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So, I took a trip about 2 minutes away (maybe 1/2mile) to that newer shop I mentioned to talk to the owners. I walk in, she seems happy to see me again, and he seems glad to meet me for the first time. He invites me back behind the bar. I do an attempt at latte art, and screw up horribly. I thought maybe I had overstretched the milk.

It turns out, he pulled a double shot from a single basket. Not only that, but it took maybe 10 seconds. Yipes! After a quick crashcourse in proper espresso extraction, he was as excited as I was at the crema produced. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was not bad at all. We tasted an under-extracted shot so we could see what to look for. I mentioned that it was "sour". We tasted an over-extracted shot. Some sweetness, but also some bitter flavors. We tasted a 'par' shot. We all thought it was much better.

Tried pouring art again. Nailed it. It was pretty exciting, they started showing customers. I've never been so happy as a customer in Lubbock. I love seeing this sort of passion and love for coffee. It's just so rare. It was like a breath of fresh air. I am working my way out of feeling like an island.

He told me about how they were trying to break away from the local coffee roasting company's hooks that they have in the local coffee industry. It seems they're connected in some way to every shop in town. It drives me nuts, and I was all too happy to hear that they were trying to do something different. A song for sore ears, as it were.

In other news:

A friend of mine is working on a site similar to the starbucks delocator, but this one will have options for reviews, and the credibility of the reviewer (i.e.-their position in specialty coffee). I'm really excited about it. It's a long way off, but I'll keep everyone posted. He wants to link to coffee blogs and resources on this site as well, so if you want us to list your blog, contact me to let me know. I'll get a list running.

My hope has new life. Thanks to James V. for helping to keep it alive in cyberspace. You da man.