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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Chicago, IL
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
While I have been to Chicago many times before, I revel in this recent trip the most. Not only did I get to spend some serious time in the thriving metropolis, but I was with good company (one of them a local) and in glorious weather for early Spring.
So on one sunny, calm day I made a trip to Chava Cafe, a joint reputed to be doing some good things with Intelligentsia's coffee. Chava sits in a nice round-cornered facility with windows between pillars throughout with a huge interior to match, rich with calming colors and intriguing furniture.
The cafe also owns a Clover (plus, if their barista was correct, mentioned that a comparable device was to be tested in Chava in coming days). I ordered Intelly's Ikerizi, Burundi clover-ized, a beautiful, light brew that showed maple syrup over buttermilk waffle, a little sour apple and some caramel and chocolate truffle. My espresso also impressed, as it was a good, short pull of Black Cat, producing a thick chocolate chip cookie, some lemon, a bit of sea salt and a nice crema. The tea is free leaf.
In my list of cafes I wish I lived near, I can confidently say that Chava would be in my top 20. If you're in Chicago, take a trip to Chava.
This weekend has proven a little too much like a whirlwind and thus, I will have to take a breather from posting formally until Wednesday. But until then, I did manage to update two places from the past that I was able to recently revisit, re-evaluate and actually boost the scores a bit. Barrington
1 Shot Coffee
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged: Single Estate Signature
Rating: 3+ [see key]
Wrapping up my overall Doi Chaang experience is their Single Estate Signature blend, a coffee that is blended post-roasting and was the dark horse of the three coffees I received (the other two had ratings on the bag to give me an idea of what to expect). I sampled it a la drip, french press and siphon.
As I sipped the brew from my french press, I noticed a smoky aroma and taste, followed by a kick of pepper and then, a leveled out, smooth coffee with dollops of apple butter. This brew stood as the smokiest and the bitterest of the three batches.
My drip fared less smoky, still showing up with a bit of bitterness and pepper as well as the apple butter middle and finish. This cup also tasted nuttier and was smooth-ish overall.
The siphon produced the lightest of the three, demonstrating not much smokiness, but instead more cocoa. This cup was the least bitter and had flavors of apple as well as vanilla and nutmeg. The most enjoyable of the three in my estimation.
This Single Estate Signature left its mark as a fair coffee; by no means a bench warmer but still not at the level of a home runner. Give this coffee a sip if you're looking for a good Thai medium/dark coffee.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Burnstown, ON
Free WiFi ? : no
Rating: 4+ [see key]
Aside from Canada's many cities, I can't say I've seen a whole lot of our neighbor to the north. Granted I've passed through lots of interesting-looking towns (especially in the Thousand Islands) but it wasn't until a coffee destination turned up a little off my beaten path in Burnstown that I got a chance to take a nice detour on some back roads.
Said coffee destination is called Neat Coffee Shop, a cafe nestled in an old schoolhouse at the main intersection of town. The exterior consists of two buildings, with the most of the cafe in the blue portion (I have no idea really what they do in the brick section). The interior held a nice open space, with some wood furniture, local art and a big Apple desktop for customers.
Neat roasts their coffee in-house, though per their website they also claim to carry 49th Parallel and Fire Roasted Coffee (49th Parallel's Epic Espresso is their espresso blend). They do have a Clover but it was down for repairs, so I ordered a french press of their Ethiopian. The coffee was really bright with notes of raspberry and caramel, as well as some strong dark notes. The espresso, pulled short and served in a shot glass, had a milkshake-ish head followed by a slap of dark bitterness, plus some flavors of cocoa, lemon and a bit of pepper. While I failed to ask if the espresso that day was 49th's Epic, it seemed that the pull was more of the concern then the espresso blend. Their tea was free leaf.
I can't say that Neat was completely worth the detour but it seems that the place has a lot of potential with a few tweaks (they seem to really like their darker roasts). If you're nearby, give Neat a stop.
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged: Single Estate Piko's Peaberry
Rating: 2+ [see key]
Quality coffees really aren't that much different than mediocre coffees.
WAIT...what?! That is heresy! Clearly, factors such as the quality of the crop, the way in which said crop was processed and how it is then roasted all separate an amazing coffee from the rest. How could I say that an amazing coffee isn't that much different then a mediocre coffee?!
Well, lets agree that when you get a coffee that is grown, processed and roasted well, my digestive planets align and I swoon like an Elvis impersonator at Graceland. Such coffee stands head and shoulders above lesser coffee.
But mess up one or more of the steps from crop to cup, a quality coffee is lost in a sea of average beans. So it seems was the case with a recent coffee I got from Doi Chaang. The coffee was their peaberry and had an admirable 93 from Coffee Review on the front, so opening it up, I was excited. But when I opened the bag, I noticed a pretty dark coffee and the first thing that hit me was "Ken (from Coffee Review) usually doesn't rate a lot of dark coffees in the 90s" but I dismissed it as pessimism and gave it a go via drip, siphon and french press (later I found that when Ken rated this coffee, it was of a medium roast).
Sadly, the results were less then exciting. The drip produced a dark cup with hints of cocoa, a little bit of orange and a good amount of bitterness over a medium body. The french press was very similar, with bitterness throughout, a deep cocoa and a peppery orange flavor. The siphon had a little lighter body, as well as a little more of a nougat and curry flavor, but overall, still the same. To say the least, the coffee was consistent throughout the various brewings.
Thus, it seems that the darker roasting of this coffee sunk a lot of its finer flavors and needless to say, I would love to try it as a lighter roast. If you are looking for a decent dark coffee of Thailand, give Doi Chaang's Piko's Peaberry a sampling.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Chicago, IL
