Don’t have one. Drinks that are four dollars are not coffee drinks, they are mutations.

The day my signature old-school macchiato or double espresso costs four dollars, I’m switching to tea completely.

I have to tell you this quick story though… the other day MaryAnn and I were in San Francisco and I got to have espresso at Blue Bottle. My pal Jim, who is a roaster at DOMA over in Post Falls, recommended it so I knew it would be good.

The line had like 20 people in it, but I figured, hell, if this many people, in this town, are willing to stand in line for this coffee, it must be good quality at the very least. So while MA went to a candy shop a few doors down to buy something to take home to the kiddos, I start waiting. Ten minutes or so go by, and then by sheer luck I notice that they have TWO different espresso stations, the main one and another slightly less obvious window around the corner where they have another machine and another barista serving drinks. Only this isn’t just another La Marzocco machine like they have at the front bar; this is a Mirage Triplette Idrocompresso (lever-pull style). Theirs is the 3-head version of exact machine we had at our café. It is considered by those who know about such things to be one of the finest commercial espresso machines in the world. They are hand-made one at a time in The Netherlands, and produce espresso that is simply, well, the best espresso you’ve ever had in your life, hands down.

So after another 10 minutes or so of waiting in line, and teaching a couple of first-timers who were in line with me what a true “macchiato” really is (because they asked), I finally get to the counter and promptly order two of them.

The preparation is an absolute clinic in perfect macchiato creation; a thing of beauty. Rich dark brown genuine Heath demitasse cups, a tiny spoon neatly placed on the saucer before the cup arrives, and the perfect timing of the whole exercise as the two big silent levers slowly make their arc back towards vertical.

The result was everything I hoped for. Quite simply, a macchiato that may have been the best I’ve ever had. In my opinion, the true macchiato is the perfect and essential way to experience espresso. And this one was perfect. The small amount of steamed milk slightly sweetening the ristretto espresso and making it taste like a whole new substance; something round, berry-overtoned, sweet, rich, thick, bright, luscious, and so instantly and insanely satisfying that it makes you grin and shake your head and chuckle out loud in public and call your wife who just had hip surgery and tell her to HURRY BACK RIGHT NOW because this is so bloody amazing. :)

That drink didn’t cost 4 bucks. I don’t pay 4 bucks for coffee. Ever.