Sunday, March 25, 2007

CC: Casa De Coffee


What's a Coffee Commentary?


Subject: Casa De Coffee
Location visited: Pitman, NJ
(28 E. Holly Avenue)
Free WiFi ? : maybe
Rating: 4+ [see key]



Few towns do I despise driving through more then Pitman. The whole center of town is a 25 mph speed limit and full of police more then happy to pull you over for the slightest infraction. Granted, I'm sure a great deal of careless motorists ruined the law enforcements' attitudes, but regardless of the past, a town's police should not strike such peril into the hearts of good natured motorists.

Ironically, having lived near Pitman some six years, rarely did I ever pass into Pitman with intentions of staying (downtown revitalization works slooooooowly in South Jersey), that would be until recently, when the town opened up it's first coffeehouse, Case De Coffee. I had heard of it from a friend, that it was a small operation that shared the building with a hair salon (my friend expressed a great deal of displeasure of the smell of hair while sipping his espresso...).

Needless to say, I set out with the woman (fiancee') to see for myself. Not bothering to take down directions, figuring that it would be smack-dab on the Main St, I found myself weaving all over the place to find it tucked away on a random, one-way street near the main strip (I even had to ask a native for direction!).

After finding random street parking behind the building, we headed over to the venue. The outside gave a quaint impression, all too well confirmed by the dark brown interior complete with petit tables and minimalist menu. The place gave an overtly open feel to it, mainly due to the cozy space and high ceiling.

The coffee comes from Crescent Moon Roasters, a phenomenal roaster out of South Jersey. The coffee at Casa De Coffee came from pump pots and tasted very fresh (constant replacement of coffee: a chore but a must). The espresso also sampled quite scrumptiously, with a buttery-chocolaty finish. Didn't observe the tea.

Aside from the good product, Casa De Coffee seems to have an uphill battle for visibility, parking, and return business due to its location. Hopefully, they can move onto Main St and give surrounding locals a good reason to risk the traffic ticket.


2 comments:

Unknown said...

I just found that place a couple of weeks ago. It looked nice from the outside, but I couldn't stop because I had to get out of Pitman.
I called later that day to ask about WiFi, as I am auditioning local coffee shops in which to do some work (which is how I found your blog), and they said they do not have it. Hopefully they will come to their senses because it is expected that coffee shops have WiFi.

coffeefreak said...

CASA DE COFFEE now offers FREE WiFi.I have come to learn that this is still a very young establishment. Give it some time to get on its feet. Did you learn to walk in 8 months.This is a great coffee house w/ good coffee, tea , espresso and smoothies. Word has it that they will also be carring a small food menu come fall.