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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Painted Post, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Sheer luck is wonderful (though I like to think of it more as a divine jackpot), especially with shot-in-the-dark coffeehouses.
While visiting the Corning area, I had a few possible coffee stops, with one called Heavenly Cup Coffee Roasters located in Painted Post, outside of Corning. Being the farthest off the beaten path, I slotted it as the first stop (with my party's permission) on our route.
Heavenly Cup's base of operations and cafe is a free standing structure on a local road next to the Interstate. The building looks new and has a wrap-around parking lot that doubles partly as a drive-thru. Walking indoors, the cafe is arrayed in a very warm, two-story space with a beautiful balcony and open atrium layout. Besides the balcony, the roasting also happens on part of the second floor (conveniently right over the counter, which could work well if they ever invest in a dumb waiter or coffee chute).
I ordered a cup of their Breakfast Blend to kick it off. The coffee had a smooth nuttiness, followed with fig, cocoa and a sprinkling of wheat grass on the end. A good, light cup all around. The espresso, a short/medium pull with some nice crema, passed on a bittersweet chocolate with hints of lemon (nice contrast), a noticeable brightness on a milk-like texture and only small tinges of what I would call unsavory bitterness (thus, a pretty good cup sayeth I). The tea is loose leaf.
As I finished up, I was counting my blessings to have struck such a proverbial gold strike (a happening that occurs about as much as cold fusion in a bear's ear canal). If you're close to Elmira or Corning, you need to give Heavenly Cup a visit.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Corning, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Gorgeous museum layouts truly capture my admiration, and the Corning Museum of Glass did surprisingly that. I showed up expecting a warehouse-ish display of fancy old glass containers only to find an engaging collection of history, art and practical knowledge.
And the surprises did not stop there. As I walked into the cafe to get a glass of water, I noticed that they had a two group lever espresso machine, specifically a Mirage Idrocompresso, a machine I rarely see in serious coffeehouses never mind a museum cafe. I asked the barista if she knew how to use it, to which she confidently assured me she did, so I indulged and ordered an espresso.
Using Gimme Coffee's Piccolo Mondo (surprise number two: a museum using good coffee!), I must say I was floored. The barista not only handled the machine with grace but she pulled a delightful, short pair of shots with good crema and flavors of whiskey, sugar cane, chocolate chip cookie and but a smidgen of bitterness on the end. The single downside was that she only had paper cups.
The cafe also offers three drips; a medium roast, a dark roast and a decaf of Gimme Coffee. While I didn't go for any drip this trip, the pump pots seemed often replenished and I can at least vouch that Gimme's medium roasts are usually quite delicious (not a fan of their dark roasts and I don't drink decaf enough to recommend). I did not note the tea.
Walking away, I got my last surprise in that the barista told me that the museum plans to make this experience even better (I think that included ceramic cups) when they reopen their coffee bar in the near future (apparently it is closed for winter).
Putting it all together, I have to say that of all my cultured experiences, this is one of the few times where good coffee practices found a way in. If you're around Corning, even if you don't go into the museum, give the cafe or coffee bar a visit.
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Painted Post, NY
