Paris Café Festival 2024 (9-11 March)

 

Sunday I went to the 5th edition of Paris Café Festival at Carreau du Temple in the Marais.

My first time to the Coffee Festival but definitely not my last. 

Coutume Cafe

Cuppa Coutume Cafe Coffee, 9" x 11" On Monday, Paris photographer Carla Coulson posted where to get a decent cuppa of coffee. I'm always on the lookout for a decent cuppa hot chocolate, I thought I better show you brand new Coutume Cafe (opened just in March) 

Luckily we had a poster explaining what to look for whilst tasting.

Coutume Cafe is a new concept in decor (pared down) and the beans are roasted onsite by co-owner Master torréfacteur (best roaster) Antoine Netien. 

Pick your beans.

Then head to the lab - front counter to watch US barista Kevin Ayers to make your cup to order.

The process is enthraling.

The results: prefection.

Bubble, bubble

Co-owner Aussie Tom Clark is onsite and happy to answer all your coffee questions. 

Cafe Coutume is in the 7th a quick sprint from Le Bon Marche on 47 rue de Babylon. 

Oh why did I leave my petit pain au chocolats (pastries are from FAB Patisserie des Reves)? I'll go back soon.

BON WEEKEND!

 

Coffee and Tea Festival

Les Macarons with Pomegranate Tea, watercolor

Here's the followup post on the Coffee and Tea Festival I attended on Sunday.The funny thing is there's no coffee or tea in this post?!

I made a beeline for these witty sculpture/lamps on Sunday.This is a HIS & HER set of lamp-things...
They sit on a faux tablecloth that's been copperizedThe wire coming out of the spout is both the poured liquid and what connects the bulb to the pot..or something like that. Hmmm...well just visit Eric M. Sternfels' POURtensious and find out more. I thought they were fun and I loved the vintage cups and pots! So nice to paint...I tasted AMAI TEA and BAKE HOUSE's delicate tea sweets when Tavalon Tea Bar first opened in Union Square - flavored with Earl Grey + Current, Chai Almond, Lemongrass + Ginger and Green Tea.
"AMAI" means "sweet" in Japanese and AMAI is a sweet internet/blog success story. Kelli Bernard began writing about her baking passion on her blog, Lovescool.com and it evolved into a business. Kelli's treats are meant to enhance the tea drinking experience and soon AMAI will have it's own teahouse in New York. I promise to report back :)KEIKO makes Matcha Green tea chocolate from specially "shaded" tea plants. The net-covered tea develops more active substances and a highly aromatic scent.There must be a coffee artist at these things and Karen Eland can paint the Mona Lisa with just expresso coffee as her medium!Last but never least, these macaRons at the Tea Festival from Georgia's French Bake Shop. You know I bought a bag. They were so good they never made it to any still life setups. Why American pastry chefs haven't caught onto this huge trend is beyond me. Georgia's coffee mac was YUM, but there was little real coffee to be tasted at the festival.When I lived on 13th street, my neighbor's kitchen was next to my bedroom. Every morning coffee aromas would waft through the wall and wake me bolt upright, better than any alarm clock. Where were the coffee aromas at the "Coffee" and Tea show?

Perhaps next year they'll change the name to The TEA Festival NY!?

My Cups Runneth Over...

Tea at cafe Luco, original watercolor

I forgot to say yesterday that my cup runneth over.

2006 has been a wonderful year for me, because you've stopped by Paris Breakfasts for a cuppa..

Hot Chocolate at Les Duex Magots, original watercolor

A friend sent a kind email: I raise my teacup to you. Continued succes, cherie.

Hot Chocolate at Angelina's, original watercolor

I have lots of ideas I want to get out of my head and onto paper.. And lots of cups to paint for you this year.
BIG MERCI everyone! :)

At the Café...

Tea Cup and Lemon Macaron

You never know how a chance meeting will change your life...

I met a Cafe cup and 2 sugarcubes a year and a half ago in an Avignon cafe...et voilà! Paris Breakfasts was born.

I love painting coffee cups,They get to sit on thousands of cafe tables throughout France, the lucky ducks! Along side are morceaux de sucres (sugarcubes) and Carres de Chocolat (chocolate squares). 

There 6 Paris shops (Les Comptoirs RICHARD), where you can buy real cafe cups...
Those wonderful carte menus with the green binding in Paris cafes!

I met Corinne for tea at Cafe Le Luco. 

I painted Corinne's cup of express the last time we met.. My nose is still glued to the drawing table. Please REMEMBER the Menu For HopeIII We have till December 22 midnight to help. 

Sucre Morceaux

Two lumps please, 7 1/4" x 6 1/2"

Here's something else I like to bring back from Paris, but they have minimal shelf life. They fall to bits in no time, these sucre morceaux (café sugar cubes).

Each morceau de sucre blanc weighs in at 6 grammes and they're the perfect companion for the classic cup of coffee.

Café Flore sucre morceau, 7" x 6"

Bet you didn't know these adorable sugar cubes were invented by a Parisian epicier (grocer), named Eugène François in 1875. Formerly you got your sugar chopped off a big loaf, or cone-like hunk. Not very convenient for dropping into a coffee cup... It was in the 1960's that the paper wrapping became a billboard for branding just like French candybox ribbons and stickers.

Sucre morceau, 8 1/2" x 6"

The squared-sugar cube fits right into Cézanne's règle (rule) of géométrie, " if you can draw a cube, a sphere, a pyramid...you can draw anything". These cubes add a nice contrast to round café cups and cast pleasent shadows..

Cafés Ladoux sucre morceaux, 9 1/2" x 6 1/2"

Should you choose to make yourself a cafe royale, you'll need black coffee + a teaspoon holding 1 sugar cube set atop your cup. Pour coqnac over the cube and into the coffee. Then light up the sugar cube with a match, letting it flambé and caramelise enough to be stirred into the brandy-infused coffee. Delicious.

M. tells me "sucrettes" is the name of these long paper sachets of granulated sugar you now see on far too many café table tops for my taste. Are they're preferred by those on a regime (diet) since you can control how much sugar goes into the cup?

Here's a leçon to learn if you're moving to France. Powdered sugar is used strictement for baking. So don't put your best silver sugar bowl filled with Domino on the table and get laughed back to the kitchen. Sucre morceau MUST be served with coffee and tea!