Things that give Pleasure. November

So it was really his last album.
There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
I will miss him.

Oh 2016. You wild thing.
So much has happened this year, in the wide world and in the small and near one.

The year has opened up new fields of work for me, and for the first time in my life, I am allowed to deal exclusively with anything tastewise, may meet with cooks to understand how they think, act, lead. May speak with passionate producers and with scientists and other experts. There will also be some of this here in the future. If you want to be closer, just follow me on Instagram.

Recently, for example, I discovered a series on the Bavarian TV station, and was very pleased about these two young bakers or this father-son-duo and even more culinary savvy bitter loving Bavarian gentlemen here.

On a recent research trip to Great Britain I discovered some jewels.
Silo is a restaurant, which is simply great because of its throughout sustainability concept. Douglas McMaster shows with his place that it is impossible to produce Zero (!) waste and is not even complicated. And it all is logical, makes so much sense. Crazy is actually rather that the so few people do this, especially since this can save about 40% of the costs. So it is fun to go there just to be shown by the team the 24h composter. Or the barrels under the wine tapping system. But actually, actually you have to go because of the food. I was there at lunch, and after the third course I had to call my man. Because the food was so incredibly good, so simple yet to the point, so emotional, so memorable and I had to share it with him. And immediately had to make plans to experience this together next time. For good things are more beautiful, if one can share them.

This very hidden bar is for me a bit the London counterpart. Considered the attitude, since here are also two makers at work, which live a special attitude to the guest. A hospitality in such convincing and real way, one is astonished, that it’s not done alike in (too) many other places. A menu of the hundreds of different whiskies in the Merchant House one will not find, as advice is given to taste. For this, Lewis Hayes and Nate Brown have developed their own color system in order to approach taste and flavor more intuitively. The team is trained to talk about the sensory so that the guest gets exactly what he or she wants, and at best discovers something new. There are also wines, excellent tea and coffee, if a guest simply come in the afternoon to read a book. And a member’s club, which besides tasting also offers drinks both ways: if you order a cocktail, you get the basic spirit aside. Here, a team shows how important they take to educate their guests.

I had read of coffee with coconut oil (and butter) years ago. But only when I’d been to London the Bulletproof wave got me. Especially in the winter morning I find the energy warmth that the coffee produces this way (for me just coconut oil), very pleasant.

And if you are looking for a caffeine-free alternative: recently I discovered Rooibus Espresso, which can be used in any portafilter espresso machine. And I must say: Pretty nice!

So since today is the first advent, here is a quite seasonal 1a heartful tip. I am, as you might know by now, a passionate coffee-drinker. Last year I gladly gave away this amazing coffee advent calendar as a gift and hereby we also discovered another Alltime favorite coffee bean. Unfortunately, they don’t do the calendar this year and I couldn’t find a nice alternative. That does not matter though, because I’m now looking forward to the Third Wave Wichteln. This is a coffee beans mailing, in which one gets a partner worldwide and then sends his or her freshly roasted Single Origin favorite coffee beans. Great right? You can register until dec 1st. So jump over, the rules and everything worth knowing are here. And the Facebook group is great, too.

And if you prefer wine, please come along here.

Happy first (stillalittlebit) Advent!