Espresso

(Serves 2) 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup heavy or whipping cream, chilled 2 ounces mascarpone 1 teaspoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1. Set a medium bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Add 2/3 of the chocolate to the bowl. Stir until it melts. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, dry the bottom of the bowl and set it aside to cool. 2. In an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup of the cream with the mascarpone, sugar, and espresso just until smooth.

Descendant Suffolk Dark Ale, from Mystic Brewery in Chelsea, is not easily categorized. Mystic says it's a hybrid of a dry Irish stout and an English porter fermented with saison yeast. I think of Descendant as a Belgian stout. The beer is tar black with a nice tan head, and it gives off a strong aroma of chocolate malt and coffee beans. The flavors come in waves: first Belgian yeast, then semisweet chocolate and roasted malts, and then a bitter, flowery finish. It's a strange, but strangely satisfying, brew.

Giorgio Milos is master barista for the high-end Italian coffee company illycafe of Trieste and maintains a blog at the Atlantic . In his first post there last May, he criticized American baristi for not knowing their business; in particular, he took them to task for not knowing how much coffee to use when making espresso.   The biggest mistake I've seen is an enormous quantity of coffee being used - way too much. I'm talking about 20 to 25 grams of coffee for a single espresso shot!

thinkingcup, a coffee shop opened in late 2010 near the Boston Common, which serves Stumptown roast , and has been recognized by people who make "best" lists, has received another honor. This one comes from  Krups, who called for a public vote on its facebook page. I am always a little suspicious of these industry-related awards -- and for this one in particular, it would be so easy to stuff the ballot box -- but thinkingcup is very well regarded . Stumptown coffee comes from their Brooklyn roasting site the day after it's roasted and there are good sweet and savory items...

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com) Red Sox starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia met with fans Peter Femino Jr. and Jeffrey Laflamme. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has the longest surname in Major League Baseball, and he's putting that distinction to good use, lending his moniker to a new espresso drink that will help raise funds to fight hunger and malnutrition in local children. Starting today, the Saltalamocchia is available at all three locations of the Boston Common Coffee Company.

NEW YORK — For an extra jolt to its finances, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. is selling a 7 percent stake to Lavazza, Italy’s best-selling espresso brand, for $250 million. Together, the companies plan to develop new single-serving espresso machines and espresso capsules that will complement Green Mountain’s popular Keurig coffee makers, which brew single cups of tea and coffee. The deal is expected to close in September and advances both companies’ strategies, they said.

Andrew Russo was 22 years old when he drank his first cup of coffee five years ago in a military mess hall. "It tasted like muddy water," said Russo, then an Army officer. But this encounter launched him on a quest to find the perfect cup of coffee and eventually to become the owner and operator of a food truck. His mobile cafe peddles coffee, espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and cold brewed beverages. Before launching Captain's Coffee Brewers last year, Russo visited cities such as Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., sampling everything from pancakes to sushi from food trucks.

thinkingcup, a coffee shop opened in late 2010 near the Boston Common, which serves Stumptown roast , and has been recognized by people who make "best" lists, has received another honor. This one comes from  Krups, who called for a public vote on its facebook page. I am always a little suspicious of these industry-related awards -- and for this one in particular, it would be so easy to stuff the ballot box -- but thinkingcup is very well regarded . Stumptown coffee comes from their Brooklyn roasting site the day after it's roasted...

SEATTLE - As caffeine junkies looking for their evening fix were locked out of Starbucks during the company's three-hour nationwide training sessions yesterday, many didn't have to look farther than some competing cafe down the street for free or discounted cups of joe. Canton-based Dunkin' Donuts proclaimed it "wants to ensure that no coffee lover is denied a delicious espresso-based beverage" when it said it was slashing the price of...

Owner Phil Schein created Fazenda Cafe as a fun place for chefs and restaurateurs from his wholesale Fazenda Coffee business to come for tastings. He quickly realized that if he paid as much attention to the menu as he did to the coffee, the public would be interested too. Manager Brandon Marston offers sandwiches ($6.95 to $7.95) for nearby Forest Hills station commuters, including curried chicken salad with toasted almonds and dried figs; and turkey with edamame-avocado spread, bacon, and sharp cheddar.

CAMBRIDGE - Most weekday mornings, you can find Steve Smriga, 34, of Somerville, at Area Four in Technology Square buying coffee, though occasionally he springs for a cappuccino. He loves the foam-topped coffee, but says, "These get expensive over time. " If you have ever wondered what Bostonians drink in the morning, here is the answer: We wake up to coffee, we are willing to splurge on foamy lattes, and we continue to sip iced coffee despite wintry temperatures. That so many folks are willing to spend as much as $6 a day on a morning beverage is curious in a weak economy.

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com) Red Sox starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia met with fans Peter Femino Jr. and Jeffrey Laflamme. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has the longest surname in Major League Baseball, and he's putting that distinction to good use, lending his moniker to a new espresso drink that will help raise funds to fight hunger and malnutrition in local children. Starting today, the Saltalamocchia is available at all three locations of the Boston Common Coffee Company.

Andrew Russo was 22 years old when he drank his first cup of coffee five years ago in a military mess hall. "It tasted like muddy water," said Russo, then an Army officer. But this encounter launched him on a quest to find the perfect cup of coffee and eventually to become the owner and operator of a food truck. His mobile cafe peddles coffee, espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and cold brewed beverages. Before launching Captain's Coffee Brewers last year, Russo visited cities such as Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., sampling everything from...

Giorgio Milos is master barista for the high-end Italian coffee company illycafe of Trieste and maintains a blog at the Atlantic . In his first post there last May, he criticized American baristi for not knowing their business; in particular, he took them to task for not knowing how much coffee to use when making espresso.   The biggest mistake I've seen is an enormous quantity of coffee being used - way too much. I'm talking about 20 to 25 grams of coffee for a single espresso shot!

Owner Phil Schein created Fazenda Cafe as a fun place for chefs and restaurateurs from his wholesale Fazenda Coffee business to come for tastings. He quickly realized that if he paid as much attention to the menu as he did to the coffee, the public would be interested too. Manager Brandon Marston offers sandwiches ($6.95 to $7.95) for nearby Forest Hills station commuters, including curried chicken salad with toasted almonds and dried figs; and turkey with edamame-avocado spread, bacon, and sharp cheddar.

NEW YORK — For an extra jolt to its finances, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. is selling a 7 percent stake to Lavazza, Italy’s best-selling espresso brand, for $250 million. Together, the companies plan to develop new single-serving espresso machines and espresso capsules that will complement Green Mountain’s popular Keurig coffee makers, which brew single cups of tea and coffee. The deal is expected to close in September and advances both companies’ strategies, they said.

Descendant Suffolk Dark Ale, from Mystic Brewery in Chelsea, is not easily categorized. Mystic says it's a hybrid of a dry Irish stout and an English porter fermented with saison yeast. I think of Descendant as a Belgian stout. The beer is tar black with a nice tan head, and it gives off a strong aroma of chocolate malt and coffee beans. The flavors come in waves: first Belgian yeast, then semisweet chocolate and roasted malts, and then a bitter, flowery finish. It's a strange, but strangely satisfying, brew.

Nespresso, the Swiss "espresso solution" brought to you by Nestle, opened its first free-standing Nespresso Boutique in North America recently on Newbury Street. One could easily mistake it for a Sephora or a LensCrafters. But don't be deceived by the research-lab interior, or the complete absence of any coffee aroma. Nespresso is using lots of science to deliver consistent quality espresso, and it's trying to make obsolete the art of the perfect espresso "pull" (sorry, home-baristas)