I ran over 6 miles in order to visit Four Letter Word, which they like to say is in Avondale. Fair claim, except it is on the border of the old cool neighborhood, Logan Square. They had one of the coolest espresso machines in Chicago, from Kees Van Der Westen, either a Speedster or a Mirage, I am not sure. It was a lever machine, which does not imply good coffee, but it could potentially correlate.
I almost never order espresso at a cafe, even if it is a reportedly "good" cafe, because I do not like espresso. Compounding this, almost every cafe does a horrible job making espresso because the baristas do not know what they are doing, introducing this off taste that hits the throat. But, I had come this far to one of the best cafes in Chicago, so I was going to take a risk and order some espresso.
I ordered what was labeled an Ecuador natural on the menu, paying no mind to the notes. It was $5, which I thought was respectable. Metric should feel embarrassed with their $5 batch brew. It took a while for them to make it, and I was surprised to find no off flavors, and a nice fruity and mildly chocolatey espresso. Thinking back to it, I think it tasted similar to how my birthday cake tasted. I thought it was great. I have the same complaints I always have about espresso, such as the fact that either the coffee disappears too fast or the coffee gets cold (remember, espresso is a fascist brewing method). But I cannot complain that it was horrible and terrible, which is a plus.
What I did not realize at the time is that this is aged in a spent oak barrel that was used to brew rum for 20 years! I do not know if I can even drink that coffee. 4LW says the benefit is the unique "microbiota" that is leftover in the barrel, so it is not like it has alcohol in it. But I am still suspicious.
I also took a risk ordering a natural process, and I think the flavors came out well and gently in the espresso. I'm on a roll, two non-washed coffees in just one week!
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