Hayes Valley blend from Blue Bottle Coffee

I recently returned to San Francisco for business and decided to pick up some coffee beans for a friend (and a bag for myself!).  Of course, another latte was a must.

When I walked over to the display of coffees, I noticed they aren’t categorized the way some are (no “dark” or “medium” roasts… ) – but they had interesting sounding names.  There was a helpful gentleman working at Blue Bottle who made recommendations based on how we thought my friend might be preparing his coffee.  And then he recommended beans for my espresso as well.

So I checked in with my friend, Peter, and he reports that not only does it smell fantastic, but it makes a great coffee with his french press.  The espresso beans I brought home fill the room with a great coffee aroma when I make an espresso or latte, and the flavor is really rich.  Too bad they only sell half-pound bags…

Ristorante Umbria's Mocha Latte

It was served more like a cappuccino, in a short, wide cup, with a mountain of frothy foam on top (um, see the title of the blog… no foam please…). Of course my main complaint about serving it this way is you had best drink it quickly or it goes cold.

But, on the taste front, Umbria passes with flying colors.