Located in the nearby town of Antony, Les Cafés de François brings its roasted coffee beans once a week to the Auguste-Blanqui market in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. On a recent Sunday, I made my way to this bustling open air market to sample their coffee.
They were serving “Petit Tigre” that day. Described as being full-bodied, well-roasted, and fruity, it is a house blend of arabica coffee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
I ordered an espresso made with this blend and found it to be quite robust.
While I sipped my espresso, my wife and business partner, Monique Y. Wells, enjoyed a lovely cup of hot chocolate flavored with hazelnut syrup.
I sampled a homemade canelé from this vendor as well. Their rendition of this French pastry, which features a tender custard center and a dark, thick, caramelized crust, was dreamy!
The joy did not stop there, because later on, up the street, we found a merchant selling a Portuguese pastry called pastéis de nata (not pictured). We purchased a bag of six to eat for breakfast during the week.
Before leaving the market, I purchased a 250g bag of the roasted “Petit Tigre” coffee beans, took them home, and prepared an espresso with my 9Barista stove-top espresso machine.
The 9Barista produced an espresso that tasted much like the beverage that I had tasted at the market. Beyond the intense flavor of coffee, I was able to detect some ephemeral notes of cherry and caramel.
Les Cafés de François
Sunday mornings at number 67 boulevard Auguste Blanqui in the 13th arrondissement.
