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2009-07-08
10 瀏覽
The buzzing sound of the electronic coffee mill grinding the house blend into fragrant powders. The flicking of a switch turned powdered coffee into liquid darkness, topped with a thick layer of beige crema. The "sss...sss..." sound of steam tunnel heating and foaming the milk at the same time. With magical twists and turns of the hand and wist movements a perfect cup of coffee is created. The aromatic beverage that can fix everything from holiday mood to blues of solitude. Latte art, recently
Latte art, recently highly recommended as an edible art form, depends on the artistry of the barista. Here at Soft Aroma the art takes the cutest forms constructed above milk form -- the face of a piflet topping a Caffe Mocha, while a cartoon frog atop a simple caffe Latte. Art aside, Soft Aroma is cozy with chocolate brown tables set against chestnut brown sofa and chairs to match. On one side of the bulletin showed news clippings while lomo shots and post-it notes show of words of encouragement and compliments from others.
Unlike Fuel at IFC focusing on the lethal combination of coffee and jazz, Soft Aroma is gearing towards the Classic Rock and Soft Pop music as familiar melodies ring through the room from Joanna Wong to Norah Jones. The minutes tick by yet there is no sign of any clock anywhere, nor should there be. Time, afterall, is for those who are in a hurry, so unfittingly ironic at a cafe where people are supposed to relax and unwind with a warm mugful of coffee in their hands, leaving out the hustles of daily life at the front porch where smokers can huff away their troubles outside.
Caffe Latte ($23) is textbook perfect, with one shot of espresso topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of milk foam. It is soft and delicate to the touch and goes down easy without the stinging sour aftertaste. Caffe Mocha ($25) takes latte with a chocolate twist, but unlike other mochas with a dominating chocolate part, here chocolate and coffee are well balanced, and the creaminess of steamed milk offsets the two strong flavours. Caramel Aroma ($25) is a sweeter version of coffees with a darker caramel taste lurking beneath an otherwise simple latte. It's like a drinkable dessert, I think.
Here, coffee lovers savour the moments as sweet and satisfying as the coffees can get, the soft aroma arises everytime an order is placed, with a mixture of pungency and welcoming familiarity not easily created at home. Yes, it is as much ambience as the coffee that make a good cafe run. Soft Aroma's coffees may be focusing on sweet variations of the original, but the essence of chilling a bit during a quick escape from the lives of many who "bust their bottoms" is delicated and effortlessly captured here.
Having finished my coffee and writing this on the premise, I looked out the glass from the inside. Workers unloading boxes after boxes on an ordinary weekend morning, stores pulling up metal gates ready to open for the day. Passers-by smile as the warm sun shines into their hearts, kicking out the blues from repeated days of rain. It shines on me too, as I walked up welcoming the sun in open arm. Now how's that for a good morning, with the joy of a perfect coffee pastime!
張貼
