Hey, I have just accidentaly invented the drink that will keep me company through the long, dark and cold winter nights. The drink which will shush away sinister thoughts and moments of despair that will def be cue...
It is hot chocolate. Wait, wait, wait, not so easy!
Hot chocolate, made out of real cocoa and soya milk, with some dusting sugar, good pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg - so warming, so delicious, so Christmassy! The kind that won't be sold in Starbucks, i am afraid, the one that you will crawl home for after wasting your time waiting for your friends around Cambridge Circus, freezing on a bitter wind, pathetically overdressed and overdone, thinking that innocent girly giggles are aimed at you, and then deciding not to wait anymore, enough, I have pride, climb on the bus, too full with tired drunkards, hugging you with their absinthe breaths, only to receive a call that you missed them by a minute.
oh, sweetest sweetest regret! oh, teasing approximation of fun and joy! But once you have reached your home and stove and mixed that heavenly concoction - it becomes immediately clear that you have made the only right choice - spicy cocoa and Bonjour, tristesse!
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Sunday 11 July 2010
VIA - my saviour
I was so happy that we called in Starbucks at Paddington station! Not just we got great drinks, but I also took my weekly partner mark-out and this time it was pack of VIA Italian Roast - that was very wise decision. As we got to the campsite it was clear that there were no decent coffee on offer - maybe some vending machine produced liquid remotely resembling my favourite brew, but for coffee aficionados it remains assault to the tastes. With VIA, however, I had a luxury of having great coffee in the morning, after being awakened by the ocean's gentle roar, and standing on the top of the cliff watching waves and feeling all too happy for the words.
Thursday 8 July 2010
Riding the waves
I really envy people who celebrate their Birthdays with a big bash - think Kate Moss's usual 24 hour marathon of drinking and having a jolly good time, which later will re-appear on style pages of big fashion magazines teaching us how to dress for occasion with similar flair but on a shoe-string budget.
I never really had any Birthday Parties, but last few years I have just getting away with my other half to the places where I have always dreamt of visiting - Iceland, Paris... And actually not celebrating it, makes it kind of not happen, as if Time is not ticking at all and I will be eternally young and wild. (Sometimes I have difficulty remembering how old I am). Of course, it is only illusion and I am cruelly reminded about it every time I present my passport to a tired airport attendant...
Anyway, this time we went away for my husbands birthday. It was beyond amazing. We toyed with the idea of going to Greece, then Spain, then South of France, eventually settling for our very own gem in South West England - Cornwall. Newquay felt like a place to be with its thriving surf culture and busy club scene.
When we exited train, it looked like Miami to me, someone who never has been to Miami: palms, sunshine, slender girls with deep caramel tan in light sundresses, with numerous bracelets dangling from their fragile wrists, and guys with blond curly mops of hair in wetsuits carrying their trusted old long-boards to the beach.
Beach.... Oh, bliss... To wake up to the sound of ocean and just sit on the golden sand for hours in the end, just watching waves gently lapping and admire the power and might of Nature. It wasn't hot enough to long for a dip, but I still managed to swim in OCEAN! just for two minutes (it was flipping freezing), but I did it!
The coastal walks were rad as well - when you walk for 2 hours without meeting anyone apart from seagulls and odd rabbit rushing across the path. And it is just so uplifting!
PS. And I can't believe that I sold so quickly to this whole notion of surfing lifestyle - going to the beach everyday, hang out with dudes, wear pastel hoodies with abstract patterns and jean shorts... In Beach Hut Shop I bought my first copy of Cooler Mag, which is made for teenage girls, and read it to the state that the pages are falling out and some of them are a bit blurry from turning them too often and studying the content too hard. I am dreaming of Billabong and Roxy.. Is it normal?
I never really had any Birthday Parties, but last few years I have just getting away with my other half to the places where I have always dreamt of visiting - Iceland, Paris... And actually not celebrating it, makes it kind of not happen, as if Time is not ticking at all and I will be eternally young and wild. (Sometimes I have difficulty remembering how old I am). Of course, it is only illusion and I am cruelly reminded about it every time I present my passport to a tired airport attendant...
Anyway, this time we went away for my husbands birthday. It was beyond amazing. We toyed with the idea of going to Greece, then Spain, then South of France, eventually settling for our very own gem in South West England - Cornwall. Newquay felt like a place to be with its thriving surf culture and busy club scene.
When we exited train, it looked like Miami to me, someone who never has been to Miami: palms, sunshine, slender girls with deep caramel tan in light sundresses, with numerous bracelets dangling from their fragile wrists, and guys with blond curly mops of hair in wetsuits carrying their trusted old long-boards to the beach.
Beach.... Oh, bliss... To wake up to the sound of ocean and just sit on the golden sand for hours in the end, just watching waves gently lapping and admire the power and might of Nature. It wasn't hot enough to long for a dip, but I still managed to swim in OCEAN! just for two minutes (it was flipping freezing), but I did it!
The coastal walks were rad as well - when you walk for 2 hours without meeting anyone apart from seagulls and odd rabbit rushing across the path. And it is just so uplifting!
