Wednesday, March 31, 2010

CC: 2nd Cup Cafe

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
2nd Cup Cafe
Location visited: Allston, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating:
4+ [
see key]


In another trip to the lovely city of Boston, I found myself one day en route to a lunch meeting almost an hour early with still no breakfast ingested. Given that I am not one to skip breakfast or to waste idle time, I queried of my party (we were four that day) of stopping at a local coffee spot with untold promise.

I say untold because 2nd Cup Cafe came up as a place that serves George Howell's coffee but not as a place any one coffee nerd has raved of. Therefore, I stayed on my toes in the initial approach of 2nd Cup's orange awning-ed shop with one of their large windows wide open to take in the warm breeze. Inside, I noticed the cafe had a variation of comfortable furniture all surrounded by warm orange and yellow decor.

Stepping up to the counter to order, I observed the coffee choices (also posted on the website) were a House or French Roast, both from George Howell. Since I've had very few positive experiences with a french roast, I opted for the House. Said drip demonstrated a smooth coffee smacking of grain, subtle honey (that's what my wife calls me), a bit of green tea and some chocolate, not to mention a little grape as it cooled. The espresso, pulled short/medium, had a white foamy head with flavors of cherry buried under bitterness, a little cocoa and bits of cardboard all amidst a piping hot (a little too hot) temperature and milky texture. The tea is free leaf.

I credit 2nd Cup with being a good breakfast stop and having decent coffee, but if they took their espresso to the next level and maybe added a little coffee variety, I could see this little cafe jumping to new heights. We shall see.

If you're in Allston, give 2nd Cup a heave-ho.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

CC: Hobbs Coffee

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
Hobbs Coffee
Location visited: Swarthmore, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating:
5+ [
see key]


Despite traversing Philadelphia so many times, there always seems to be a distant suburb of it that I have to unearth. My latest strike is the cute, college town of Swarthmore. A little bit off my route one day, I stumbled upon a new coffeehouse that had popped up on the main street. Titled Hobbs Coffee, it looked promising from what I could decipher and with a little bit of a weird means (my GPS likes to take scenic tours), I finally found my way.

Hobbs sits in a corner shop right next to the Septa train stop with nice, open windows. The inner domain consisted of a very open space with nice wood floors, a comfortable arrangement of furniture and decent lighting.

The coffee comes from local Chestnut Hill Coffee Company, a good operation putting forth good coffee. I had the Rwandan that fateful day, a drip that fared a tad darker then I would like but still displayed decent flavors of strawberry jam as well as a complimenting nuttiness and earthiness. The espresso, pulled short with good crema, had the qualities of lemon, sugar cane, bits of bitter cocoa and some milky molasses on the end. The tea is Equal Exchange.

Though I wasn't a gargantuan fan of the Rwandan (too dark for me) or that they wouldn't serve a bagel after breakfast hours (why put a time limit on something that has a shelf life?), Hobbs showed a pretty high level of quality (at the least) with their espresso and choice of coffee roaster. With a few little improvements, they have potential to really be top notch.

If you happen to be near Swarthmore, give Hobbs Coffee a try.


Thursday, March 25, 2010

CC: Chava Cafe

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
Chava Cafe
Location visited: Chicago, IL
Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating:
6+ [
see key]


While I have been to Chicago many times before, I revel in this recent trip the most. Not only did I get to spend some serious time in the thriving metropolis, but I was with good company (one of them a local) and in glorious weather for early Spring.

So on one sunny, calm day I made a trip to Chava Cafe, a joint reputed to be doing some good things with Intelligentsia's coffee. Chava sits in a nice round-cornered facility with windows between pillars throughout with a huge interior to match, rich with calming colors and intriguing furniture.

The cafe also owns a Clover (plus, if their barista was correct, mentioned that a comparable device was to be tested in Chava in coming days). I ordered Intelly's Ikerizi, Burundi clover-ized, a beautiful, light brew that showed maple syrup over buttermilk waffle, a little sour apple and some caramel and chocolate truffle. My espresso also impressed, as it was a good, short pull of Black Cat, producing a thick chocolate chip cookie, some lemon, a bit of sea salt and a nice crema. The tea is free leaf.

