Chris' latte art from the day before his last shift as a Barrista at Spellbinder. A very beautiful Rosetta indeed. (photo taken from God Shot)
Recently, many people have taken to comparing coffee (as a product) to wine. In many ways, this is a useful and informative comparison. With espresso, however, the reality is rather different than the theory. One can easily compare a great roaster to a great vintner and a great coffee estate to a great vineyard. With wine, however, the sommelier merely maintains the wine in storage and then describes and serves it. A bad sommelier with decent equipment might make a bad suggestion ? but cannot really damage the product. In espresso ? the end product is the result of a complex relationship ? a collaborative effort ? between the grower, the bean, the roaster and the barista. The end product is only as good as the weakest link in that chain. Given this ? it would be better to imagine espresso as a hybrid between wine (the coffee bean product itself) and hair cutting and styling (a skilled service focused on preparation of a product). So? how does a consumer identify a good wine? And how do they differentiate that good wine from a great wine? And how does a consumer identify a good hairdresser ? and again differentiate them from a great one?
(taken from GOD SHOT)
I'm not talking about any kind of drug. I'm talking about the natural high I get when my muse is awake. I've been so inspired lately despite the things that have been happening these past few weeks. So I've decided to accept commissions recently. And it's been fun. I've been learning a lot through the pieces that were commissioned from me. It's a give-and-take process. Just when I thought I was getting better, I'd realize I have a whole lot to learn!!! I've never been this excited in creating new works of art!! There's always something new to discover! A new style, a new process, a new technique...
I'm definitely getting high...
Maybe it's the freshly brewed cup of coffee sitting beside me.
Maybe it's James Blunt's voice.
Maybe it's the silent minutes I get all to myself.
Or maybe my muse has had a good long well-deserved rest that she's been showering bliss all over the place.
