it's been a while... let's catch-up over a coffee!!

life has just been too busy for me lately.. i could barely lay my hands back on this blog!! weddings.. trips.. work.. more work.. and more work!! this busy schedule has completely kept me me away from being what i always want to be - a couch potato(!!), not to mention a blogger!! at the same time, i was having a bit of a trouble picking a topic that i WANT to write.. apart from my life, my mind has also been quite stuck recently!!

anyway, here i am.. blogging again!! thanks to my dear blog reader - carol, who blamed me for not posting in quite a pleasing way!! :)

cappuccino @ l'atelier de joel robuchon - landmark, central

so" it's been a while.. let's catch-up over a coffee!!" is THE favorite line i will use basically on any occasion, any time of the day, anywhere possible. coffee coffee coffee.. if you know me well, you should know coffee does make a big part of my life.

i am in love with almost every aspect of a coffee experience. first, its aroma, especially when it is freshly brewed from the coffee machine, watching the process makes me smile all the time, it makes me feel its delicacy and the effort it takes; also in love with its color, the crema gives a very welcoming warmth when you first look into the cup of coffee;

regular coffee @ W hotel, maldives (L) and tea & herbs, fortress hill (R)

the presentation - the frothy milk with all these interesting latte art when it comes to expresso coffee drinks and how these delicate coffee shops will serve their coffee with specially designed condiments utensils and delicate chocolates, biscotti and of course what i love most - macarons!! to me this is a complete "coffee meal";

cappuccino @ tree, ap lei chau (L), agnes b le pain grille, causeway bay (M + top R)
and classified, central (bottom R)

and finally the taste of it, loving the mixture of the roasted and bittersweet taste that is just rich enough to stimulate your nerves when you took the first sip and how the aroma stays in your mouth in a swirl as you finish it off sip by sip. One of my favorites is the japanese sumiyaki coffee - for its roasty caramel taste.

sumiyaki coffee @ random coffee shops, tokyo (L + bottom M), lavazza cappuccino @ vero, wanchai - one of his favorites (top M) and brewed coffee @ fleetwood diners, michigan

meanwhile, i also believe the when, where and who factors do make quite a difference to a coffee experience. i fancy coffee shops.. preferably small quiet ones with street views.. i spend most of my free time in coffee shops, it is where i study, work, kill my time in between appointments, catch-up with friends, or even just flipping through magazines with my boyfriend. another experience on this freshly brewed coffee i had at this diner in michigan during our last US trip, i never like how americans make their watery coffee, this one i had at this diner was quite pleasing after all.. maybe it was because of the chilly morning after a long haul plane, and this is also the place where he had the most treasurable memory and i was quite looking forward to it.

take-away coffee cups @ bouchon, napa valley (top L), l'atelier joel robuchon, central (top R) and last but not least, starbucks take-away cups - one of my favs (bottom)

another section of coffee that i like is its conventional yet practical take-away packaging, in 3 main parts - the cup, the lid and the sleeve. coffee sleeves are one of my biggest collections over the years. all the different design and graphics make me, a coffee and art lover, cannot help but to collect them as i visit different shops for a take-away coffee.

take-away cappuccino @ cova, taikoo place - the luxurious treat that lightens up my long working day

part of my collection of coffee sleeves...

this is just a brief introduction to the love of my life - coffee.. will get into more details of each and every aspect of it in my later postings. stay put!!