Um Abraco

It's no secret that I have a terrible sweet tooth. Case in point: I baked a loaf of apple bread this afternoon just to make sure I would have dessert after dinner tonight. But something that has only recently surfaced and developed is my new found love for coffee. Like all kids growing up, I used to watch, with complete and utter disgust, my parents guzzle down that muddy brown liquid with the headiest of scents. It was totally revolting to me. But over the last year or so, I started drinking and experimenting with coffee and espresso beverages. It began tentatively, with late nights and early mornings forcing me to grab some Starbucks or a cup from the corner breakfast cart on the way to class. Then, slowly but surely, it evolved to dabbling in espresso drinks, pondering the minute nuances between lattes and cappuccinos and macchiatos ("And what exactly is foam again?"). Which leads us to the present, and to my current torrid love affair with good coffee. It took a while to get here, though. It was several months before I could even distinguish good coffee from bad, and came to the sudden realization that the coffee I was drinking from Starbucks was actually complete shit (And trust me, it is). I can't exactly say I'm some sort of coffee connoisseur, but I do believe that these days I know what's up in coffee culture. And that would be Abraco.

I've been coming to this little joint for several months now, and can honestly claim that it makes the best cappuccinos I have ever had. In. My. Entire. Life. I am constantly craving it, yearning for it, dreaming -- and daydreaming! -- about it. And with their fresh and always rotating selection of pastries and sweets, Abraco is really changing the way I think and feel about coffee.

How every cappuccino is supposed to be

Rose Water Pain Perdu

My favorite, the Olive Oil Cake

My mom's favorite, the Cured Olive Cookie

Outside Abraco

The man behind the coffee, Jamie. He's a little crazy, but I kind of adore him.

If you haven't already been there yet, I really encourage you to go. And I'm talking now. Like me, you'll probably never be able to look at another cup of Starbucks the same way again. And believe me, that would be a good thing.

photos via kathyylchan