, swan or heart. It is only for a few moments that the temporal showpiece floats atop your porcelain, ceramic, or cardboard cup: a beauty that mimics life’s impermanence. Latte art is the evening flambe, the star on the tree, the cherry on top.
The final touches of the latte art come at the long end of a magical chain of events. The planet gifts us coffee naturally. Farmers have added their own techniques of cultivation to produce the highest quality coffee bean possible. Once the beans are handpicked (a task modern technology does not have an invention for), the fruit is washed, dried, and shipped. The roaster takes it from there. Much like a great movie in the editing room, a great bean can easily be destroyed by a bad roast.
The beans are finally left in the hands of the baristas. They too bring something to the table. The good ones calibrate first thing in the morning and stay on the machine throughout the day. Once everything is in proper working order, a savory latte can be prepared and served. Then light the candle; hit the switch; steam the milk and lay it down softly and rhythmically.
A latte art stamp atop of your espresso drink rarely disappoints. The process is a pleasure to watch and if the café offers me a vantage point to check out the barista in action I always observe. It is fascinating to see the heated milk ooze out of the pitcher and merge with the espresso, magically lying on top to form something exquisite. Latte art has caught on and is no longer rare, but that doesn’t mean it is any less beautiful.
November 2023
Latte Art
by Lenny Manzo
The Cafe Experience
by Lenny Manzo
Bloc Café
Take your coffee a tad off the beaten path. Just around the corner from Union Square in Somerville, you will find a cool café tucked away on Summer St. The uniqueness of Bloc Café is that it offers a variety of café experiences in one place. Take your coffee to the way back and camp out near the gas fireplace. Enjoy the closed in feeling that the old bank vaults offer. One of them is seating for one or two, that doubles as a private office. In the summer you can enjoy the expansive patio or just sit by the window and watch the city go by.
Bloc is very serious about their coffee using Intelligentsia, a large independent roaster known for quality out of Chicago. I have frequented Bloc many a time and the staff have always been pleasant, friendly and helpful. The menu is fairly wide ranging from bagels and lox to breakfast burritos. Some dishes offer a Middle Eastern or Thai influence for those of you who have a more exotic pallet. There are sandwiches, more breakfast dishes and a host of pastries. Enjoy the great coffee, the array of menu choices and ambient mélange offered at Bloc Café.
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Bloc Café
11 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143
