Showing posts with label Liberties Walk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liberties Walk. Show all posts

Saturday, January 03, 2009

CC: 1 Shot Coffee

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
1 Shot Coffee
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



*Updated 2/3/11

I always find it funny how businesses can pop up unnoticed under your very nose. Just this past week, after a Sunday brunch at Bar Ferdinand with my wife, cousin and her husband (a unique and fairly sumptuous experience, though I realized that day that I really don't like poached eggs or hollandaise sauce), a quick stroll down Liberties Walk exposed a new coffeehouse called 1 Shot Coffee. Needless to say I begged my compatriots to stop, to which they so graciously agreed.

The exterior of the place is a beautiful tan brick with red and gray metal accents as well as few sharp pieces of outside furniture. Inside, it looked a little like Pee Wee's Playhouse with a touch of vintage and no talking inanimate objects (great place to hang).

The coffee actually comes from Intelligentsia out of Chicago, a renowned coffee roaster that serves a pretty mean brew. The coffee served was sadly nothing like I expected; sure it had a decent brightness, low acidity, and smooth body but it was pretty stale and overall lackluster. The espresso was pulled long, displaying a cocoa-ishly sweet pair of shots lacking a decent bite. The tea is free leaf and they also have a host of other menu options.

While it's obvious that 1 Shot is aiming for quality, it seems that they could use a bit more refining with a few basics. With such a fine location and enticing set-up, it would be sad to see them settle. Thus, if you're around the Liberties Walk in search of a fair cup of coffee, give 1 Shot coffee a shot.


Updated 3/21/10

This is an update a little overdue, as I have been meaning to put this up for well over a month now. I was able to spend a good chunk of an afternoon here as of late and had a much better experience.

The Intelly house blend this time produced a light coffee with hints of condensed milk, a bit of pepper and a pleasant smoothness. Not the most complex of coffees but still good.

The espresso this time around was a nice, short/medium Black Cat pull: tangy lemon and semisweet chocolate with hints of paprika and blackberry, all within a syrupy body and topped with decent crema.

Give 1 Shot a true shot if you have not yet.



Updated 2/3/11

While this is not a re-review (which is due because of the following news), in the past year they have switched over to Stumptown Coffee and have moved to a far more elegant facility around the corner (I know, the picture is old too). Their food menu is also considerably larger. Stay tuned for a more extensive update.