Friday, June 26, 2009

CC: Simon's Coffee Shop

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What's does "CC" mean?
Location visited: Cambridge, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


As much as I love Boston, I've never been good at navigating it. On my first trip there as "captain," I led my party of ten travelers quickly astray and ended up parking a good 20 minute walk away from our destination. Subsequent trips have proven better as I've gotten the layout down a bit more but ever still, I rely on my internal compass and divine intervention.

On my most recent trip, I had plans to make it up to Cambridge to give a hot coffee spot called Simon's Coffee Shop a try. But due to a little lack of reconnaissance on my part, I only gave myself 30 minutes to get from Brookline to Simon's before they closed, amidst a bustling Friday night with not a parking spot in sight. Fortunately, I made it (thank God, as my natural direction did not work as well as I'd hope) and I practically stampeded through their front doors with 20 minutes to spare.

The shop holds nice red walls, worn wood floors and a great deal of furniture (a few pieces outside and many pieces in). Simon's gets their coffee from Terroir Coffee, a company powered by the famed George Howell, as well as from Barismo. For drip I tried Terroir's Matalapa, a coffee that displayed the sweet flavors reminiscent of an apple and the subtle spiciness of tobacco, along with a smooth brightness that made for a grand cup. For the espresso, I had Barismo's Soma. The shots were pulled short with the a Sweet Tart-ish cherry up front and subsequent notes of unsweetened cocoa and black tea. The tea itself is free leaf.

With 1 minute left to closing, I hurried out the door happy for the fortune of making it in time. I would recommend stopping in, but for those not familiar with the construct of Boston, make sure to give yourself some extra time to navigate without pressure.

All in all, a nice gem to the area of Cambridge.

5 comments:

John said...

Wow... Very unique blog.
Fantastic pictures.

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Goodbye Michael Jackson.
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Tim said...

Great blog I love all the reviews of the coffee shops, Keep up the good work

Anonymous said...

Hi!

I used to study in Boston. I really enjoyed my tine studying in Boston University.

They've got a cool hang-out place. Not sure if Trident is still around. Only in the US, that they don't stop refilling your coffee cup.

Just wanted to share a blog story written by our cabin crew about her experience when she tells our customers that we serve gourmet coffee at www.malaysiaairlinesblog.com

Thank you,
Zaileen Hashim
Living MH Blog Team
Malaysia Airlines

Theo said...

Hi Bill,

Great review and having visited Simon's you were spot on. We did a review of Simon's and linked back to your review so readers could also go to see what Pure Coffee had to say. this is at http://www.encoffee.com/blog/2010/08/coffee-cafe-review-simons-coffee-house/
We will do more and when we find ourselves in a place you've visited we'll be sure to link back to you for the readers. Thanks, Theo

Anonymous said...

Hi man.