The Coffee Diaries
Chronicling the search for the perfect cup.
The coffee diaries began when I realized that my home town lacked the perfect little cafe for a charming, leisurely stop for espresso. Having been inspired by Italy's cappuccinos and mastery of effortless, relaxed cafe culture, I sensed that this was not just a quest for the perfect cup, but for the ideal ambience to enjoy it. This began the coffee diaries. It is a series with regular contributions about my coffee experiences, broken down by beverage, roast, flavor, ambience, and moment.
At first I felt conspicuous going into various cafes in the city with the sole intention of buying a latte, snapping photos of it, and jotting down notes in the diary. At times I do get slightly carried away during the process; particularly my knack to pursue latte art - the delicately arched cream leaves and tulips created by a barista virtuoso. The art is one aspect I crave. I've come to realize that I love this act of searching for the perfect cup so much that it is something I look forward to do on a Saturday morning; it turns into an event, rather than a simple completion of a bucket list task.
I am not a coffee snob, and I don't know a lot about single-origins and brew methods and roast types. But I am pretty sure I am learning and I am definitely enjoying these chronicles. I hope to someday cover cafes and coffees all over the nation - maybe the world! Check below for the posts individually or click here to see them all as a series. It's just one of life's little things (and chances are you enjoy it too). So if you see me around the Philadelphia area taking pictures of my latte, come up and say ciao. Join me in chronicling the search for the perfect cup!
The perfect Sunday interlude - nothing is dreamier than spending this time on the hunt for a coffee.
On a weekend, or any day really, my morning coffee legitimately gets me excited! I know I am not alone there. During my maternity leave I really got to perfect my favorite coffee recipe. Nothing beats a cuppa coffee or tea out of a warm mug while sitting on the couch!
We decided to explore the town of Oyster Bay, a short drive away from Sagamore Hill. Everything was so quaint in the snow, and the surroundings almost begged us to slow down and appreciate the tranquility. Nevertheless, I was driving, flustered with Google Maps, and decided to just have my mom search for the nearest coffee place that sounded good. Finding South Down Coffee was serendipitous.
Being back at Saint's was a treat last weekend - it's the perfect college coffee nook. I am reminiscent of it for a few reasons...
There is a certain energy that surrounds a beach cafe...it is undeniable. Knowing the beach is close might be the magic. The ritual of having coffee - the ritual that precedes the day, precedes the day's possibilities, what's to come - evokes a different kind of energy at the beach.
The interior of this cafe is so gorgeous, with airy and bright light streaming in the giant windows. The coffee bar, a long marble slab, stretches the length of the place. Pretty lattes are served up left and right!
If you're a long time reader, you would know that my series, Coffee Diaries, was inspired by an appreciation for good coffee. But not just the coffee itself - the cafe.
When you enter Menagerie, one of the immediate feelings that hits you is the earthy, quiet and cozy atmsophere.
Enjoying a latte in this beautiful space is like my coffee diaries dream!
On our morning outings, this place is the exact thing we look for. Something new, cutting-edge, and exceeding our expectations.
This coffee diaries post is an exceptionally significant one. Let me preface it by saying this...it includes an amazing new cafe, but to make it even better, I was joined by a long time friend from the blogging world who I finally met in 'real' life
We stumbled upon Boro Bean after taking a wrong turn on our route towards...
If there is a cafe I could repeatedly go to, and call my own, I think it would be Bodhi.
I had heard about matcha lattes (aka green tea lattes) from one of my best Siena friends, and was immediately curious about this peculiar green coffee. This site does a beautiful job of explaining what it is (and how to make it), but to get to the point, matcha lattes are antioxidant-packed drinks that are experiencing quite a heyday on instagram right now…
The windows and doors were open and a warm April breeze was sweeping through the cafe...
A few weeks ago I found myself in DC and one of the first things I wanted to do was to continue my coffee diaries quest.
Since landing in Los Angeles I have been carefully mapping out local cafes, in pursuit of my very first West Coast edition of the coffee diaries.
I'm realizing that my coffee chronicling (aka diary-ing) needs to be turned into a more suitable verb that rolls off the tongue. Scouting? Searching?
Let me take you back so you can fully understand this particularly unfortunate coffee diary entry.
Find a complete list of cafès below, from all of my travels.
gilli {florence, IT}
elixr {philadelphia, PA}
gryphon {wayne, PA}
capogiro {philadelphia, PA}
green line {philadelphia, PA}
rojo's {lambertville, NJ}
nonno's {doylestown, PA}
small world coffee {princeton, NJ}
la colombe {philadelphia, PA}
greenstreet {philadelphia, PA}
source {hermosa beach, CA}
rojo's {princeton, NJ}
plenty {philadelphia, PA}
peregrine {washington, DC}
ultimo {philadelphia, PA}
scapegoat {hermosa beach, CA}
bodhi {philadelphia, PA}
boro bean {hopewell, NJ}
profile coffee & roasters {elysburg, PA}
the local market and kitchen {ship bottom, NJ}
malvern buttery {malvern, PA}
saxby's {lahaska, PA}
I had first heard of Maman in a very unlikely way: by walking past it in Soho. First of all, I am never in Soho. I was actually on an altogether different Coffee Diaries mission…