So Many Lattes: What’s Up With All This Coffee?

Whether you’re brand new to the J&A Community or you’ve been following us for awhile, you probably have seen a theme running through our Blog. And Facebook. And Instagram. And yep. Even the website.

We like coffee. Just a little bit. :) We talk about it, blog about it, dream about it. We have a “real” espresso machine at our in-home J&A Cafe that makes some seriously amazing lattes. I have to give credit to Joel for putting in tons of research and practice into crafting phenomenal espresso drinks, and then teaching me. All I had to do was take notes. :)

Combing both our love for coffee and for traveling, one our favorite hobbies is going on our J&A Coffee Adventures. (Check out #jacoffeeadventures on Instagram, and read all about it in our blog post here.) We travel all over the US (and the world, when we get a chance!) to experience as many of the epic, local coffee shops as we can.

(Coffee: Collins Quarter/Savannah/Georgia)

So how did our fascination with coffee start? We didn’t always have such refined palates. Trust me. On one of our our last road trips, we walked by those instant “cappuccino” machines in a gas station. Oh, reminiscing about the days when we would get so excited to stop for a “cappuccino”, and the sweeter the better. Ugh!! :)

It actually started with a new job. I got a job at the Chocolate Crocodile right after we moved here. I hadn’t found a dental hygiene job yet, and I’m not very good at sitting around. (And definitely, working at a gourmet chocolate shop in a high-end outdoor mall is pretty awesome. In case you were wondering.)

The Chocolate Crocodile had a full coffee bar when I first started working there. I (sort of) learned how to make lattes, mochas, and all kinds of other coffee treats. My first coffee obsession was actually an iced mocha. I’d have one every early morning shift as I did paperwork before the store opened. I made sure that Joel knew that all I wanted for my birthday was “an espress-o machine.” That phrase always came out in a sing-song voice. ;)

So Joel and his brother Benjamin got together and gave me this great little at-home espresso machine. I loved it, and it was one of the best birthday presents ever!!

Fast forward to our trip to Europe. (See a recap of that adventure here!) We had just started really learning that all coffee shops are not created equal. Joel had started creating coffees that were pretty decent, and we began to recognize that there was a huge difference between bad coffee, good coffee, and great coffee.

In Europe, we really got to experience what amazing coffee was all about. And the macaron because it was Paris. How can you not??

(Coffee: La Taverne de l’Arbre Sec/Paris/France)

P.S. Funny story! We ordered a mocha in Belgium and thought the barista gave us the wrong thing! Evidently where we were, a “mocha” meant a double shot of espresso with a little piece of dark chocolate to melt into it. And after one look at us Americans, she threw in that little green tube of sugar and a stir stick. Go figure! :)

Once we got back, we started learning how to refine our palates. We studied coffee and what circumstances made it amazing. We tried out new coffee shops every time we got the chance. We asked questions and honed our skills at creating amazing espresso drinks.

After awhile, our J&A Coffee Adventures were born from a desire to experience the amazing coffees of the world. Lattes, to be specific.

Why lattes? Aren’t true coffee fanatics all into pour overs that are unmarred by milk and sugar? Or maybe an espresso shot?

Well, lattes are just our thing. While I can totally enjoy a steaming cup of black coffee, Joel much prefers his with a little bit of color. Make that a lot of creamy color. More color than coffee, actually.

Lattes are the perfect way to keep us both entirely happy. We also appreciate the craft of perfectly steamed milk, the art of correctly added syrup (an overly sweet coffee is so not our thing!), and we get way too excited about fantastic latte art. While we are totally up for neat flavors if they strike our fancy, (chocolate chip pancake, for instance! One of our faves.), our go-to is a vanilla latte.

(Coffee: Octane Coffee/Atlanta/Georgia)

So from gas station powdered cappuccinos, Chocolate Crocodile mochas, coffee on the streets of Paris, and epic local coffee shops, to our own scrumptious lattes at our in-home J&A Cafe, our coffee adventures are more than just coffee. It’s part of the story of our lives as Joel and Amber. Part of the story of our relationship, of the simple things that we cherish in life. It’s the little things like a perfect vanilla latte.

Follow us on Instagram @joelandamber to keep up with our coffee adventures!

(Psst. A little secret! Not all coffee is created equal! Some coffee shops are definitely better than others. If you check out our special #jacoffeefavorites hashtag, you’ll see which ones made the top of our list!)

What are some of the things that make up your story together? Share in the comments below!

*hugs*

Amber