CC: Cupcake Royale/Verite Coffee

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Cupcake Royale / Verite Coffee

Location visited: Seattle, WA
[Pike St location]
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



Personally, I have never been a big fan of cupcakes. In my youth, they were the cheap and easy-maintenance solution for birthday parties or classroom festivities. Sure I never turned one down, but I never had one that made me crave another.

That changed with my visit to Cupcake Royale and Verite Coffee in Seattle. Always curious of venues doing more then the normal coffeehouse routine, I slotted the dynamic duo of cupcakes and coffee for a pleasant after-dinner treat one fine Saturday eve.

Sauntering up to their neon-lit storefront, I peered in through their huge windows to the bustling interior. The cafe consists of a large, white counter smack in the middle, with seating and nifty portraits surrounding.

The coffee served is Stumptown, with both the espresso and the drip that night being Hairbender. The espresso, pulled short with nice crema, had flavors of sweet cocoa, whiskey, cherry, a little saltiness and a little tobacco (overall a good showing). The drip was a little stale but still provided a decent cup, with notes of honey, beef broth, black tea and a bit of tobacco. I did not note the tea but as I hinted above, my cupcake sent ripples of euphoria through my nervous system (I would have had another, had I the strength).

To put it mildly, I relished my cupcake and coffee experience, with the staleness in the drip being my only criticism. If you happen to be in Seattle and in need of a cupcake and coffee, stop in to Cupcake Royale and Verite Coffee.

CC: Barista

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Subject: Barista

Location visited: Portland, OR
(Pearl District location)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]



Finally. That was the word that plowed into my mind when I passed into Portland's lovely city limits for my second trip ever, this one outlasting my last Portland trip which was no more then a late night Sunday pit stop.

First stop on my stops was Barista. I confess that since their opening in early 2009, I have wished to pass through their arches and experience what sounded like a great coffee experience. Barista had such appeal largely for their unorthodox-yet-beautifully-obvious approach to coffee, such as having many coffee roasters offered in their shop (the number was around 9 when I arrived) and having 3 rotating featured espressos every day.

I arrived tired but eager. I walked up the steps, onto their porch full of tables and inside to what looked like a lobby. Barista existed mostly to the left in a small shop with beautiful woodwork (I later found out that one guy does many of the gorgeous coffee bars for the city) and plenty of coffee (a whole wall is just whole bean bags for sale), but the shop spills into the lobby with big black tables that make the place exist in so much greater a space.

I ordered Stumptown's Kilimanjaro El Salvador as my espresso and a french press of Ristretto Roaster's El Salvador (no theme planned; just worked out that way). The espresso proved velvety in texture, ripe with a sugary lemon with vanilla kick plus an infusion of strawberry and blood orange. The shots were superbly pulled, short in volume, capped with great crema and overall, proved to be delicious. The french press had a beautifully bright introduction, with twangs of caramel, fig, honey, a little tapioca and chai; a very smooth coffee with a great profile. The tea I failed to note.

Of the coffeehouses I wish I lived near, I added Barista to my list that day. Stop in.

CC: Third Rail Coffee

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Subject: Third Rail Coffee

Location visited: Manhattan, NY
Free WiFi ? : no
Rating: 6+ [see key]




Though Jersey is right next to Manhattan, I hold the opinion that there's no such thing as "popping in." No matter how many different methods I try, it always takes at least a half hour, even when I am right across the river (circumstances never seem to favor my speed). But I guess you can rationalize the time taken for the reward on the other side.

One recent end of a business day, I was driving down the NJ turnpike and hit a massive parking lot of traffic. Not wanting to sit and also having a rare free evening (the wife was to be with friends til late), I decided to park the car and take NJ Transit into Penn Station, grab some dinner and coffee and then head home when traffic had dissipated.

The plan mostly worked. I didn't end up finding as great a dinner as I had hoped but I managed to finally make it to Third Rail Coffee near NYU. In the midst of the evolving NYC coffee scene, Third Rail has won strong accolades for good coffee (NY Times gave some love) and seems to have strong attention to detail. The cafe itself is typical of NYC in that its low on space but every ounce is optimized amidst the exposed brick, wood floors and wall seating.

