Paris Insights - The Blog

My partner and I entered Grains de Génie recently to taste and purchase coffee and tea. The coffee roasting facility is located next to the entrance to the Censier-Daubenton métro station (Line 7) near the popular Mouffetard market street in the 5th arrondissement.

I ordered a cup of Guatemala / Finca Brême espresso while my partner ordered a cup of Rooibos tea.

Bags of tea and roasted coffees are displayed along the wall, while outside there is a sidewalk terrace for sitting down.

I purchased a 250 gram bag of the of the Guatemala / Finca Brême and took it home, where I ground the coffee finely and brewed a cup in my 9Barista stove-top espresso machine.

Sipping the coffee carefully, I noted that its aroma was similar to almond. I did not, however, detect the other aromas that were listed on the bag: milk chocolate, orange, biscuit, and green apple.

I was pleased that the coffee was not at all bitter, which permitted me to enjoy it without adding any sugar.

Grains de Génie
45 rue Daubenton
75005 Paris

I recently purchased a 9Barista stove-top espresso machine and put it to use immediately.

From Loutsa Torréfacteur on rue Bazeilles, I purchased 250 grams of Santa Rosa roasted coffee beans from Costa Rica.  I ground 18 grams of the beans (finest grind in my De’Longhi KG520.M grinder) and brewed them with 120 grams of water (Volcania brand mountain water from Auvergne).   The result was a strong espresso with frothy crema that tasted much like the espresso I purchased the day before at Loutsa (see my blog dated October 23). 

I could not distinguish any of the aromas or flavors (clementine, honey, almond, chocolate, and caramel) that the coffee reportedly expresses, but I did enjoy the assertive coffee flavor of this strong beverage.

I enjoyed making the brew with the new machine.  There was no fuss after an initial period of learning the steps of the brewing procedure and there is minimal clean-up afterwards.  Easy and fun!

9Barista – Made in the UK

Last week, my partner and I entered Loutsa Torréfacteur, a coffee roaster and café on rue de Bazeilles, to purchase an espresso coffee.  I was curious to see if I could identify the aromas associated with one of the café’s specialty roasts.

A coffee roaster sits to the right of the entrance.  Next to it, a shelf displays 250g airtight bags of the café’s recently roasted limited edition specialty coffees.  The multi-hued colors of a package of Santa Rosa roast from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica caught my eye.  The package label indicated that this roast is characterized by aromas and flavors of clementine, honey, almond, chocolate, and caramel.  Could I, I wondered, identify any of these intriguing elements while sipping a freshly-pulled espresso made from this bean?  I decided to order one to test my ability to distinguish them.

I ordered the coffee at the counter, found a table at which to sit, and waited while it was being prepared.

After the barista placed the espresso on the table, I took small sips, trying to determine which flavors I could recognize.  Alas, the only thing that I could identify was the very strong flavor of…coffee.  Try as I might, I could not distinguish any of the characteristics that were indicated on the package.  The only thing I could say was that the brew tasted slightly bitter and sour.  I was not greatly disappointed, though, because I do enjoy the flavor of coffee. I persuaded my partner, who does not like coffee, to take a sip, but she could go no further in the taste test than I had gone in my experience.

Not ready to abandon my quest, I purchased a 250g bag of Santa Rosa coffee and took it home to try my hand at making espresso with a  9Barista stove-top coffee maker that I had recently purchased. Would I be able to capture those illusive aromas and flavors at home with my new espresso machine?

Santa Rosa Pure Origin Limited Coffee – 16.20€/250g – Loutsa Torréfacteur – 1 rue de Bazeilles – 75005 Paris

On Saturday, October 12th, I had the occasion to attend an open house at a photo studio located in the Boissière quarter of the Paris suburb of Montreuil.

The studio was founded in 1951 by an Arminian refugee, Varastade Kasparian, and has been operated by his family ever since. One of the sons of the elder Kasparian, Roger, went on to become a celebrated photographer, renowned for his images of popular singers and bands that performed in Paris during the 1960s. Today, the studio is operated by Maccha, the daughter of the second-generation Kasparian, and her daughter, Nelta, who divides her time between Paris and London.

It was fascinating to watch the mother-daughter team work together. Nelta took portrait photographs of open house attendees and Maccha developed the film.

Studio Boissière
265 boulevard Aristide-Briande
93100 Montreuil
studioboissiere.com