Showing posts with label Dancing Goats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dancing Goats. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

CC: Hyperion Espresso

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What's does "CC" mean?
Location visited: Fredericksburg, VA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



Virginia trips tend to produce long stretches of distance between good coffee stops. Many years ago, before I really got into coffee, I remember going the whole stretch of Interstate 81 through Virginia without one drop of coffee. Ever since, I've tried to make the gaps between coffee places (especially on such huge states as Virginia) a little smaller.

One surprising find was in the city of Fredericksburg, a place called Hyperion Espresso. The area has a lot of history and I had to go right through it on a small road trip, so the prospect of good coffee seemed too good to be true.

Strapped with hope, I careened into Fredericksburg looking for lunch and good coffee. I decided upon Castiglia's for a good meal and than made my way to the large red awning of Hyperion. Along the large paned windows sat a couple metal tables and wood benches with several patrons merrily drinking their coffee. The merriment extended inside to Hyperion's two-level cafe; the top portion mostly seating and the bottom, an oval-shaped room with a non-functioning balcony around the perimeter and a hopping counter.

The coffee comes from
Batdorf and Bronson, a skilled roaster out of Atlanta and Olympia. I had their Costa Rican that fine afternoon, a coffee with a little bit of a wheaty taste, hints of pear and croissant as well as a small flare of a spicy jalepeno on the end. The espresso, pulled fairly well, was sweet and bright, with touches of caramel and choc milk and a bit of blood orange on the front. The espresso did seem a little dark but overall both the drip and the espresso were good. The tea I failed to note.

Having found joy in another good coffee find, the road between Washington DC and Richmond seems much more enticing. Whether Fredericksburg is a destination (good stuff to see by the way) or a detour, give Hyperion Espresso a stop.

Friday, April 18, 2008

CC: Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject:
Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
Location visited: Decatur, GA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]



Georgia has definitely never been a state I had been dying to visit. I had passed through the Atlanta airport, my sole experience with the peachy state, and remember it being stuffy and huge (lots of walking). Plus I had never really heard of a compelling reason to go for recreational purposes.

But recently, I had to go to Atlanta for work and hence began scouting out what the area would be like. And the more I scouted, the more I wanted to get there quicker. The city not only has some beautiful neighborhoods (like Decatur and the Georgia Tech area) but some fairly interesting attractions (an aquarium with whale sharks).

But the coffee is what won my heart over. One place in particular that I had the luxury of hitting twice was Dancing Goats Coffee Bar in lovely Decatur. The establishment has a large blue awning under which sit ample chairs and tables to best aid in enjoying lovely Atlanta sunny days. The interior was even grander, with a huge open floor plan (some would argue too open) with a very eclectic variety of seating, the whole space bathed in calm colors such as tans and light greens.

The coffee is their own, though called Batdorf and Bronson (rolls right off tongue), which is roasted locally in Atlanta. They serve coffee via drip as well as on a Clover. Both visits I had coffees off the Clover, to which I must say that the coffees didn't really fully utilize the machine (or visa versa) but nonetheless, both brews still sampled tremendously well. The Kenya AA was described to me as having a dried fruit and Cabernet taste to it, but I only really got a hint of the fruit. The Java Estate also sampled smoothly but I couldn't really pick out too many distinct flavors, just that it was good.

The espresso was pulled very well and tasted spectacular. The doubleshot was really sweet with cocoa flavor and what seemed to be a nice floral bloom as it hit my tongue. The tea was Harney and Sons.

I must have idly said "boy do I wish there was a shop like this closer to home" at least four times during my visit to Dancing Goats. The place is definitely popular with the locals and is only a short distance from the Decatur MARTA stop, so there's little reason not to prance yourself over when you're in town.