I am a full-fledged and unrepentant coffee addict. By coffee, I mean COFFEE, not six creams and eight sugars, double whip, mocha frappucino coffee – rich, dark, bitter black coffee brewed carefully from masterfully roasted beans (don’t think I’m too snobby, I don’t begrudge anyone their preference – my wife uses flavored creamer). I unashamedly attempt to share (spread) my addiction with others (Mike). This turns out not to be so hard, because Mike lives in the same neighborhood as the best coffeeshop in Chicago. Now, before you get upset, I realize that there are better bistros, cafes, restaurants, and little out of the way spots where you might prefer to get caffeinated (having just been introduced to the Z&H cafe in Hyde Park – I may have another favorite to add to the list). However, it cannot be argued that you can get a better tasting cup of black coffee anywhere in the city. Imagine Starbucks when it was just a little place in Pike’s Place Seattle – the owner makes no compromises when it comes to quality. When we’re finished traipsing around the city early on a Sunday morning, we (or I if it happens I’m alone – yes I’m that hooked) always stop by for a cup.
I drag my camera into the shop almost every time, but (with the exception of the photo above) I’m usually disappointed with the results. They recently acquired a series of Clover machines – these are $10,000+ machines which brew coffee a single cup at a time. The results are so outstanding that Starbucks has purchased Clover, the company that makes the machines and will not sell them to any other company. Somehow I doubt that their mediocre and overpriced beans will be able to utilize the advantages of these machines – so get to Intelligentsia (where the beans are simply better than any other roaster) and enjoy it while you can!
Here’s an also-ran.
And two images with Mike’s 10.5mm f/2.8 DX fisheye on the full-frame D700:
Photo by Justin Kern – Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission.
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by Justin
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