Rowster Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Rowster Coffee
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Until recently, I did not know that Wealthy was a female first name. Yet it turns out that Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids is named for Wealthy Davis, a woman that was married to Kent County’s first probate judge. Fortunately for Ms. Davis, her namesake avenue is home to some great coffee from local coffee purveyor Rowster Coffee.

Blueprint Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Blueprint Coffee
Location: St. Louis, MO
WiFi?: Yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

One of my cousins went to Washington University in St. Louis about the same time I went to school in NJ. Not knowing much at the time about St. Louis, he would often tell of random antics around the campus and surrounding area. One thing he mentioned consistently was how nice the surrounding neighborhood was, though no matter how many times I pressed him, he could never tell me of a great coffeehouse.

Mugged: Kenya AA [John Hancock]

Subject: John Hancock Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Kenya AA, Roast Level 1
Rating [see key]: 4+


Roasting stands as one of the great final hurdles to a coffee. If roasted correctly, a good coffee will display its natural character with clarity and gumption; if roasted poorly, the flavors will be under-extracted or completely cloaked by burnt, bitter oils. Hence, like most things that take a lot of skills, most people leave all the details of roasting to the hands of skilled professionals.

But a few coffee roasters are letting the customers of all skill levels run the show. The only change to the game is that when someone orders a coffee, the purchaser chooses whether sir/madam wants their coffee roasted light, medium or dark. One coffee entity to champion this method is John Hancock Coffee, an online roaster that specializes in customization, both of coffee to come as light or as dark as you wish, but also in customization of some elements of packaging. To try it out, Hancock asked me to pick a coffee and a roast level, to which I picked their Kenya AA roasted light (Roast Level 1).

The coffee arrived in a white packaging, with the standard label (no need to customize packaging for me). The beans were their lightest roast, but definitely were closer to second crack in color/form. As far as infusing the beans, I sampled the coffee via pourover, french press and siphon. The pourover radiated notes of raspberry jam, light cheddar, blue corn, malt and oats in a medium body, coming off sweet and thick. The french press proved a bit lighter, with notes of oats, blue corn, some cocoa, wheat and light jam. The siphon also held notes of cocoa, blue corn, wheaty cereal and milk with a nice, creamy medium body. All in all, a flavorful coffee with a noticeable wheaty aftertaste.

Thus, while my Kenya was fairly delicious, I must say I don't know if I trust myself to regularly pick the roast level of a coffee I've never met prior. Much like I don't want to be in charge of telling a Michelin chef how to cook my scallops, I usually would rather skilled professionals take the burden of figuring out how to best roast my coffee (unless I'm roasting at home, which is another conversation). But for people who like to take the reigns and run the whole show, check out John Hancock Coffee.


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

CC: Rival Bros

Subject: Rival Bros
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating: 6+ [see key]

As I've remarked many times before, I sure love a good coffee truck. There's nothing like a vehicle completely outfitted with top-level coffee equipment, quality beans and an able barista, able to go where the wind (and city permits) allow. 

Taking the usual coffee truck operation to the next level by roasting their own beans, Rival Bros came onto the Philadelphia scene recently with strong promise of stupendous, locally-roasted coffee straight out of a mobile joy machine.

Sadly, in all of their existence I've only been able to reach their encampment twice; once on First Friday (when I snapped the shot above) and the most recent, a week or so ago at 33rd and Arch on the Drexel University campus.

Pulling up to the intersection near the Buckley Green, there was plenty of meter parking for those looking to pull over for a nice respite (though I'm sure more of their patronage arrives on foot). I approached and ordered a pourover of the Ethiopia Aylele – YCFCU and an espresso of their Whistle and Cuss blend. The pourover of Ethiopian roused even the dead amongst my taste buds, with notes of Stella D'oro breakfast biscuits, succulent steak, fuji apple, honey and roasted red pepper, proving to be a beautifully savory and sweet coffee with a nice medium body. The espresso, pulled short with a brown crema, greeted with an uppercut of lemon, cocoa, ginger soda, red bean paste roll, a touch of salt and a nice milkiness. Both drinks proved to be worthy of an exaggerated curtsey. 

While Rival Bros is definitely not a truck found on the same routine every week, they're easy enough to find via their twitter. Thus, when you're in Philadelphia, hunt down the likes of the Rival Bros. 

Mugged: Diner and Peru [Booskerdoo]

Subject: Booskerdoo Coffee
Mugged: Jersey Diner and FTO Peru SO
Rating: 4+ for Diner, 3+ for Peru [see key]


Until this past year, it seemed that NJ would never have a high concentration of decent coffee operations. For as long as I have sipped coffee, shops that were able to dole out fresh, not-disgusting beans were spaced out usually too far to go from one to the other without making it a small road trip.

But in traversing the central Jersey beach area, it seems more and more good coffee options are appearing. One such place is Booskerdoo Coffee of Monmouth Beach. Having never been, I was intrigued to receive two pounds of their coffee one recent day; their Jersey Diner-style Blend and FTO Peru. I sampled each via pourover, french press and siphon.

For the Jersey Diner-style, the drip produced notes of buttered toast, apple, Corn Pops, a little lemongrass and cola, capping off a medium-bodied coffee with sweet, wheaty notes. The french press held a similar body and notes of granny smith apples, toast, sweet corn and a little cola. The siphon had a more wheaty kick, with notes of graham cracker, toast, apple, cola and a little sweet corn within a medium body. 

The Peru drip delivered flavors of french toast, maple, cloves and unsweetened cocoa within a heavier body, that overall, while flavorful, was a little too dark. The french press produced a similar profile, with notes of cloves, unsweetened cocoa, maple syrup and a heavy body that seemed almost espresso-esque. The siphon proved a tad sweeter, with chococlate, maple syrup, cloves and oatmeal within a heavy body.

Overall, both coffees sampled decently. While I thought the Jersey Diner blend was better, as it embodied a flavorful brew that I would covet with a nice breakfast, I found the FTO Peru not bad for a darker coffee but little too bitter for a light roast.

If you're in the area or you're looking to try out one of Jersey's coffee roasters, give Booskerdoo a try. 


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