Third Rail serves up Intelligentisa and Stumptown and per their offerings that day, I got a Black Cat espresso and Stumptown's Costa Rican Don Mayo Reserva via Chemex. The Costa Rican brought earthy notes, hints of wheat, rum, oregano and corn; a smooth cup that proved delicious. The espresso, pulled short with pretty crema, had flickers of lemon, bittersweet chocolate, cloves and raspberry within a nice velvety texture (a good showing of Black Cat). The tea is free leaf.

Especially with the friendly banter from the baristas, Third Rail choo choo-ed sweetly into my heart. If you happen to be in the city, rally to their doorstep.

CC: Aldo Coffee Company

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Subject: Aldo Coffee Company

Location visited: Pittsburgh, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



Lackadaisical Saturday mornings go hand-in-hand with coffee at a fine establishment. I speak no great epiphany, but since my Saturdays are often lightning-paced (and when they are not, I sleep them by) I lament that I rarely get to enjoy the pleasantry of a Saturday morning brew out.

Yet vacation changes everything and being in Pittsburgh on a gorgeous Saturday, my entourage and I made our way to Aldo Coffee Company. A bit of a local coffee hero, Aldo has been in the lime light on more then one occasion with their quality barista skills and coffee practices.

Aldo sits on a main street south of downtown Pittsburgh in a brick building with an orange, red and black (Halloween!) awning. Inside, the structure reflects two small shops merged, with the bar on the right, seating throughout and an overall low-lit joint decked out in Italian decor.

The coffee hales from Stumptown, Intelligentsia and La Verdad (a coffee roasted by Aldo). That morning, they (oddly) had Stumptown's Hairbender and Intelly's Black Cat as filter coffees (waiting in pump pots); the prospect of either wasn't really appealing as both are great for espresso but not really other infusions. But since they were pulling shots of Black Cat that AM, I went with the Hairbender for my cup of drip. While I can't say my hair bent, the brew produced a little brightness similar to lemon, hint of pepper, some pear, oregano and a little nuttiness. The coffee also proved a little saucy (due to what seemed staleness) but overall, was fairly good.

As for the espresso, the Black Cat possessed notes of dark chocolate, lemon, nutmeg, a bit of hibiscus and some zesty vanilla. The shots were pulled short, had a good head of crema and proved pleasant. The tea is free leaf.

While I can't say I would agree with Aldo's drip selections that day (they had so many others to choose from!), I would say the experience overall gave my Saturday morning a nice bit of pep. When you're in the area, give Aldo a heave ho.

CC: Hub Bub Coffee

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Subject: Hub Bub Coffee
Locations visited: Philadelphia, PA, various
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


Updated 12.30.13 (see below)

Philly's newest coffee development has finally brought the city a true mobile coffee venue. Hub Bub Coffee, a coffee truck that just drove onto the scene in October, serves up the all-too-popular coffee of Stumptown and even before the initial opening, the operation had accrued quite a bit of publicity.

Since the truck often parks on 38th and Spruce on the weekdays, I tried making a stop on a recent Friday but unfortunately, my plan failed. So I tried a Saturday, tracking Hub Bub's location via twitter since the truck wanders to different spots on the weekends. And after walking a few blocks on a windy day of shopping and merriment, I caught sight of the big red coffee machine.

The truck is beautifully simple enough; menu and order window on the passenger side with a shiny metal interior full of all the necessary coffee tools (fastened to the counter I believe).

I requested a cup of the day's drip, Stumptown's Guatemala Finca El Injerto. The coffee had a pleasant earthiness with notes of bourbon (fitting, given it's a Bourbon Varietal), sugar cane and a little sweet cigar and black tea. The espresso, unavoidably served in a paper cup (the mobile coffee truck that can solve this dilemma should get an award!), was pulled well and had a good showing to boot; good crema, dark body with pleasant chocolate and lime flavors ending with a sweet whiskey-esque bite. The tea is Republic of Tea.

On the whole, I thoroughly dug my trip to Hub Bub. If you happen to be near U Penn on the weekdays or you're looking for a weekend treasure hunt, go to Hub Bub.


