Sunday, June 29, 2014

CC: Greenstreet Coffee Roasters



Subject: Greenstreet Coffee Roasters
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

As long as I can remeber, the space on the corner of Spruce and 11th has always been a coffeehouse. Back in my youth, it was a place serving mediocre swill; nothing to telegraph the foreign fleets about. The next tenants conversely were some of the first quality baristas in town, a place called Spruce Street Espresso. Sadly after many years of exemplary service, they moved out of the cozy storefront, and for some time the space sat empty. 

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Mugged: Ethiopia Sidamo and Cat's Pajamas [Compelling and Rich]



Subject: Compelling and Rich Specialty Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Cat's Pajamas Blend 5+
- Ethiopia Sidamo Bokasso Coop 5+

It's refreshing to see folks with drive, passion AND delicious results. Some people throw around some great rhetoric, but unless it's paired with stellar outcomes (or at least some hardy efforts at those outcomes), it's hard to take a company seriously. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

CC: Box Kite NYC


Subject: Box Kite NYC
Location visited: Manhattan, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The fight to offer a better coffeehouse experience is a daunting challenge. So many great establishments have set the bar so high that it can be difficult to postulate how one can make a better mousetrap. But truly, I'm surprised every year with a shop or two that's taken the concept to a different level.

Brim Coffee Station (SW20)



In the past decade, we saw an explosion in the variety of coffee brewing devices available to the average consumer. No longer did Mr. Coffee reign supreme over the kitchen counter; finally a rebirth of domicile coffee experimentation began. Now in this present day of June, you can find not only the different methods like (filter-based, immersion, etc.) but tons of different takes on each, such as the many different approaches to pourover.

Sunday, June 08, 2014

CC: Pitango Gelato



Subject: Pitango Gelato 
Location visited: Reston, VA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The concept of gelato + espresso seems to be a concept so familiar yet still so rarely done well together. Back in 2008, the concept of gelato was building steam and for many shop owners, adding espresso seemed to be a further nod to the Italian tradition. Today, it still seems a decent amount of such shops offer both coffee and gelato but sadly, the coffee side of said businesses are usually an afterthought, a facet that was given some financial and cranial investment, but usually much less than the vastly stronger gelato arm of the enterprise. 

Monday, June 02, 2014

Mugged: Peru San Ignacio [Driven]


Subject: Driven Coffee Roasters
Coffee Mugged: Peru San Ignacio
Rating [see key]: 3+

Everyone loves to hear that a business wants to give back to the community. Yet rarely do you see the apparent proof in the pudding. Call me cynical, but it seems that many outfits claim they want to give back, but only do the minimal token effort to get some PR, and rarely is the commitment long-standing.