SO! COFFEE

COZY PLACE WITH A STARBUCKS STYLE

Espresso macchiato and cappuccino was our choice on entering SO!COFFEE for the first time. Guess what is the size of cappuccino above? Yep, big. Huge, frankly speaking. I didn't see it coming when agreed for a big one. Now I call it a ''bucket of coffee''. What was intended as a quick coffee stop turned out to be a bit longer to manage such a cup.

Any thoughts on seeing this? Reminds you of something? It feels like Starbucks inside to me. Soft small armchairs, lots of deserts to choose from, soda, juice, sandwiches and yes, coffee too. My espresso looked lonely without a cookie or a pie. Everything in SO!COFFEE is telling you to get a combo of coffee/tea plus desert.

Actually, espresso was decent enough. Couple other things impacted my first impression of the place though. Barista lady obviously not very enthusiastic or smiling, dirty glass with water, chipped cup (that bucket cappuccino one).

I think I know who might be a loyal customer here. People who have SO!COFFEE on their daily route or can stop by at lunch for a chat and coffee with something sweet. Customers in big malls taking a break from shopping. Friends meeting to catch up with the news in their lives. And probably fans of some good looking and tasting deserts.

To my mind, it is just another chain with similar set of drinks and foods. Good to have those around the city for they are cozy and just generally nice. No need to lose time driving/walking through jammed city traffic to get to some specific place. Yet, the coffee didn't really touch the strings of my '''sold to coffee' soul here. How about you? Did I miss anything I should have tried?

20th International Food Service Trade Fair

 Coffee Exhibition in Warsaw!

What a day for coffee fans! First time for me to see, smell, experience so much coffee in one place in Warsaw, Poland. Of course, with my luck it had to take place on a usual working day, not weekend or holiday or at least late hours. Anyway, I managed to get there, it's all that really matters. The first picture up here is a competition among amateur baristas. Good luck, guys. I won't stop here for long, cuz I have to explore the rest of the exhibition.

Wasting no time, I found myself taking in short seminars on various coffee topics like Brewing Methods, Coffee Tasting, Making a Perfect Espresso at Home... Some of it was very basic, some profound enough to make me listen very closely. Actually, I had to use all my hearing abilities to the max cuz in such a noisy room it was a serious challenge.

Crowd was very hungry to hear and learn from barista #1 in Poland AGNIESZKA ROJEWSKA. We got to see some cool tips on making espresso and Latte Art. I wish there was more time to take that wisdom in. Still, really cool to have even that short time of learning from professionals.

The coffee zone of the exhibition turned out to be a bit smaller than I expected. However I saw some big names like Nespresso or Hario and totally new for me like Marley (brand owned by Bob Marley's son) or CoffeeDesk.pl web store.

 Guys at Hario stand brew great coffee by a Scandinavian roaster using alternative methods. Of course, I paused there for several minutes. No way I would miss out on good coffee. They totally met my expectations. Actually I got some ideas on additional tools by Hario for my collection.

At Arcaffe I intended to have an espresso with some single origin coffee. This particular corner is designed more for coffee buyers and cafe owners rather than just individual coffee freaks. I asked for an espresso made of single origin coffee. Barista told me it would make sense to check out the Hario spot for that. I followed his advice and didn't regret it.

One of the highlights was the Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee presentation. The sales guy gave a good speech but I was basically waiting on free and awesome coffee. Which I did get. OMG, this Jamaica is truly awesome! I guess Marley's son is not the only guy on the planet selling this particular coffee, but is really, really good. So smooth and balanced like good old wine. Simply perfect. Following that was a presentation of Brazil coffee association with some coffee tasting too. Another great coffee I must say! I love the sweetness it had, probably achieved by natural method used (drying coffee with the shell on it). Unfortunately it was not to be sold at the exhibition at all. I would certainly get some.

CoffeeDesk is an internet store with a wide choice of coffee, tea and various equipment. I just got my first pack of coffee through this shop. Wasn't rocket fast but within accepted timelines. 2-5 days as their page says. I chose Brazil coffee by Five Elephants, a German roaster. Had it three times now and still searching for the right temperature. 90-95 was ok, but nothing special. I believe it has more to it. Next time I'll go with 85 Celsius.

Coffee Exhibition is a must for Warsaw. Actually it has to be much larger and more developed. I might have missed some for it was the third and last day of it. I still loved every minute spent there. Coffee rules!