*Update 12.30.13*

In the recent past, I've made it to their Logan Square and Spruce St locations. Both bring the Hub Bub quality to the gorgeous brick and mortar structures the city so richly loves.

CC: Cafe Fixe

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Subject: Cafe Fixe

Location visited: Brookline, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]



*Update 12/20/09

You know you have a pretty good boss when she lets you make an off-the-route stop for a much needed good cup of coffee.

On the way home from some business in New England, we had about 5 hours ahead of us and I was hurting for a decent cup of coffee to fuel the remaining drive. Fortunately, my fellow travelers (boss included), allowed me to make a bee line for Brookline to make a drop into Cafe Fixe.

Cafe Fixe hangs out on Beacon St in a beautiful tan brick building with a pair of matching tables guarding the front door. The interior folds out into a cozy shop with lots of light woods, a back counter and a fair amount of seating.

Fixe purveys Stumptown, a new sight for the Boston area these days. I ordered the Honduras, a nice light, floral coffee with subtle berries, pomegranate and cocoa; a really great cup of drip all in all. The espresso, a coffee called Bar Gold (never heard of it nor can I find it online), was pulled splendidly, had a nice crema and possessed flavors of chocolate, bell pepper and a tinge of bitterness on the end. The tea is free leaf.

This lovely stop at Fixe truly made out to be the stop I needed. If you're in or around Boston, drop by Cafe Fixe.


Update 12/20/09
HA! I figured out why I had never heard of Bar Gold coffee before; it's simply because I foolishly decided to use short hand instead of writing out the word Barrington. Thus, to correct my above ridiculous error, they served Barrington Gold as their espresso blend (a delicious coffee from Barrington Coffee Roasters) upon my visit.

Also, note that the coffee may not always be Stumptown, as several people have commented below that Barrington Coffee Roasters are a frequent flier and have other roasters as guests on occasion.

CC: Stumptown Coffee Roasters

What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject: Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Location visited: Portland, OR
[Ace Hotel location]
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]



Every so often, a business will get things just right so that they go from a small shop to boasting a national reputation. Stumptown Coffee Roasters is that business in the coffee world. For about four years now, I've heard nothing but praise regarding Stumptown, located in Portland, OR. I've heard they have amazing espresso and wondrous baristas. I've heard they offer french press coffee out of a huge press. I've even heard of coffeehouses sending their employees there to get training.

Whether or not all this is really true is not all that important (I'm pretty sure it's all truth). The fact that all of this chatter has invaded my skull from people of all walks of life and levels of coffee passion amazes me.

So you can imagine my elation when I finally got to make a stop out to Stumptown a couple weeks ago. A good pal of mine and I were driving down to Oregon from Seattle and were due to stop in Portland that night. Unfortunately, we hit Portland on a Sunday so nothing was open and had we traveled several months earlier, we would have missed Stumptown as well. Fortunately, Stumptown opened their newest location in the Ace Hotel recently where they're open til 11 PM on Sundays.

So fast forward a long hunt to find a decent dinner location (half successful at the Dragonfish, as the entrees were good but sushi a little lacking) and we find our hero at Stumptown Ace at 1030 PM. I had expected the baristas to be closing up (the town seemed dead) but to my surprise they were alive and perky. The exterior is nonchalant, with the name in the window but no real tell-tale markings to make it jump out. The interior was a beautifully sleek operation with a long counter and a relaxing vibe.

They obviously roast their own coffee and take careful measure to brew it well. At this particular operation, they brew all their coffee on 4 (!) specimens of the Clover 1s. I think I had an Ethiopian (or something African, it was late), which sampled a beautiful, full cup of unfiltered java.

The espresso is where I really was wowed. While the barista dialogued with me as she pulled my shot, she felt the shot was poor and so poured it out. She did this twice more, not liking the consistency of her shots. Finally, on the fourth shot she seemed satisfied and handed it to me gingerly, and then gave it to me free of charge because it took so long! I never, in all of my coffee exploits, have ever come across attention to detail (not to mention the amazing results) and customer service like that!

So to summarize simply, if you were to go out of your way to stop at one coffee operation in your lifetime, let it be Stumptown. And if you're looking to move to Portland, can I come visit you?