all of it, all the time

i've been ruminating within lately, trying to explore the next possible wave(s) of topics, philosophies, tidbits of gossip to blog about lately. i returned from my vacation yesterday--oddly enough, happy to be home--and jumped into the business of catching up on what other coffee bloggers and coffee friends were doing, thinking, discussing in my absence.

now, it's an unusual configuration of the planets when more than one of the usual sites i visit are tuning in to the same topic. and it's generally a rule of mine not to dive in when i don't feel i have anything original to bring to the table.

but this topic has been of interest to me since first hearing about it some weeks ago. it is basically the question of whether a barista dictates the parameters of espresso perfection or whether he is constrained by his immediate external components: the equipment, the surroundings and, of course, the coffee itself.

i won't hold forth here tonite (suffice it to say i'm still dragging a bit from sleeping on the hard ground in a tent for a week). but i do want to toss my proverbial two cents in very soon.

and i hope to expand the discussion massively. massively. a "yes" or "no" reponse is just too dull.

stay tuned.