Blue Bottle Coffee Beans - Hayes Valley Espresso

We developed this espresso over five years ago for the launch of our Kiosk on Linden Street. This is probably our darkest espresso: lower-toned, minimal brightness, plenty of chocolate Ð with an engaging complexity as a straight shot. The shots are gorgeous: achingly heavy with voluptuous red-brown crema, and the silky, somewhat dangerous-looking viscosity of a power-steering stop-leak product once used on our (now departed) heroically battered 1983 Peugeot. In milk, it tastes like chocolate ovaltine, and holds its own from the daintiest 3oz Macchiato to our towering 12oz caffe latte. This is the most Brahmsian espresso we have. Brooding and autumnal, it is a coffee to mourn the passing of time.