Weekly CORtado

 We've officially reached the point in the semester where the most energy I can muster is to walk across the street and go to Starbucks. I'm sure everyone here already has their opinions of Starbucks already decided, so I'm not going to attempt to sway anyone either direction. As much as I am not the biggest fan, I can't deny the extreme convenience of being able to order from my phone and barely leave the music building.  Like many people my age, Starbucks was my first foray into coffee. My mom & stepdad Greg used to love taking me and my older sister to the beach for day trips. We would leave before the sun rose, and to keep us from being obnoxious the entire drive, we would always start trips with Starbucks. They would order drinks for us kids loaded with espresso and sugar, so we would have a crazy burst of energy, followed swiftly by a crash that would leave us knocked out for hours.  I wanted to contrast a coffee chain that is so ubiquitous with a piece of mus...

 It's only Wednesday, and I already am missing Spring Break...  I was fortunate to spend the first half of my break down in Fayetteville, Arkansas attending the SHE: Festival of Women in Music hosted by the U of A. It was a weekend of presentations and performances celebrating the music of non-male composers & performers, not to mention a lot of good Southern food. I went with fellow University of Iowa doctoral student Sara Remoy who is a proud Arkansas alumna, so I had an expert source to finding the best spots in Fayetteville. My favorite coffee shop we stopped by was the Onyx Coffee Lab.  Onyx was rather busy, but still managed to maintain a quiet enough atmosphere to have a conversation or get some work done on your own. At first sip, it was easy to see why this roaster has won so many awards (one of their former baristas & now wholesale director Lance Hedrick has a great YouTube channel for learning more about coffee brewing & equipment reviews). Their m...

 This week I wanted to highlight another near Voxman favorite: The Java House. The Java House has multiple locations in Iowa City, with their downtown one being a short walk from the music building. I'll go ahead and give a disclaimer that this is not my favorite spot for regular coffee orders...  However! I think the Java House stands out in two categories. First, it is my favorite place to hold meetings or work with friends. The noise level is just right, there is plenty of seating, and the free Wifi has yet to disappoint me. The Java House also stands out in their fun seasonal drinks. They're often too sweet for me for my usual caffeine fix, however they're fun to share with a friend for a mid day treat. For this excursion, I went with my friend Xiaoyu (who also has a blog, check it out !) and we each enjoyed a coconut dream latte (which if you like your drinks to not actually taste like coffee I highly recommend) and each other's company.  The same way I wanted to h...

 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 ...

 To kick off this blog, I had to return to the first cafe I checked out upon moving to Iowa City: Cortado Mediterranean Cafe. It is only a short walk from the Voxman Music Building, allowing for the occasional change of scenery between classes and rehearsals. Alas, my dreams of the ultimate triple pun were crushed when I discovered their namesake was not offered on their main menu!  Fortunately I was able to still enjoy a warm cappuccino with the company of a classmate (who is also running a blog! You can check out Kevin's posts  here ). The space was bright and filled with small groups enjoying conversation. This may not be the best space to study or intensely listen to some brass ensemble repertoire, but for an espresso drink prepared to just the right temperature it's still worth stopping by.  I also wanted to start my repertoire features with an oldie but a goodie: Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Four Horns. I was first introduced to this work second semester freshma...