CC: Chestnut Hill Coffee Company

What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject: Chestnut Hill Coffee Company
Location visited: Chestnut Hill, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


This past week, the girlfriend and I had embarked to the Philly Zoo. Always a delightful experience (despite the heat and the high prices). We finished up around 2-3 pm and decided to grab some lunch (and some coffee) in Chestnut Hill. I had specifically heard rumor of a decent coffee company on Germantown Ave and figured today was as good a day as any to try it.

So we set off north, stopping for a delightful bite at Roxy's Sandwich Grille followed by a refreshing waterice at Rita's (they had mint chocolate chip, a flavor my girlfriend holds in the highest esteem). After some needless driving due to vague directions, we arrived at Chestnut Hill Coffee Co.

The decor and environment struck me as extremely creative. There were two floors (rare) with a variety of ample seating. I think they were even voted Best of Philly Magazine for child-friendly space.

The coffee was really good. Very smooth and full-flavored. It seemed they only had a limited offering of coffees (I didn't see anything else), though I'm pretty sure they roast their own and have more. They also seemed to focus on blends instead of single-origin, but I think they actually know what they're doing when they blend...

The espresso was well-done and very tasty. The barista who did it (I think it was John Hornall) was definitely trained in the ways of good technique and timing.

The tea was Mighty Leaf and the chai was probably powdered.

So if you're in the area, CHCC is definately worth a stop. It blends in on Germantown Ave, but it's right across from Borders in the ritzy part of town. I'd have to say that thus far, it's the best coffee I've had in PA.

CC: Bongo Java / Fido

What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject: Bongo Java / Fido
Location visited: Nashville, TN
Free WiFi ? :
Rating: 4+ [see key]

My weekend was spent in the lovely city of Nashville, known for its country roots, Christian music, and apparently its pancakes (Pancake Pantry is practically idol-worshipped here, but after trying a couple different dishes, I can't say I'd wait an hour for it).

But the coffeehouses here seemed numerous. My goal was to hit as many as possible, including the Frothy Monkey, Global Cafe, and a couple others. Sadly, due to the fact that everyone is closed on Sundays, I only got to two places. More oddly, the two I did visit were sister coffeehouses.

My first visit occurred after my sugar-laden breakfast at Pancake Pantry, when I was guided down the street to Fido, a fairly new cafe that sits in an old pet store (that's how it got its name). An offshoot of Bongo Java, this place serves more then just coffee. They have beer, wine, and apparently amazing food. They also have interesting policies with Wifi...

The next day, I dragged the girlfriend and my two cousins (from the mountains of PA) to find other coffeehouses. We found Bongo Java and Frothy Monkey, but due to time only went to Bongo Java. Bongo is situated across the street from Belmont University and has one of the nicest coffee house layouts I've ever seen. It's in an old house, so it has a lot of room as well as a huge front porch. The decor adds a nice artsy feel to it. I especially liked the serve-yourself, random water tap behind the counter.

Both Fido and Bongo Java's coffee were good. They roast their own coffee, the ethiopian harrar I had at Bongo being tasty and smooth. The espresso wasn't half bad either, though I can't say I was amazed. The tea was Numi and the chai I didn't spot.

Reflecting back, I wouldn't mind having a place like Bongo Java or Fido around me, as long as I didn't have to incur the heavy Tennessee heat.

Six Flags Nonsense

This topic has absolutely nothing to do with coffee, but I would just like to comment quickly on the (lack of) brains behind Six Flags Great Adventure. Having arrived at the park on Tuesday 10 AMish, we (me + girlfriend + gf's sister and fiancé) checked to see if Kingda Ka was open (which they spouted that it was) and had high hopes for good rides and lines abbreviated (it was a Tuesday).

But we encountered just the opposite. By 2 pm, we found Kingda Ka closed the whole day, waited in Superman only for it to break down before we boarded, and had basically ridden one ride (El Toro before it broke down) and had waited 2 hours to get on it. And to top it off, all but 4 coasters were offline.

Is it realistic to expect a theme park to advertise clearly which rides don't work before you waste your money on a day at a half-working theme park? Or that said rides shall be working 51 % of the time? Six Flags needs to shape up.

Good thing they gave us exit passes to appease our rage.

CC: Java Moon Cafe

What's a Coffee Commentary?
Subject: Java Moon Cafe (no website)
Location visited: Jackson, NJ
Free WiFi ? : maybe?Rating: 2+ [see key]


UPDATE 12/17/17: Java Moon has closed down. 

This place I can say I've driven past on my way to Six Flags Great Adventure since I was a little kid (it's right between Six Flags and the outlets). When I was little, it had no appeal because it didn't look like it served anything fried or sugar-laden. When I began to drink coffee, I thought it just a place that served coffee but not a real coffeehouse (their sign advertizes meals so the mistake is easily made).

Anyways, this past winter while housesitting down the road, I decided to give it a try. Turns out they had a full coffee bar. I had dinner, which wasn't bad (a little expensive though) and had some coffee to go. The coffee/tea menu wasn't very extensive but they had the basics.

The coffee was Corim, a corporate subsidiary of a big food conglomerate. The espresso was the same. Both were good when I tried them, but after looking at the website, it doesn't sit as well (when you have 10x more flavored coffees then regular single-origins or blends, there's something askew). The tea was free-leaf, though I can't vouch for quality. The chai was powdered.

Another area with little decent coffee, Java Moon is a nice place to have around. But overall, it ranked as a child amidst giants; still room for growth.

CC: La Colombe

What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject: La Colombe Torrefaction
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA (19th St and about Walnut)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key] 

  *Updated 1/10/09* 

Quite a few people in Philadelphia love and rave about La Colombe, that it saved Philly from bad coffee. Granted I've only been a conscious coffee imbider these past 6 years, so I can't vouch for the improvement. What I can vouch for is that La Colombe always tastes the same, whether it's a good coffeehouse, a bad coffeehouse, or the very frequented La Colombe shop on South 19 St in Rittenhouse Square. Consistency is a good thing, but the thing is that I have never had a cup of La Colombe (coffee and espresso) that I stepped back and said "Wow, that's really good!", kinda more like "yep, that's La Colombe."  

They espouse their claim to "excellence" is blending coffees, the art of mixing together different coffees to result in a better coffee. But these days, I think blending is overdone; it's a misleading sign of sophistication. Some amazing coffees should not be blended and hence offered as single-origin (unblended). La Colombe offers only 5 blends (1 is decaf) and while they might know how to blend, the results never knocked my socks off. 

But my experience at the main store really impacted my feelings on the company. The baristas were hardly friendly, actually more bordering on rude. The espresso machine looked a little run down (though still trucking). And the decor was kinda bare; nice and spacious, but definitely crowded and noisy. The tea was very basic (can't remember the name) and I didn't try the chai. 

But in the end, I really have to side with those that think that La Colombe is way over-hyped. For the pride they espouse on their website, I would expect better. 

Updated 1/10/09 

Was walking around late one evening and decided to stop in to see if the espresso scene had improved (from my samplings at other spots, the coffee itself had not). My shots were pulled long, had only a bit of crema, and while it demonstrated a pleasant sweetness and tinge of cocoa, it also smacked of char on the back end. In the end, decent but still no where even close to an excellent espresso.