Thursday, October 23, 2008

CC: Espressit

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Espressit
Location visited: Haddon Twp, NJ
(18 Haddon Ave)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]


*Update 5/18/09 at end...

Ever walk down a street and think to yourself "For the love of Peter Pumpkin Eater, why is there not a coffeehouse here?!" ? I sure have. Heck, I've screamed it into space more than once (well, maybe not verbatim but you get the idea).

Haddon Avenue in South Jersey at many points is one of those streets. In Collingswood and Haddonfield, a coffeehouse or two occupy the street but in much of the space in between, there sat nothing until recently with the opening of a new place called Espressit.

Espressit sits beautifully nestled in a strip of shops, the coffeehouse itself having a beautiful black exterior complete with a gorgeous sign, nice patio furniture, and nice assortment of potted plants. Inside, the place was arrayed in beautifully lavish furniture and a very calming decor.

The coffee is La Colombe, an ok coffee roaster out of Philly. The coffee proved typical La Colombe; not horrible but nothing distinct. The espresso, pulled long, tasted fairly decent with some decent sweetness, though still a bit of char in the cup. I failed to note the tea.

While Espressit definitely has the coffeehouse look well nailed down, I would venture that the coffee experience could stand to escalate. Nonetheless, if you're looking for an eye-pleasing coffeehouse with acceptable coffee, take a stroll over to Espressit.


*Update 5/18/09
Went back recently and had another shot at the espresso (no pun intended) and it really took the benefit of the doubt off the table. The espresso was fair with a nice mocha flavor but the back end produced an oily, harsh aftertaste (somewhat to the credit of La Colombe and the rest to the barista performance). Hopefully they switch up their roaster or something soon...

4 comments:

C.E. Bulice said...

About Espressit, you wrote that the establishment has "the coffeehouse look well nailed down." More exactly, what is "the coffeehouse look" in your opinion? Is it like the beatnik days and Greenwich Village?

Bill said...

As far as what "well nailed down meant" it definitely refers more to the cafe environment being just a welcoming and visually stimulating place as well as one that accommodates numerous patrons comfortably without compromising the space (i.e. the place looks good crowded).

I would say that the bohemian look is one these days that works with certain crowds, but not everyone is into mismatched vintage furniture and protest memorabilia.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bill, I love your blog, I just in the last month or so became a frequent reader. I have a request, would you be willing to post links to the websites of the shops you visit? Running a coffee shop out in Iowa makes it nearly impossible (though I'd love) to find time to trip out east to see what you're seeing.
Oh, and if you're ever in Iowa feel free to stop in.

Cody

Bill said...

Cody,

Great to hear from you and thanks for reading!

In response to your request, I actually keep a whole index page (link is up on the top left) of my posts and on each post, I always put the website (if there is one). I've thought of keeping the list on the main page but I've found that it just makes the main page far to cluttered :).