Caffe Italiano - part 2

Great news! We all get along famously! I shared some stories and some photos from my little Tropic of Coffee biz and they loved them. They saw that I did what they're doing, just with a few variations really.

We hung out all afternoon. I got a mild face sunburn too, glad I wore long sleeves. But yeah, we hit it off, just chatting, getting to know one another through the world of coffee and our histories. Sure enough, they had a "gig" that late afternoon, evening. So, I helped and watched them set up their cool moped stand and we started making espressos. They only use arabica beans, which of course is the only way to go. We compared techniques and I tried to absorb as fast as I could, as many of their nuances in brewing as I could. What's really brilliant about their business is that they only offer the core espresso drinks.

• Espresso
• Macchiatto
• Americano
• Cappuccino
• Latte

They don't even have chocolate unless the party requests it, nor other flavorings, nor ICE for cold drinks! So simple. But I think that it's easier to accomplish here because Swedes are content with lattes (80+% of their business) and they actually don't give a flying hoot about sweetener flavor syrups and even sugar, most of the time. How brilliant is that?!! It makes me realize how complicated it was to please Americans, no really. They all have to have their special darn twist. Wether it's low fat milk, or sugar free syrup, or any syrup, or a blended frappuccino or something with whipped cream. They can't just enjoy the cool drinks for the simple splendor that they are!

We'll be offering 3 sizes of drinks (biggest is only about the 16 oz size). I get to sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent or the truck or something for 5 nights and I've been told the showers they have are really dirty and less than pleasant, great. Spot cleaning at its finest I suppose. I need to bring clothes for all weather because rain is always a possibility and so is sun and the nights are gonna get real cold; naturally. But I'm trhilled to be helping these young folks out and they're helping me too; so, for now, it's gonna be the start to a great relationship. We'll be expected to work solo at one of the 3 mopeds for 10-12 hours a day. Whoo!

What's cool is that they've just started a website: Caffe Italiano; you can see some pics, but sadly, it's in swedish. Sorry folks! So, yeah, I'm gonna be getting up there on Tuesday and serving Wednesday through Saturday and coming back on Sunday (June 5-10) Skål!