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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Geneva, NY
Free WiFi ? : yesRating: 4+ [see key]
Though I always hope for the best, I constantly recognize that life, especially with travel, never pans out the way I expect it. This little axiom never seemed more true than on a recent trip through the Finger Lakes. Many of the small towns possess some nice attractions, and going on a loose recommendation, my wife and I decided to check out Seneca Falls.
And that flopped like a lead pancake. While Seneca Falls has lots of history (Women's Rights) and is allegedly the town that It's a Wonderful Life is based on, we ran out of stuff to do in forty minutes. So, we decided just to continue on to the town of Waterloo, the birthplace of Memorial Day, where we found even less. Finally, determined to find something substantial, we ended up making a final gamble on Geneva, where we finally struck aureate dirt.
Passing by a lovely vista of Seneca Lake, we made our way into the lovely old town with lots of interesting prospects for a nice stop. Among the possibilities, my wife pointed out The Coffee House, what looked like a decent cafe with a nice gated patio. Always curious, we wandered over to find a much warmer, more enticing interior with plenty of classy seating and historical area art.
The Coffee House also happens to roast their own coffee. I ordered a cup of the Pulteney Blend, a fair brew that exhibited hints of vanilla and a minor nuttyness but sadly was a bit stale and too dark. As for espresso, the barista pulled a decent short/medium cup with nice crema and though a little too bitter, produced some nice flavors of cocoa and cherry. The tea is free leaf.
Much like my travels that day, The Coffee House ended up being worth the gamble. I hope to return to the area soon too, as I found quite a few other gems close by, so hopefully The Coffee House keeps up the good work (maybe, even get better!).
If you happen to be in Geneva, drop in at The Coffee House to try it out for yourself.
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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Portland, ME
Free WiFi ? : yesRating: 6+ [see key]
Maine. Land of LL Bean, lobster and luxurious woodsy vacations. Before this recent trip, I had only really been to Maine once to take in Acadia National Park and neighboring Bar Harbor but I was about 15 at the time, so I've since salivated to wander back in.
Which brings us to this recent trip, a quick drive to the north during some free time one Saturday morning. Albeit adequate (for now), I was afforded only a drop into Portland with enough time to stop by a local coffee newcomer and all star, Bard Coffee.
Bard Coffee sits in an aged section of Portland in an old red stone bank (I believe). Yet the fancy building, delightfully high ceilings, pleasant lighting and overall warm interior provide the icing to what was to be a stellar coffee experience.
Bard serves Wicked Joe (probably because WBC judge Bob Garver owns them both). I ordered their Colombian via pourover and found it for the most part light and leafy; flavors of earl grey (even the orange), fragrant grass and sweet spinach followed with a nice earthiness as well as a little grape nut and sunflower seed. The espresso, pulled short and with expertise, had a nice crema and displayed club soda with lime as well as hints of cocoa, ending with a nice sour zest and a bit of juicy berry. The tea is free leaf.
And to top it all off, the baristas proved to be zealous conversationalists on the wonders of coffee, but alas, I only had a short time to live my Bard experience.
If you're anywhere near Portland, give Bard Coffee a try.
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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Portsmouth, NH
Free WiFi ? : yesRating: 3+ [see key]
When at conferences, the prospect of finding good coffee even moderately close by is low. But nonetheless, I have to search (it's in my blood).
Traveling the city of Portsmouth didn't offer much hope as I had received no recommendations amidst the beautiful city, but I still clung to hope. Finally, I ended up settling on a cozy-looking place called Port City Coffee Roasters located in a shopping center a little off my beaten path.
Strolling in, the cafe struck me as a basic place and somewhat deli-esque in feel (flourescent lights, not much seating, etc). I ordered their Bed and Breakfast blend, a smooth medium roast with the flavor of Ovaltine and in totality, not a bad cup. The espresso was pulled long (almost a tiny americano), served in a paper cup and possessed little else besides a milkshake-ish head and a bitter bite. The tea is Tazo.
Getting out into Portsmouth proved nice but Port City Coffee Roasters did not add as much to the trip as I had hoped. If you're looking for a fair coffee in Portsmouth, stop by Port City.
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I usually don't put up stuff regarding free drinks on a certain day, but I really admire the mission of the p:ear barista school (a collaboration between p:ear and Caffe Vita to equip at risk youth with excellent barista skills) and wish there were more operations like this.
Thus, if you live in Portland, or you happen to be there on 11/24, stop by between 830 - 1130 AM to the p:ear gallery to to get your morning cup of coffee on them! The promotion is to both introduce the p:ear barista school program and further train the p:ear barista school students.
The p:ear gallery is located @ 338 NW 6th Ave., Portland, Oregon 97209.
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What does "Mugged" mean?Subject: Schwan's Coffee Mugged: Medium, Dark and Decaf
Rating: 2+ for Medium and Decaf,
1+ for Dark [see key]
To put it bluntly (and inadvertently snobbishly), I normally don't drink pre-ground coffee, mainly for the fact that better coffee is (almost) always found in freshly ground.
But when I got an email from Schwan's, offering to send me some coffee to try in order to get my two cents, I guess I was in a rush because I did not bother to ask whether it was whole bean. So, on my doorstep I found a humongous Styrofoam cooler with three bags of their ground coffee packed in ice (apparently standard operations).
Being a man of my word, I gave it a try. I kept each one frozen until I knew I was going to mug it. I tried the medium roast first via drip and french press (their grind was a little too fine to bother with the vacuum press). The drip tasted fairly smooth, with hints of cherry and pepper with a slight stale taste and a bit of a dark bite. The french press was similar, with less pepper.
Next up was the dark roast, also surveyed via drip and french press. Both produced a bitter cup reminiscent of darker coffees, also a bit old in flavor.
Lastly was the decaf, sampled in drip and french press forms as well. The drip actually produced an OK cup, with a touch of honey amidst a mild bite and a little age. The french press produced similar, but oddly much less pronounced flavors.
While the coffees from Schwan's did not amaze me, I can't say I was as put off as I thought I would be drinking pre-ground coffee (as arrogant as that sounds). But much like a person who loves fresh apples would not consider dried apple equal...
Anyway, if you already order (or you want to order) from Schwan's and you're looking to try fair ground coffee, go for it.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
What's does "CC" mean?
