It's not very often that I go to a coffee shop and find a full-blown coffee roaster staring me back in the eyes.  But that's exactly what happened this past weekend.  We found ourselves at the Big Basin Cafe in Downtown Saratoga.

We were the last customers in the place, but ended up talking to the owner until way beyond the closing time.  Meet Elza - a Peruvian immigrant - who roasts her beans on her own, right there in the shop. It is evident from her passion in speaking to us about her establishment, that she loves coffee...and definitely has a passion in getting it right.  Her warmth and friendliness gives way to the personality of this quaint coffee house, harkening back to the days when such places become a place where friendships are made, stories are told, and good coffees are consumed one sip at a time.

They even serve the exotic Kopi Luwak...one of the rare coffees to be found on this side of the planet, and at fifteen bucks per espresso shot  - or if you so choose to bring home a bag home at $350/lb - it's definitely one of the most expensive coffees in the world.  I will leave it for wikipedia to let you know why Kopi Luwak is so expensive and exotic here. B-)

Here are some snaps of the roaster via the X100S.  Happy sippin' and keep on shootin'.

Cheers from the Bay!



Temper.Temper.

Cool.Me.Down.




The.Drum.




Control.Freak.

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