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Birthday Weekend

Last weekend Matt and I took a trip down to Santa Barbara for our birthdays. Our goal was to do some coffee crawling. 
We had so much fun adventuring around that we’re going to make a tradition of it. 
I’m learning more and more that we both love business. 
 I love customer service, Matt loves efficiency. We both love excellence and integrity in all things. 
We hope someday to run a cafe of our own, we hope it’s in Nepal. 

We stopped in Goleta for some highly spoken of breakfast burritos, which are Matt’s favorite. They were delightful. I definitely recommend Cantina. The price was right, it was authentic, delicious, and more than enough to eat. I hope to make it back. Goleta was so cute. 
We stopped at The French Press on Anacapa Street first.
 Since we’re both in the coffee industry, we’ve starting doing the pros and cons of every shop we go to. 
Our intention isn’t snobbery, I promise. We just love discussing ideas for future shops of our own. 

The French Press did not disappoint. 
We ordered two cappuccinos and an espresso. The baristas were focused but friendly. 
Our drinks were poured right in front of us, both with lovely art, and called out right away. 
They serve Verve coffee and serve it well. The atmosphere felt quiet and spacious, despite the many
 people inside. A great place for a morning coffee or to hang out with a friend.
I am still thinking about my cappuccino (which was decaf). So yummy. 
It tasted like honey and some familiar fruit that I just couldn’t place. The espresso was pulled perfectly,
 with complex notes of orange peel and dark chocolate (for you nerds out there). 
Loved it. I give it 8.5.

Stop Numero Dos was Santa Barbara Roasting Company
One of the regulars at my cafe in SLO mentioned that I should check it out. The cafe was crowded and
 smelled of sugary flavored coffee, so we decided to just get an espresso and drink it outside. 
The baristas were impersonal and seemed too busy for us. We both really liked the use of their space; 
The layout of their cafe was really interesting, I have never seen a bar right down the middle of a shop before. 
The espresso wasn’t good. It was over extracted and stale tasting. It lingered in your mouth for a while, and not in a good way. Kind of an oaky afterbirth. 
I give it a 3.0, for the atmosphere. 
Right around the corner from SBRoasters, was a precious little shop called Chocolate Maya
They completely sold me on everything they do. 
Amazing chocolates, photos of the farmers and their families, and a bar where you 
can lounge and watch the chocolate being made. The ladies behind the counter were
 friendly and loved what they did. I had a Milk Chocolate Honey Champagne truffle. I died.

We saved the best for last. Handlebar Coffee Roasters.
 Matt had been before, but I was so excited to finally try what I had heard so much about.
Unfortunately, saving the best for last doesn’t always work on a Sunday. 
They were closed.
We ended our awesome weekend with a bonfire in Oceano with some buds. 
So thankful for Ariel, Jake, Molly and Jeff. Love them sweeties. 
Also, I love s’mores and roasted hot dogs. (I ate three, is that normal?) Bonfires are the best. 
What a wonderful start to a new year.

We enjoyed having you at our wedding and as our photographer. You made us feel so comfortable in a chaotic environment. We are so excited to re-live everything through every wonderful moment that you captured. It means so much to us.

-Katie + Matt

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