A couple of us from the roastery traveled to New Orleans for some recon on coffee and music festivals. We spent a couple days at Jazz Fest to prep for our humble music fest in Buena Vista, and a day touring the French Quarter – the FEMA enhanced section of town following Katrina. It was here we stumbled upon the Cafe du Monde’s chicory coffee and beignets (bin-yeahs)
The Coffee? Curious. deep and rich in flavor as well as color – it reminded me of the coffee I used to drink in Costa Rica, the Dorado or Cafe Rey, both mixed with what some said was cow blood, dried of course, and added to give a red hue. The bubbles around the outside, on the meniscus, expressed the red. Of course, chicory is much more appealing than cow. Overpowering in many ways, but good. The best part about it was that it was dark and thick, more European, and accompanied by fried goodness–a funky doughnut sans hole and mounded with powdered sugar, enough to throw at each other after finishing the beignet.
My biggest question, what did Ignatius J. Reilly think of the chicory? I’ll have to go back and try it again, maybe reread A Confederacy of Dunces. And next time, I should visit a hot dog cart to get more in touch with Ignatius’ frame of mind…
Ummm…. I would like to express my disagreement of the use of the word “humble” when describing the Collegiate Peaks Music Festival. It may be smaller than Jazz Fest and draw less “big name” artists, but our music festival has risen to Colorado stardom status after only two years of existence. The small, dedicated team of individuals that pour all of their energy into this amazing event should be applauded for their superhuman efforts! We’re grateful they put on a good show for Buena Vista!