In my list of cafes I wish I lived near, I can confidently say that Chava would be in my top 20. If you're in Chicago, take a trip to Chava.


Sunday, March 21, 2010

update of a different sort

This weekend has proven a little too much like a whirlwind and thus, I will have to take a breather from posting formally until Wednesday.

But until then, I did manage to update two places from the past that I was able to recently revisit, re-evaluate and actually boost the scores a bit.

Barrington

1 Shot Coffee

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mugged: Single Estate Signature [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Estate Signature
Rating:
3+ [see key]





W
rapping up my overall Doi Chaang experience is their Single Estate Signature blend, a coffee that is blended post-roasting and was the dark horse of the three coffees I received (the other two had ratings on the bag to give me an idea of what to expect). I sampled it a la drip, french press and siphon.

As I sipped the brew from my french press, I noticed a smoky aroma and taste, followed by a kick of pepper and then, a leveled out, smooth coffee with dollops of apple butter. This brew stood as the smokiest and the bitterest of the three batches.

My drip fared less smoky, still showing up with a bit of bitterness and pepper as well as the apple butter middle and finish. This cup also tasted nuttier and was smooth-ish overall.

The siphon produced the lightest of the three, demonstrating not much smokiness, but instead more cocoa. This cup was the least bitter and had flavors of apple as well as vanilla and nutmeg. The most enjoyable of the three in my estimation.

This
Single Estate Signature left its mark as a fair coffee; by no means a bench warmer but still not at the level of a home runner. Give this coffee a sip if you're looking for a good Thai medium/dark coffee.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

CC: Neat Coffee Shop

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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Burnstown, ON
Free WiFi ? : no

Rating:
4+ [
see key]



Aside from Canada's many cities, I can't say I've seen a whole lot of our neighbor to the north. Granted I've passed through lots of interesting-looking towns (especially in the Thousand Islands) but it wasn't until a coffee destination turned up a little off my beaten path in Burnstown that I got a chance to take a nice detour on some back roads.

Said coffee destination is called Neat Coffee Shop, a cafe nestled in an old schoolhouse at the main intersection of town. The exterior consists of two buildings, with the most of the cafe in the blue portion (I have no idea really what they do in the brick section). The interior held a nice open space, with some wood furniture, local art and a big Apple desktop for customers.

Neat roasts their coffee in-house, though per their website they also claim to carry 49th Parallel and Fire Roasted Coffee (49th Parallel's Epic Espresso is their espresso blend). They do have a Clover but it was down for repairs, so I ordered a french press of their Ethiopian. The coffee was really bright with notes of raspberry and caramel, as well as some strong dark notes. The espresso, pulled short and served in a shot glass, had a milkshake-ish head followed by a slap of dark bitterness, plus some flavors of cocoa, lemon and a bit of pepper. While I failed to ask if the espresso that day was 49th's Epic, it seemed that the pull was more of the concern then the espresso blend. Their tea was free leaf.

I can't say that Neat was completely worth the detour but it seems that the place has a lot of potential with a few tweaks (they seem to really like their darker roasts). If you're nearby, give Neat a stop.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mugged: Single Estate Piko's Peaberry [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Estate Piko's Peaberry
Rating:
2+ [see key]




Q
uality coffees really aren't that much different than mediocre coffees.

WAIT...what?! That is heresy! Clearly, factors such as the quality of the crop, the way in which said crop was processed and how it is then roasted all separate an amazing coffee from the rest. How could I say that an amazing coffee isn't that much different then a mediocre coffee?!

Well, lets agree that when you get a coffee that is grown, processed and roasted well, my digestive planets align and I swoon like an Elvis impersonator at Graceland. Such coffee stands head and shoulders above lesser coffee.

