What Makes a Good Cup of Coffee?

We take tremendous pride in our coffee. When we opened a little over 9 years ago, I was convinced that we did it for two reasons. One: John wanted a slicer. He wanted access to his own perfectly sliced prosciutto. Two and most important: John wanted to have a $10,000 espresso machine that made a perfect espresso.

What goes into the perfect cup? Well, the coffee is key. We only use La Colombe. Our hometown roaster is bar none. I just returned from the west coast and although the coffee was good, it was not La Colombe good. How luck are we, here in the city of brotherly love?

The second thing is the espresso machine. Ours is a specimen, is it not? I love things that are gorgeous AND work tirelessly. Our gorgeous Victorio Arduino. It is worth every penny.

The third and most important part of the great coffee equation is the barista. You can have a great machine, great coffee and still have a horrible cup if the person making your cup has no idea of what they are doing. We train and train. You don't make a perfect espresso, you are not allowed to make espresso. That simple.

Coffee is as important to us as our gelato. That means it is as important as the air we breathe. Breathe deep, my friends and join us for an espresso.

Barista-On-Barista: Dawne B.

Yes. It's that time. Again... Time to get to know your 13th street Capogiro baristi!! Today you'll get to know Dawne B. through Nelson H.'s eyes:

If there is one person at Capo that will make you smile simply by existing, that would be Dawne B. Her timid yet dominant stature could overcome any Capo situation with the superior charismatic elegance and dexterity in the field of coffee and gelato that a barista should possess. Her bright smile and warm persona also makes working with her a spiritually transcending experience, which is to assume that she is in fact, Goddess herself.


In the busy Capo summer you may very well see her executing precision dance moves in a line of other Capo workers to such music as M.I.A. or Kitchen Syncopators. Don’t think that would stop her from proudly serving you delicious gelato, adroitly pouring a cup of coffee, and effortlessly steaming milk while attempting to do a back flip to Jimmy Eat World because her multitasking skills are crazy tight. In the raging sea of people that flows into Capo you can always rest assured that when you got Dawne on board the sky is the limit, but you can bet that when the Seasonal Solstice is underway you can probably find her dancing in a drum circle and raising her eyes to the Stars.
by Nelson H.

Creative Cat Strikes.

Droppin' it like it's hot

 Dearest Barista Katy has some clever concoctions to share:

So, you came into the cafe earlier in the day, in a rush and ready for a steamy hot coffee to go. You couldn't resist the gelato and in a haste took home a few pints for later. Now it's after dinner and you're ready to cozy up on the couch, turn on Jersey Shore (or whatever else your guilty pleasure programming may be), and finish off those pints with a spoon. But wait! A sudden burst of creativity hits you (no thanks to Jersey Shore, I'm certain) and you realize : this could be something more. What else could this gelato BE? Don't get me wrong, gelato is, on its own, a wonderful treat, but when you're confronted with mass amounts of the cold stuff daily as we baristi are, sometimes you just want to jazz it up a little. Here are some of my faves:

Life is messy sometimes.

Root Beer Float: Easy enough, you can get some yummy local root beers at the Reading Terminal Market. A generous helping of fior di latte on top adds to any float!

Capo-style Banana Split: Bananas are tasty but if we're going to do it right, let's use plantains. Fry plantains with brown sugar and add a little mascarpone gelato to the dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Heavenly.

Booze It Up: many of the gelati and sorbetti we make have a little liquor in them already, especially in the wintertime. But you're at home and weary after a hard day's work, there's no reason why you shouldn't add more. Call it your personal happy hour. Throw some blood orange sorbetto and as much tequila as you see fit in a blender, add a
little umbrella, crank up the heat, and pretend it's not 15° outside. Or maybe a little vodka to the white chocolate and kahlua for a white Russian that Lebowski would approve of?

Coconut Creme Pie: I've actually never tried this, but a customer once bought 3 pints of Thai Coconut Milk with aspirations to turn it into some kind of pie. As Thai Coconut Milk is one of my ultimate favorite flavors, this notion excited me greatly. If you have the recipe for this please let me know ASAP.

