Sunday, November 21, 2010

Frosting: A Cupcakery

I walked into the friendly and inviting Frosting: a Cupcakery Tuesday morning around 11:00 a.m. to start my day with an aromatic Illy cappuccino and a decadent yet delicate pastry. Of course this Tuesday, I was lucky enough to get to take part in a cupcake and coffee tasting and demonstration.

I wanted to start with something light because it was still early so I decided on a small muffin like cupcake with fresh baked blueberries inside and a crunchy and sweet brown sugar crumble on top! You can check out all their other great flavors on their website. I also had a hot cappuccino served in a real porcelain mug, while sitting at an actual coffee bar*. Frosting actually opens around 7:30 a.m. most mornings to serve the morning coffee crowd at its bar with stools, and personable tables to share with a friend. Soon started the Illy coffee demonstration I was interested in. Two well-dressed Italian men in dark suits presented a brief yet in depth history of coffee, it’s preparation, and their passion for the beverage. I learned that Ethiopia is the only place in the world where coffee shrubs grow wild and is therefore believed to be the birthplace of the bean, and that a port in Yemen known as MOCHA* (sound familiar?) was the first port that sold coffee beans to Europe (boiled so that the envious Europeans could not plant their own coffee shrubs). Another interesting tidbit
I picked up was that Italians don’t actually like to drink their espresso with a lemon peel. They only did that during the great wars to balance the bitter taste of the poor quality coffee they had to drink when importing better quality beans was impossible. One of the Italian men was introduced as a “Master Barista” which sounded relatively foolish until he unveiled his cappuccino designing skills. Right before our eyes, and with after few flicks of his wrist, our master barista created an elephant in the mug, made of foamed milk and a sprinkle of cocoa powder!! His passion for coffee was vividly evident as he continued to delicately create a leaf design, a tulip, and a heart. It is clear that Illy CafĂ©, and Frosting Cupcakery take pride in what they do, and enjoy every moment of it (and you will too)!

http://frostingacupcakery.com/
1 Wisconsin Circle
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301.539.9021
Hours
Tuesday – Thursday 7:30 am - 7:00 pm

Friday 7:30 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Monday closed


Metro and Bus
Metro opens its doors right in front of our doorstep. Take Metro's red line to the Friendship Heights station and take the Western Avenue and Military Road exit.
By: Simone Meadows

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