PS. And I can't believe that I sold so quickly to this whole notion of surfing lifestyle - going to the beach everyday, hang out with dudes, wear pastel hoodies with abstract patterns and jean shorts... In Beach Hut Shop I bought my first copy of Cooler Mag, which is made for teenage girls, and read it to the state that the pages are falling out and some of them are a bit blurry from turning them too often and studying the content too hard. I am dreaming of Billabong and Roxy.. Is it normal?
Saturday 26 June 2010
Aroma Lab
I did Aroma Lab on Friday 19th of June. In advance, hand painted the poster, planned how I was going to shred tender basil leaves to prove that Sumatra really smells of basil and other herbs. Offered one of the best coffees we have right know - Tanzania, seasonal coffee, available only limited period of time, which is unbeatable crowd-pleaser - elegant, medium bodied, with refreshing citrus-y notes.
The effectiveness of the poster was rather low and didn't generate any extra customer flow, but I still managed to have few meaningful conversations and profound tastings. Especially, I was thrilled to meet a couple from Colombia, people, who know a lot about coffee and share my passion. They have been to the coffee farms many times and the gentleman even worked there. It was very nice to find a like-minded person. This is what I like most - Conversation with the fellow human beings, something worth cherishing and savouring.
The photographs are courtesy of Irina, dear friend of mine, who did very well catching me with one of the most unexpected guests.
The effectiveness of the poster was rather low and didn't generate any extra customer flow, but I still managed to have few meaningful conversations and profound tastings. Especially, I was thrilled to meet a couple from Colombia, people, who know a lot about coffee and share my passion. They have been to the coffee farms many times and the gentleman even worked there. It was very nice to find a like-minded person. This is what I like most - Conversation with the fellow human beings, something worth cherishing and savouring.
Friday 18 June 2010
Fernandez and Wells
On Thursday as a part of Regional Coffee Meeting we went to check out our competitors. To be honest, when I saw agenda I thought that we would go to Costa or Nero or maybe Pret, because they are our competition. But we went to the indie coffee shops.
In my opinion, indie coffee shops we can't really compete with them. And them with us. Because obviously the volume of the business is very different , the feel, the products etc. However, the visit was great. Our group went to Fernandez and Wells on Beak street. I have read about this coffee shop before on thisisnaive.com , a lovely blog on lifestyle and beautiful things. I was very curious and was going to visit it anyway. It was a nice surprise that Charlotte took us there.
I loved the casual, easy feel of the place. Simple painted white wooden panels, rustic furniture, squeaky wooden floors. There are few places like this in Soho and plenty in Berlin. It appears "cheap", as if knocked out from the junk that was gathering dust in the Dad's loft, different mugs, vases with flowers, old-fashioned chairs... But I just know for sure, this is very well thought through strategy, million tiny design decisions resulting in you, consumer, nostalgia-ing about your granny's cottage and tea with scones and jam. Coming back to your roots. To nature. To simple unpretentious living. And you want to bring your girlfriend there. Ideally, sporting a pretty dress with daisies all over it. Sigh. It is just so GREAT.
Anyway, the beans they are using are a bit dodgy. I drunk my espresso, forcing myself. It was a bit harsh, very sour and our collective opinion is that they put some robusta in it. Our coffee is def better, but they have their washed-out white walls, and have time to steam the milk properly.
In my opinion, indie coffee shops we can't really compete with them. And them with us. Because obviously the volume of the business is very different , the feel, the products etc. However, the visit was great. Our group went to Fernandez and Wells on Beak street. I have read about this coffee shop before on thisisnaive.com , a lovely blog on lifestyle and beautiful things. I was very curious and was going to visit it anyway. It was a nice surprise that Charlotte took us there.
I loved the casual, easy feel of the place. Simple painted white wooden panels, rustic furniture, squeaky wooden floors. There are few places like this in Soho and plenty in Berlin. It appears "cheap", as if knocked out from the junk that was gathering dust in the Dad's loft, different mugs, vases with flowers, old-fashioned chairs... But I just know for sure, this is very well thought through strategy, million tiny design decisions resulting in you, consumer, nostalgia-ing about your granny's cottage and tea with scones and jam. Coming back to your roots. To nature. To simple unpretentious living. And you want to bring your girlfriend there. Ideally, sporting a pretty dress with daisies all over it. Sigh. It is just so GREAT.
Anyway, the beans they are using are a bit dodgy. I drunk my espresso, forcing myself. It was a bit harsh, very sour and our collective opinion is that they put some robusta in it. Our coffee is def better, but they have their washed-out white walls, and have time to steam the milk properly.
Wednesday 16 June 2010
Paris, je t'aime!
The other day, as early as three o'clock in the morning, I woke up and in fifth time tried to upload my freshly edited video about our trip to Paris and and succeeded, I was just ecstatic! Amount of time I spent, trying and failing to comprehend all the abbreviations, numbers and extensions of video exporting, is just unjustifiable!
But with the help of a very good friend Alex, I eventually managed and feel AWFULLY proud of myself!
In Paris from Jeanna Mortimer on Vimeo.
But with the help of a very good friend Alex, I eventually managed and feel AWFULLY proud of myself!
In Paris from Jeanna Mortimer on Vimeo.
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