Hello, fellow Affogato Adventurers!
Some of the best traditions begin completely by accident.
But before I tell you how this one started, perhaps I should introduce us.
We are Dr. James and Dr. Pamela—partners in life who share a love for faith, people, travel, good conversation, new experiences, and apparently…really good affogatos.
These adventures belong to both of us. Pamela—that’s me—will usually be the one writing the blog and bringing you along for the story, so when you see “I,” you’ll know whose voice you’re hearing.
And that is exactly how Affogato Adventures began.
Dr. James and I were at White Bear Lake Marketfest one evening and decided to stop for gelato. I will tell you more about where we went in the next blog because that little stop deserves its own story.
While we were getting our gelato, Dr. James asked me a simple question:
“Have you ever had an affogato?”
I replied, “What is that?”
When he explained that an affogato is gelato or ice cream with hot espresso poured over it, I started laughing.
As it turns out, I had experienced something very similar before—many years ago, completely by accident, while on a ministry trip in Australia.
I had stopped at a coffee shop in the middle of a mall and ordered coffee with cream. Apparently, something got lost in translation. What I meant by “cream” would have been better understood as milk there.
Instead, they actually went to the store, bought ice cream, and brought me coffee with ice cream in it!
It was much larger than a traditional affogato, but looking back, that is essentially what I had experienced.
Dr. James and I laughed about the story, and then he said something along the lines of:
“Well, you have to try a real affogato.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Since then, enjoying affogatos has become one of those simple things we love doing together. We find them at coffee shops, cafés, restaurants, and dessert places—and no two are ever quite the same.
It has even become part of our travels. When we visit a new city or find ourselves somewhere new, we now look for an affogato spot. Sometimes we plan it. Sometimes we simply stumble upon one. Either way, if we find a great one, you can probably expect to hear about it here.
Then recently Dr. James looked at me and said,
“This would make a great blog.”
And here we are.
So, what exactly is an Affogato?
An affogato is pronounced ah-foh-GAH-toh, and it is a classic Italian treat traditionally made by pouring a fresh shot of hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato.
The word affogato means “drowned” in Italian, because the gelato is literally drowned in espresso.
Simple? Absolutely.
Amazing? Also absolutely.
Hot espresso begins melting the cold gelato, creating a wonderful mix of strong coffee and creamy sweetness. You get hot and cold, bitter and sweet, all mixed together in one delicious little dessert.
And that simplicity is part of what makes it so good.
Of course, we have discovered that everyone seems to do their affogato a little differently. Different gelato. Different espresso. Different presentation. Sometimes a few extra surprises.
That gives us a great reason to keep trying them.
Welcome to Our Affogato Adventures
This blog is becoming something a little different for the two of us.
It is part food adventure, part date-night fun, part travel journal, part local-business discovery, and—let’s be truthful—part excuse to drink really good espresso over gelato.
As we travel and explore, we will take you along to some of the coffee shops, cafés, restaurants, and little hidden gems we discover. We want to introduce you to the places we visit, share what makes their affogato unique, tell you a little about our experience, and hopefully shine a light on some wonderful businesses along the way.
Because sometimes the sweetest parts of life are not the big, planned moments.
Sometimes they are simply sitting across the table from someone you love, laughing over a cup of coffee and a scoop of gelato.
Or wandering through a new city and asking:
“Do you think they have affogatos here?”
And occasionally discovering that something you accidentally ordered in Australia years ago actually had a name. Affogato.
Sip Explore Repeat,
Affogato Adventures with Dr. James & Dr. Pamela ♥️♥️
Purpose with Pamela
Instagram: @purposewithpamela
Dr. James — Instagram: @agenttree_software
Dr. James — Website: AiPostle.com