Looking for the best coffee
Following Anthony Bourdain's tragic death in 2018, I wanted to reread the work of someone I consider one of the best storytellers of our time. While discussing my reading with a friend, I realized that very few of his texts have been translated into French—I must admit, it's quite a task to translate them. Reading his work, one can almost hear him, with his authentic and straightforward narration.
I'm already bored: I'm not a huge fan of many artists, but honestly, Bourdain has always encouraged and influenced me to see cultures differently and to be interested in the history behind culinary traditions. While reading his book "A Cook's Tour," I found in these lines a thought I often share with people who ask us, "What is the best coffee in the world?" So I took the liberty of translating a section of the book and applying my thoughts to the world of coffee...
In search of the perfect dish
Of course, I already knew that the best meal in the world, the perfect dish, is rarely the most sophisticated or expensive. I know very well that factors other than technique or rare ingredients have a powerful impact on creating culinary magic. Context and memory play roles in the great meal of a lifetime. Let's face it, you're eating a simple dish cooked on the grill in the shade of a palm tree, with sand between your toes, samba music playing in the distance, waves crashing on the shore a few steps away, the wind tickling the back of your neck, and, looking at the rows of Red Stripe bottles, you catch your sweetheart's eye and realize you'll soon be making love in clean, beautiful hotel sheets. So, that simple chicken leg, cooked on the grill, tastes a whole lot better.
A little thought… “You will be executed in the electric chair tomorrow morning. What will you eat?” The answers are always the simplest.
Excerpted from the book “ A Cook's Tour in Search of the Perfect World ” (pages 6-7).
Is our coffee the best in the world? No. Was the best coffee I've ever had a natural Ethiopian, brewed perfectly with a 1:16 ratio at 94 degrees using freshly ground beans? No. (Even though I love it…) But could our coffee be the perfect companion for one of those moments, the best cup of your life? We hope so. Speaking of which, what has been the best cup of coffee you've ever had?
Mr. Fabi
4 comments
Mon meilleur café était à Leamington, Ont où un Portuguais tenais un petit café.
Le même goût (obsédant) retrouvé, une dizaine d’années plus tard, dans un resto de Montréal (Pasta Encore) qui n’a pas duré longtemps :( (??)
Depuis on est allé un couple de fois en Italie :) :) Depuis je recherche un goût particulier, que je ne retrouve nulle part autour. Il y a de très bons cafés en ville. Mais pas ce que je cherche.
on ne baisse pas les bras..
Mêmes grains, machine “semblable” … Eau différente? On lâche pas…
Le café Faro est parmi les cafés de haute gamme que nous apprécions et nous pouvons l’offrir à nos invités en sachant qu’il sera toujours apprécié.