CC: Kava Cafe [NYC]

Subject: Kava Cafe
Locations: Lower and Mid Manhattan, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

UPDATE 3.13.14
Finding a NYC coffeehouse with a beautiful courtyard full of outside seating is a rare find. Sure, outside seating is only worth something half the year in the fair land of Manhattan, but every time I find such a cafe owning the novelty, I still find myself wanting to take full advantage of it (unless it's deluging, but otherwise I'm outside).

Stumbling upon once such coffee joint that not only sported a great courtyard but also slings Annapolis' Ceremony Coffee, I found some lower Manhattan gold in Kava Cafe. Located off Washington St, I trotted in from the bright morning sun inside to the mood-lit cafe that gave off a vibe of a swanky rendezvous fit for 007. The cafe doesn't have a ton of room for sitting inside (it's Manhattan) but as I mentioned, if the weather is with you there happens to be plenty of seating on their back patio.

As for my coffee that day, I had an espresso of Destroyer and a drip of a Brazil Daterra. The Destroyer, pulled short with a brown crema, sang of vanilla, lemon, whole milk, cola, a little soy sauce and a touch of kale encapsulating a well-balanced, scrumptious spro. The Brazil also proved spectacular, with notes of nuts, birch, pear, a little almond butter and a smidgen of beef stock in a medium body.

If you are in need of some great coffee and an airy respite in the Meatpacking District, head on over to Kava Cafe.


UPDATE 3.13.14

Made it out to the midtown cafe on 42nd Street recently. Same great coffee in a much more spacious and gorgeous spot, with the same vibe and a full bar.

CC: Caffe Pronto

Subject: Caffe Pronto
aka Ceremony Coffee's last vestige of it's old name
Location visited: Annapolis, MD
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


*UPDATED 02.10.14, at bottom*

While I've always wanted to visit the city of Annapolis to see the rich Chesapeake Bay history and Naval wonderment, time unfortunately held me to a short pit stop.

Wanting to utilize my time and cup of coffee wisely, I chose amongst several locations of a popular coffeehouse and roaster called Caffe Pronto. Having had several of their batches before at a couple different other coffee establishments, I have actually been aching to make a stop at one of their own stores to see how they wield their beans.

Based purely on geographical proximity to the highway, I made a beeline for their spot amidst the humongous Festival at Riva shopping megalopolis. Wading through the immense mall traffic, I finally landed outside the corner shop with its beautiful huge windows and bright brick shell.

In I walked into Caffe Pronto's open cafe, a very nice space with plenty of furniture and an overall very luminous atmosphere. As mentioned, they roast a mean batch of coffee and they brew their coffee by the cup via a pourover (aka manual drip). I ordered their Brazil Cerrado, a smooth earthy coffee with the sweetness of a pear, a touch of earl grey and a nice body; a pleasant coffee in totality. The espresso made for a pretty good cup, as the short/medium pull possessed decent crema and displayed a little like a chocolate-covered cherry with hints of dark bitterness. The tea is Revolution Tea.

Including a pleasant interchange with both baristas, I really found my stop at Caffe Pronto to be a gust of refreshment. If you happen to be near a Caffe Pronto or one of their purveyors, give them a slurp.

*Update 02/10/14*

Despite the image change to Ceremony Coffee Roasters, this lone vestige of Caffe Pronto remains. The shop has been updated (I love the birch trunks behind the wood booths) and the coffee has improved categorically (hence the update in rating).