Weekly CORtado

 It's official: I have a new favorite coffee shop near Voxman. DAYDRINK is a short walk away and reminds me so much of the shops I used to love in Chicago. They even carry Spirit Tea (which is a Chicago-based company) for if you aren't in the mood for coffee!  Before coming here, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed a good pour over. While my fiancé originally ordered this Ethiopian, I took more than a few sips. It was slightly under extracted (the notes were very heavy on the fruit end, I think with a slightly finer grind it would have led to a more balanced sip with some brown sugar notes) but it was still incredibly smooth. I'm a sucker for a syrup made in house, so we also split a vanilla latte. All of their espresso drinks are automatically made with oat milk which was a nice touch!  Instead of the usual review of one piece, today I'll be providing some notes on the playlist (linked here ) I'll be sharing in class on Wednesday. Most of the repertoire still featur...

 One of the perks of being a freelance musician is getting opportunities to explore different places. I recently played with the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra for their Valentine's Day themed Masterworks concert, and in between services I had the opportunity to explore downtown Muscatine. I needed to work on some homework and answer emails, so I popped into The Coffee Belt for a drink & wifi.  The overall atmosphere was very cozy, with soft music and plenty of natural light. I was able to pop in my headphones for a productive hour. In the spirit of the holiday, I decided to try their seasonal Sweet Heart latte. It was definitely sweeter than my usual drink order, but I could still taste the espresso shots. I'm definitely looking forward to exploring another shop in April when I'll be back for their last Masterworks of the season.  Speaking of sweethearts and Valentine's Day... I wanted to focus my repertoire this week on a piece that I recently performed with my own ...

 This week I finally was able to obtain the namesake of this blog: a cortado! For those of you who aren't familiar, a cortado is an espresso based beverage. It typically is an equal ratio of milk to espresso, steamed to a cooler temperature and less foamy than a cappuccino.  I was able to snag this at Poindexter Coffee, which is another great option for coffee close to Voxman. This is my favorite shop in town to study or get other work done. Poindexter is relatively quiet and has plenty of seating. Importantly - it also has ample access to outlets! This trip I also made an important discovery alongside my friend Sara (who sadly is not a brass player with a blog, but she does run a pretty rocking bassoon reed business ). After 3 PM Poindexter stops serving breakfast items, and instead offers a full menu. We split some tater tots & loaded fries, not the most conventional coffee pairing but perfect for a midday pick me up.  Similarly to our detour away from conventional ...