This was in a Taiwanese coffee shop that I frequent.



I didn't try it. I'm sure it's not terrible but to the average Westerner - not so compelling. The coffee isn't bad but it will show you that having a Mazzer Major and an Astoria/Pratic two group does not guarantee greatness. Apparently, you can't buy your way past bad beans.



Once you find the beans, the equipment is irrelevant. This was a Paul Pratt recommendation in Hong Kong. Roasting on site shows commitment.



It's even nice inside.



Latte art even. I was happy to pay $4.50 US for it. It was sublime and almost made me cry. But i'd been in Shenzhen, China for a week. See below.



Cooling the beans.



The not so sexy outside of some of the best coffee in Hong Kong.



This was in Shenzhen, China. Bored at a dinner, we decided to play with the chicken parts. "Put your foot in your mouth" was the working title.



It's a light snack, that Chinese bacon. Anyway, i digress.

WES

Back to China again - 2nd time in 6 weeks. Gotta keep that consumer goods pipeline full I guess.

We stay in a nice hotel near the Shanghai Airport called the Parkway. It's new, $125USD per night and has HBO. Which pretty much makes it near top-of-the-line. The bellboy still asks "you need girl" in the elevator but it's not as threatening as it is in the crappy hotels.



We have a drink in the lobby bar and I spy the above setup. Faema Smart and a Mazzer grinder. Mini maybe. All of it looks clean. Will I be in luck in the morning? I actually don't hold out a ton of hope and head to my room to watch the Pittsburgh/New England game in Japanese. Touch-down-o!



Here's how I'm rolling the next morning. I survey the included buffet and after 10 days in China of eating bad, greasy, weird Western breakfast - I take the soup. You get to pick the ingredients yourself and they cook it while you wait. It's a light chicken or vegetable broth with rice noodles, spinach, cilantro, tiny clams and a couple shrimp. My co-worker can't do it so he's taking on the stale Chinese Cheerios's, cold fried eggs and some massive slabs of bacon. I love the soup.

We order two cappuccino's. The server reminds us profusely that they are not included with the breakfast coupon. She takes the order and leaves. Here's an approximate time line:
0:30 - grinder starts
0:50 - grinder off - not bad start
1:15 - machine pulls a shot - when is she preparing the milk?
2:05 - machine pulls another shot - is the milk ready?
2:10 - steam wand fires up - where are the shots?
2:50 - still steaming full bore
3:00 - steaming ends - man that milk is cooked. is it ready
3:45 - a co-worker scurries into the area with a new box of milk and now she's pouring more into the pitcher
3:00 - steam wand fires back up
3:30 - still steaming full tilt. no mercy for that milk!
3:45 - she's pouring the milk
4:00 - a little spooning and some cinnamon
4:30 - delivery

I steel myself for what may come.



It's terrible. Like one made on a Krups steam machine with store-ground beans bad. Here's what it looks like after two sips. No so-micro foam. Cold, slightly burnt espresso with some tortured milk blend. I suffer it so we can get to the airport.

What can I do? Not much. Most of the time in China, people mean well, they just don't know what they are doing. There's not much sense in sending it back. She's never had a good one, I'm sure she doesn't know how to make a better one and it's possible that there would be trouble for her if I made a scene or refused to pay. I chalk it up to experience.

Luckily, they were only $4.50 USD each.



But I have my soup. Not a total loss. MMMMMMM clams for breakfast!

Ahhh, sounds so familiar...

There is a Japanese chain cafe near where I live that has great eclairs.. they also have a beautiful NS two group sitting on the counter. For milk drinks they use the steam wand to warm the milk up then pour it into one of those little frothing devices that looks like a french press... the coffee is pre-ground...

Syphon pots are usually a good option though!

Henry

Where in Taiwan is the coffee shop. I am currently living in the Northern part of Taiwan, and always interested in going to new and recommended places.

Well just got back.

Couple things of note:

The green monster has a couple of those La Marzocco's left in Taiwan. This is from Taichung City, on the Harbor Road in a large department store called SOGO. I apologize in advance for some marginal camera photos.



This could be a good sign. At least they look good on the counter.



Look a green apron and a tamper!!! Who would have thought it could happen?

continued...

The machine and the portafilters were scrupulously clean. Counter too. The barista was giving it her all to dress up the milk drinks and steam with a knob. They use one hell of a steaming pitcher.

And if you thought that it was only possible to get megacoffeechain mediocrity from a superautomatic, it's possible on a semi too. The shot was, as to be expected, typical for the establishment. Over-roasted and stale. Oh well. I got some pictures.



They also sell these. The La Pavoni website shows these as costing $620 USD. Not such a good deal. It's a chrome plastic Saeco machine complete with a pressurized portafilter (not shown). Sweet.

coffee shop in shanghai night market. not sure if it was intended to be funny. i think it is.

not to fear however, as in between the noodle shops on a street in a nicer part of town is a shop called happy lemon.



my desire for lemon water (how you translate lemonade) would go unmet as all they served was a number of variations on green tea, yogurt and fruit smoothee things. they did have coffee on the menu which apparently they take seriously as there was a......



PID'ed espresso machine on the counter. I couldn't make out the brand but you can all rest easy knowing it was set exactly at......



95. which is the celsius money temp for extraction but gonna limit the steaming. NO LATTE FOR YOU!!

there are purists everywhere i guess.

Hello Wes,
Thanks for the photos!
FWW Believe it or not, The PID'd machine may be a ...Tea Maker.. I saw some a the SCAA show. The company also makes a half Tea and Half Espresso machine. They say the innards are different inside the group to minimize swirling. Only in China!! Got'ta love em!
Cheers
Richard /espressme

Funny you should mention that because there was something on the sign called "TEAPRESSO".

Anyway, how could any man pass up this place? It's got everything you want under one roof.