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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Kahve Koffee
Coffees Mugged: Danish Blend
Rating: 3+ [see key]
Massachusetts has existed as a frequent factor in my coffee life as of late. Not only have I traversed various coffee establishments all over the state this past year but I've also had the privilege of being able to try out a few Mass coffees from a distance.
The latest roaster to meet my acquaintance is Kahve Koffee out of Brighton. The first of the two coffees I sampled was their Danish blend, an interesting name in that I recently devoured some Danish/Saxon historical fiction (actual events, fictional micro-events) in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales (sadly, they had no coffee to call their own).
Digging in, I found it to be a mix of medium and dark roasted coffees, a blending method that blends post-roasting. I brewed the Danish via the usual drip, siphon and french press.
The french press produced flavors of snap pea, sweet apple, carrot and a little earthiness. The bitterness was initially subdued but then roared into existence mid-sip. The overall coffee wasn't too bitter but definitely dark in essence.
The drip had a much different cup, with more cocoa up front, followed by apple, honeydew and rooibos. This coffee was much darker, toting pepper and bitter notes throughout.
The siphon was more like the french press in that the cup was lighter and had apple, honey, snap pea, carrot and a noticeable earthiness. This was the lightest cup, with the bitterness not as prevalent but instead, the coffee held more of a juicy and saucy character.
The Danish blend seemed to be a decent coffee overall, though the dark beans seemed to do little for the blend (much of the positive seemed to stem from the medium roasted beans). Thus, if you like your dark coffee tempered or your medium coffee more bitter, Kahve's Danish blend might hit your spot.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Beverly, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
It is not often I get to have a good meal with a distant friend; it always seems that you see old pals in large groups so catching up is hard. Yet occasionally I find circumstances that allow for a more low-numbered rendezvous, such as in my latest trip to Boston, as I was elated to get together with an old pal who happens to be a fellow coffee fanatic.
We decided to meet for lunch and coffee at a place not far from his routine, a place called Atomic Cafe. The entity has been on my radar for a while but circumstances often prevented the visit, so I was pleased with the choice at least for the coffee (I had heard nothing of their food, but I'll risk it).
That early afternoon, we (my wife and two other friends also attended) pulled into a metered street spot and made our way to the red awning of Atomic Cafe. The interior is comfy, with booths straight ahead, tables throughout (outside as well) and a large bustle of people all nestled in (what I recall as) a sea of red and slightly retro decor.
Atomic roasts their own and given the vast array of sitting pump pots, I chose a coffee from Bali, a bright coffee thick with apple and molasses, a dash of nutmeg, the essence of mojito and some sweet cream on the end; to put it simply, a good cup. For the espresso, you can pick one of their three espresso blends, and based on my friend's recommendation, I chose their Cosmopolitan. On the surface, the shots were pulled short and had decent crema whereas underneath, it embodied a zesty lemon, cinnamon, cranberry and fairly strong bitterness (a little too much bitterness it seemed), all with a little milk chocolate on the end. The tea is Mighty Leaf.
Given the experience, I must say I was satisfied with the rendezvous. My lunch was appetizing, the banter of old friends was well-received and the coffee operation seemed pretty on target.
If you're in the North Shore area, give Atomic Cafe a go.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Forest Park, IL
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
As much as I wish I was a morning person, getting up with the sun for work-related purposes is harder then scaling a wall upside-down (sorta). But little incentives can make all the difference.
Several weeks ago, I had to get up much earlier then usual but to make it truly worth my while, I had earmarked a coffee stop called Blue Max Coffee in nearby Forest Park outside Chicago. Driving up to Blue Max in the early AM, the sun reflected nicely off the vanilla siding of the converted house-to-cafe. Indoors, the old domicile layout is still evident but despite the extra wall or two, the space is fairly open with lots of seating, an enclosed porch and an overall pleasing aesthetic.
Blue Max roasts their own coffee (the drum roaster sits in the cafe) and that morning, I sprang for their Nicaraguan, a light roast that held the bright sweetness of pear and caramel as well as some hazelnut and a flair of sauciness (a good cup in my eyes). The espresso, pulled short with a marbled crema, gave a combination of a merlot, some cinnamon, a lemon sucker (the candy of course) and some orange juice with a tip of bitterness (aka pretty swell). The tea is free leaf.
Even though I still hit a predictable wall of weariness later that day, Blue Max definitely fueled my morning with some pretty stellar coffee. I hope to try them again (soon?) as I'm sure this trip was no anomaly.
Despite the hour which you arise, I propose making a stop at Blue Max Coffee.
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Irving Farm Coffee Company
Coffees Mugged: Haitian Highlands Pic Macaya
Rating: 2+ [see key]
With the recent events of Haiti, a lot of interesting relief efforts came out of the woodwork in order to provide money for the tried and trued method of sending money to charities. One such intriguing idea came from Irving Farm Coffee Company out of Millerton, NY in that they donated their profits from the sale of their Haitian Highland Pic Macaya to the Konbit Sante Earthquake Response.
Though admirable in purpose, I was curious when they sent me a bag to try if this dark roast single origin would be any good. I put it through the gauntlet of the three brewing methods of drip, french press and siphon.
French pressing first, the coffee gave a dark bitterness and a bite I would equivocate to vodka, followed by pear, black tea and small hints of ginger and licorice. The coffee was subtly bright but the darkness of the coffee dominated.
In the siphon, the brew seemed to switch up a little. The coffee had more of the dark bitterness in the middle, with initiating flavors tasting of pear and nutmeg as well as a bit of cocoa and shortbread developing throughout.
The drip mimicked more of the siphon, with bright notes of asian pear, the sweetness of heavy cream and similar nutmeg, all more in the front and the bitter, dark peppery flavors beginning in the middle.
The coffee underneath the very present bitterness of this coffee had lots of great flavors but it was hard to mine them apart from the darkness. While I hope that this was a worthwhile fundraiser for Irving Farm, I can't really express satisfaction with this coffee at its current roast level.
If you seek to patronize Haiti relief while drinking dark Haitian coffee, give Irving Farm's Haitian Highland a purchase.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Cleveland, OH
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
It's not every day that you spot an Amish man (at least he looked Amish) walking a baby giraffe down a city street, but it's not every day that I'm in Cleveland. This great lake-bordered city is one I rarely visit and in the precious minutes I had, I tried to make the best of it.
So of the few stops I did make, one of them was at a place called Moko Coffee & Tea. A coffeehouse slinging Intelligentsia located in Playhouse Square seemed like a fine stop and thus after my pet giraffe sighting, I made my pit stop.
Moko is a lobby cafe with nice high ceilings, a prominent counter/preparation area and a simple monochromatic color scheme. The coffee is a custom, Intelly-crafted Moko House Blend that despite having an off bitterness on the back and a little staleness, it held nice cocoa flavors, a fairly balanced body and some pear as it cooled. The espresso, pulled short with quality crema, was a good showing of Black Cat, with the usual lemon and cocoa flavors shadowed with sugar cane as well as some unique chai notes on the end. The tea is free leaf.
To put it plain, Moko added a sumptuous facet to my Cleveland adventure. Though it doesn't seem that Moko is using a lot of Intelly's other coffees, they seem to be doing a decent job with what they got. If you happen to be passing through, stop by Moko.
