espresso roasted dna

Coffee runs through my veins. I’ve been drinking the stuff since I was 6 years old. (That’s as far back as I recall, anyway.) Mom would prepare a cup (typically Folgers) for me with sugar and cream. (I want to say she used milk, but in my childhood household, coffee creamer was a staple, so most likely, that’s what she used.) On blisteringly cold winter days in Kansas City, it provided delicious warmth and comfort.

However, even at a young age, I knew there had to be more to coffee. And there was: General Mills International Coffees.

In the mid 1980s, I moved to New York a few months after I turned 18. Once there, my NY friends schooled me on a great many things… most importantly, café culture. I still vividly remember my first trip to La Lanterna. I met up with my friend, Filiz, (who was attending NYU), in Washington Square and we walked through sprinkling rain over to this paradise on MacDougal. It was dark and cozy and romantic, lit only by table lamps and a glowing fireplace. There was a resident feline, natch. At long last, I was at home fabulous home… a home I never could have dreamt up that good.

Needless to say, my General Mills International Coffees phase was slaughtered. Also thrown into that coffin were nondairy creamers.

On one of my return visits home to KC, I remember taking my sisters, Chanel and Elysia, to Westport to hang out at Classic Cup with me, one of the only cafés in the whole damned city. (Not very many cafés back then in pre-Starbucks KC.) My sisters were 13 and 11 at the time, but they humored me and tried the cappuccinos I ordered for them before I dragged them to the art house cinema around the corner to watch Tom Waits’s Big Time. Poor kids.

The hairpin curves in my life during that time soon led me to Petaluma, CA/Berkeley to attend school. (World College West alone deserves a blog-devoted month. Some day.) Anyway, it was then that I met Dave, a born and bred Berkeley citizen. He quickly introduced me to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Peet’s coffee. Our “dorm” rooms were actually in tin shack-like trailers. David’s room was minimal… pretty much just a mattress and espresso machine with a constant supply of Peet’s nearby, replenished on his weekend trips back to Berkeley.

For me, with the introduction of Sierra Nevada and Peet’s (oh yeah, and Dave), a new era had dawned.

I moved back to KC for a short spell in the late 1980s; cafés began to emerge. The mall in which I honed my shoe buying skills worked actually had one open up. Of course, it had a bright, sterile mall vibe, but nonetheless, it was a move in the right direction. An employee there, Scott, had a crush on me, and often gave me coffee. (I eventually found myself going with Scott to St. Louis for a Croatian bowling tournament… remind me to tell you about it sometime.) Mom began requesting I bring home some ground hazelnut coffee beans for her.

More moving around after that, but I eventually wound up in Berkeley again in 1991. One of my bestest buddies (and David’s girlfriend), Morgan, had just started working at Peet’s. She pretty much provided a java drip right into my veins. Triple shot mochas were my drink, frightening all who witnessed. Walking, BART and bus were my modes of transportation. Walking to work meant passing numerous cafés along the way. By the time I finished one coffee, another café was at hand to provide a refill. Espresso magicians got to know me; one would always serve me 2 madeleines and my cappuccino with a smiley face drawn in the foam; another would draw an “R”; another would draw hearts.

Moving to Santa Barbara in 1997, I knew I would go through café withdrawal. I mean, NO WAY could it compare to Berkeley, SF, or NY. I settled in with the Nissan travel mug Morgan gave me when I first arrived in ‘91 and prepared to start mail ordering Peet’s. I don’t recall, but somewhere in the course of things, I befriended the local supplier of Illy who would hook me up with cases of the stuff. (mmm… Illy…) Then, not long after my move, Peet’s announced it was to open a store in SB. Imagine my joy! Sadly, the Illy supplier is no longer, but Peet’s is thriving, with a second location (with free Wi-Fi) set to open tomorrow.

***

I recall reading a number of years ago about the emergence of drive-thru Starbucks and other java joints. I, an avid coffee drinker, thought it absolutely ludicrous. I mean, part of the whole coffee experience should be the sitting and lingering part. (There are certainly not enough inviting arty, “grown-up” cafés in SB. Oh, Berkeley, how I miss thee.)

Anyway, soon after Sofie came home from the hospital, being a micropreemie, we were pretty much confined to a bubble world existence. I would have given ANYTHING for a drive-thru Starbucks! (Santa Barbara has this annoying anti drive-thru ordinance thing. Only a couple exist in town; I think they were grandfathered in.) Now that we’re always on the go with happy and healthy Sofie, I would still give anything for a drive-thru, sparing the hassle of carseat buckles and a screaming Sofie who does not want to be put back in the car.

Yeah, yeah… I could just make it myself. I have the Rancilio Rocky Doserless grinder, the FrancisFrancis! X5 (light blue), have roasted my own beans (thanks to Lisa for the inspiration and popcorn popper to do so), but still… There’s something to be said for the café ceremony.

(Speaking of Sofie, she has already had her first tastes of coffee. (Decaf latte.) Nope, not from me, but from Tim a couple of months ago. I was simultaneously appalled and proud that Sofie immediately liked it.)

I went in to my office yesterday to pick up some papers and transfer some files so I could do some work from home. Saturday. Work. Sucks. Yeah. BUT… as I drove past the abandoned Storke Road Drive-In, I spied a sign on the building. All I initially saw was “coffee”… then I saw “drive-thru.” HUH?! I had to turn the car around to verify. Yup. That’s what it said. “Coming soon.”

!!!

It’s called Zizzos. Never heard of them, but hell yeah I’m going to give them a try. Please, Java God, let the coffee be goooood!

From Zizzos’s website:

Santa Barbara - Coming Soon 2008
Coming Soon to the good folks of Santa Barbara. Zizzos will be opening a coffee house that will give you a great place to bring your friends to and enjoy a great cup of coffee with an elegant atmosphere. We want to thank the people of Santa Barbara that have supported us and the city council in helping us getting a drive thru passed.
Location: TO BE ANNOUNCED

woohoo!

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