decaf?

so we all know what it's like to get the shakes from taste testing too much damn espresso. so why not try the odd decaf every now and then? i'll tell you why not. decaf is pointless. every decaf i've ever tried has made me want to scrape my tongue off. david letterman said it best in the peak of the ratings wars...."decaf is pointless brown sludge. what is the point?". i couldnt agree with him more. what kills me is people who order decaf skim lattes with sugar free syrups. but they order the largest size possible. why not just get a small latte with one shot of real espresso and no sugar free anything in it? has everyone forgotten moderation as far as volume and caffeine are concerned? i think so. i know i have forgotten caffeine level moderation, at least.
a new coffeeshop opened recently in pittsburgh. it's opening has been much anticipated by all coffeesnobs in the pittsburgh area, including myself. voluto coffee is located on penn ave. between the heart of garfield and east liberty. they carry 49th parallel coffee from vancouver, which i had never had before. the space is beautiful,high lofty ceilings with lots of light. it looks very much like an ikea catalogue, which is not a bad thing at all. very modern and very classy. they have a 3 group synesso machine and brew all of their coffee via french press ( one cant help think that they were inspired to do so by pittsburgh's old standard, tazza d'oro). on my first visit i had an espresso and a traditional cappucino. both were good though i would very much like to see them carry a single origin espresso. the espresso is very smooth and chocolatey, i like a little fruity sweetness in my 'spro too, though. the hot chocolate i purchased on my second visit was also exceptional, though i was expecting a might bit of chalkiness since they use a powder. i also ordered an ethiopia sidamo coffee which was right up my alley. i am a sucker for a good african coffee. the sidamo got increasingly sweeter as the coffee got colder, which to me, is the true test of a well-roasted and brewed coffee.
overall, i am impressed by voluto. it's great to have another coffeeshop in the pittsburgh community that is continually raising the bar of quality. yes please. i would love some more!