I agree with many of the sentiments here. The grinder and the coffee are the most important components. I use a Rancilio grinder (probably overkill) and buy beans fresh at Stumptown (29th St.) or mailorder them from several sources, my favorite (but expensive) being Terroir. (that's what we used at Melt.) And I use a simple French press - I have one that makes enough for a big mug and another larger one.

A great resource is http://coffeegeek.com/.

Quote:

Ah, now I know how some of you think! I regularly take my bike to the Grove St. PATH as well as ride the streets in lieu of using my car. Generally speaking, JC is not a bike friendly town. There are no bike paths and a zillion potholes. Plus, this town is full of aggressive drivers who think bicyclists have no rights whatsoever. Some drivers get their kicks out of seeing how close they can come to brushing me off the road despite obeying the traffic laws. I hear the same from other cyclists too.

Occasionally I will go the wrong way on a 1 way street for various reasons. One of these reasons, believe it or not, is that I sometimes feel safer ? a rationale is it?s better to see who?s gonna play games and play chicken rather than get blindsided.

To the wise poster DS, all I have to say is I hope you get run over by a Mack truck while jaywalking. Cheers.

I finally paid a visit and really liked the tacos. Unfortunately, they were out of cactus. Has anyone tried this?

Quote:

Really? In that case, my vote(s) are for sale.

I'm not doing espresso, just coffee and cafe au lait. I have a steamer for the cafe au lait and homemade hot chocolate, but soy milk isn't in the plans for now. Half and half for the hot chocolate and whole milk for the cafe au lait. [the menu is up at meltjc.com] Besides, it's not my life ambition to follow in Starbuck's footsteps :).

But you might wanna check with Christopher at Legal Ground. He's doing the full line of espresso drinks (and better than Starbucks.)

While the topics of kid-friendly restaurants and cell phone use in restaurants are valid, please start a new thread on these subjects if you'd like to discuss them further. Unfortunately, the software does not allow for me to move these posts and I don't want to delete them. Please stick to the topic of welcoming a great new coffee shop to JC. Thanks for your cooperation.

We stopped by today and chatted with owners Irma and Christopher Escudero. Make no mistake, this place is a serious coffee shop and is going to make a wonderful addition to the up and coming JC cafe scene. Legal Grounds will be roasting their own coffee on premises. They also have some very serious equipment including a 3 group La Marzocca espresso machine, the Rolls Royce of espresso machines, as well as double pot Fetco coffee brewer and grinder. That's half the equation. The other half is knowing how to use the equipment. Christopher has been researching and training for the past year and he definitely knows his way around the equipment. The espresso he made for me proved that.

The place is homey and has a real cafe feel to it. The unusual lights really add a nice touch. Credit that to the expertise Christopher developed in the lighting business, a career that followed his law degree.

They open Sunday, February 27th. Best of luck to a super nice couple who did their homework.