But mess up one or more of the steps from crop to cup, a quality coffee is lost in a sea of average beans. So it seems was the case with a recent coffee I got from Doi Chaang. The coffee was their peaberry and had an admirable 93 from Coffee Review on the front, so opening it up, I was excited. But when I opened the bag, I noticed a pretty dark coffee and the first thing that hit me was "Ken (from Coffee Review) usually doesn't rate a lot of dark coffees in the 90s" but I dismissed it as pessimism and gave it a go via drip, siphon and french press (later I found that when Ken rated this coffee, it was of a medium roast).

Sadly, the results were less then exciting. The drip produced a dark cup with hints of cocoa, a little bit of orange and a good amount of bitterness over a medium body. The french press was very similar, with bitterness throughout, a deep cocoa and a peppery orange flavor. The siphon had a little lighter body, as well as a little more of a nougat and curry flavor, but overall, still the same. To say the least, the coffee was consistent throughout the various brewings.

Thus, it seems that the darker roasting of this coffee sunk a lot of its finer flavors and needless to say, I would love to try it as a lighter roast. If you are looking for a decent dark coffee of Thailand, give
Doi Chaang's Piko's Peaberry a sampling.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

CC: Xpresso

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
Xpresso
Location visited: Ottawa, ON
Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating:
4+ [
see key]



Hitting a local spot for a meal doesn't always work out when visiting a city on a cold winter evening. The weather on a recent trip to Ottawa became a hurdle for my wife and I as we braved the raving winds for dinner. But determined to eat a good meal, our fortitude paid off, as we found mighty fine Mexican fare at Ahora Mexican Cuisine.

Next on the list (for me at least) was a decent cup of coffee. We ventured out into the cold on a shaky lead to a place nearby called Xpresso, apparently owned by the same people who own a local Indian restaurant called Shafali. We found the place soon after, with black signs (
somewhat hard-to-see-in-the-night) and open windows. Inside there was lots of Indian art amidst a red modern decor and a cozy furniture.

The coffee comes from Reunion Island Coffee, a roaster out of Oakville, Ontario (though Xpresso's website claims they use Intelligentsia). I had the Ethiopian via drip, a light roast with blueberry, chianti and lemon throughout; a tremendously good, fruity cup of coffee with a medium body. The espresso, pulled medium/long despite asking for it short, had chocolate notes followed by a strong bitterness that had a developing salty facet as well as a milk-ish body (i.e. fair shots). The tea was free leaf and Xpresso also had beer and wine options.

Though the experience satisified my desire for some evening coffee, I felt the place had a lot of potential to be even greater. Never the less, if you're in town, give Xpresso a go go.


Monday, March 01, 2010

Mugged: Single Origin Medium [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Origin Medium
Rating:
4+ [see key]




Farming coffee often seems like such a distant process in regards to roasting. Especially in my consumption, it seems the only times one sees a farm and roastery combo are with Konas and Jamaican Blue.

But now I can add Thailand to my list, as I was sent a few coffees to try from Thailand coffee cooperative Doi Chaang Coffee. According to their website, the company was started when several tribes of the Doi Chaang village united to sell their premium coffee as single origin coffees to the world. So they put a headquarters in Vancouver, BC and seem to have a pretty slick operation. As I have never had coffee from Thailand and I'm a fan of such ambition, I was excited to see what Doi Chaang had to offer.

I sampled their Single Origin Medium roast first, a coffee that was the lightest of the three coffees sent (though still close to dark) and had also won a 90 from Coffee Review. I ingested the coffee via drip, siphon and french press.

The drip proved smooth, had touches of honey and some bits of clove along with a little bitterness provided by the darkish-ness of the beans. The coffee was thorough in the prior flavors but didn't have much else.

The french press developed the flavors a bit more. This brew was much sweeter, still showing honey and bits of cocoa and cloves. There was more brightness and less bitterness in this cup as well.

The vacuum press was the proverbial baby bear's bed as it was just right. Really sweet honey and cocoa with a noticeable grain-like element, followed with a little clove and a really nice brightness (practically no bitterness in this cup). By far, the best of the three methods for this coffee.

To say the least, I was satiated with this coffee, though it would seem like a good idea to roast it a little lighter to negate the bitter effects all together. If you're looking for a decent medium roast, give Doi Chaang's Single Origin Medium a go.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.