There you go. Those are only a few things to do for your at-home gelato fix. I'm sure I've merely chipped the tip of iceberg - there's certainly plenty more to be discovered!

Any you'd like to share?

Barista on Barista, cont.

Oh, Fernando.. I can remember when he was a new kid on the block. He wasn't always mustache-clad with guitar strapped on his back. But with the help of gelato's secret powers, he evolved into the man we know today. I was one of the lucky few to sit him down and pick his brain.

Ryan: How long have you been here?

Fernando: Going on two years in March.

R: What do you like best about working here?

F: I'd say that the best thing about working here is unlimited access to cioccolato scuro. (And I have to agree, dark chocolate, you are a force to reckon with)

R: What's your all time fave flavor and why?

F: Sweet potato pecan praline, because it tastes like Thanksgiving on a spoon.

R: You always come hand in hand with your guitar. Why is that?

F: I never know who I'll meet while working. I like to bring it around, because I close a lot, and we're near a lot of open mic nights. I like to go after work.

R: Where do you like to play?

F: Doc Watson's, Fergies, Time occasionally. When it's warmer, I play outside, like Rittenhouse Square. (I've been swooned by his guitar in warm summer weather before. It's lovely. And if you walk in when Seal's "Kissed By A Rose" comes on, prepare for a full-out breakdown of his power.)

R: As Capogiro's "Ladies' Man," what would you suggest a gent has a lady try to seduce her? What flavor and why?

F: I'd say Mexican chocolate. It's spicy, muy caliente. It has flavor, adds intensity to any relationship, and chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

R: Lastly, what's your sweet 'stache say about you?

F: I'm eccentric. I have a flare for dramatics, and I enjoy the fashion of the 19th century. (Riiiiiight)

Well, there it is. A venture to the belly of the beast. Until next time, this is R2 with Barista on Barista.

Barista-On-Barista: Ryan R.

It's that time again!! Time to get to know your bright eyed, smiling faced, always-happy-to-see-you Capogiro baristas: This week we've got the scoop (get it, "scoop", we sell gelato... hahaha) on 13th street's Ryan R., or, as he signs off on all of his cleaning tasks by, "R²". [Just so ya know, this photo is from our Holiday party last week, he doesn't work like that.]

As a customer, you probably know Ryan as that sweet guy who can handle an out-the-door Saturday night summer line quickly and with the slightest of ease. Getting you from anxiously waiting at the back of the line to lounging in our cafe with a full cup of Avocado and Lime sorbetto all within a matter a seconds, and with the style and grace demanded of a Capogiro gelato artisan. (It is a serious art, if you didn't know. I mean, you've read all about how we scoop this stuff, haven't you?)

To me, Ryan is that guy that I can always count on to be consistently AWESOME. No seriously. Ryan's been at Capogiro for a little over 2 years now, and he's got his barista game on tight. But Ryan is much much more than a barista, I swear...

A journalism major at Temple University, Ryan has just finished up an internship at Philadelphia's Magnet magazine. He was even so popular there that they ended up interviewing him about music, about Magnet itself, and yes, even about Capogiro... (You can read that interview HERE.) Ryan's set to graduate school this spring, and has plans to move to Iceland with his fiancé, Joe, after the summer. (Gay marriage is legal there, so legal that they even have an openly gay President... Did'ya know that?)

We'll miss you Ryan, but till then, keep scoopin' those eggs (I told you, read that post)...

Barista On Barista: Getting To Know 13th Street's Nelson H.

If you ever stop by Capogiro 13th street and you hear Darwin Deez playing, it's a sure bet Nelson is behind the counter.

Nelson joined our team this past spring; he is a Temple University sociology major who enjoys long walks on the beach ;)

Nelson works a variety of times during the day and is awesome at finding nooks and crannies to clean. His cheerful demeanor and upbeat personality make for a fun experience for both customers and employees. His favorite flavor gelato is Chocolate Banana!

Stop by and say hi sometime!

by Alex F.