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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Painted Post, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Sheer luck is wonderful (though I like to think of it more as a divine jackpot), especially with shot-in-the-dark coffeehouses.
While visiting the Corning area, I had a few possible coffee stops, with one called Heavenly Cup Coffee Roasters located in Painted Post, outside of Corning. Being the farthest off the beaten path, I slotted it as the first stop (with my party's permission) on our route.
Heavenly Cup's base of operations and cafe is a free standing structure on a local road next to the Interstate. The building looks new and has a wrap-around parking lot that doubles partly as a drive-thru. Walking indoors, the cafe is arrayed in a very warm, two-story space with a beautiful balcony and open atrium layout. Besides the balcony, the roasting also happens on part of the second floor (conveniently right over the counter, which could work well if they ever invest in a dumb waiter or coffee chute).
I ordered a cup of their Breakfast Blend to kick it off. The coffee had a smooth nuttiness, followed with fig, cocoa and a sprinkling of wheat grass on the end. A good, light cup all around. The espresso, a short/medium pull with some nice crema, passed on a bittersweet chocolate with hints of lemon (nice contrast), a noticeable brightness on a milk-like texture and only small tinges of what I would call unsavory bitterness (thus, a pretty good cup sayeth I). The tea is loose leaf.
As I finished up, I was counting my blessings to have struck such a proverbial gold strike (a happening that occurs about as much as cold fusion in a bear's ear canal). If you're close to Elmira or Corning, you need to give Heavenly Cup a visit.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Hammonton, NJ
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]
When you get in between Philadelphia and the Jersey shore, you roll into an odd region of the state known for its sandy soil and weird pines (the pine barrens). Around this habitat, you find a lot of cranberry and blueberry farms and accordingly, such towns as Hammonton (the self-proclaimed blueberry capital of the world!).
While passing through town, I decided to try out a local coffee operation called Casciano Coffee Bar & Sweetery. Granted I never had heard of it before, but since I don't frequent the area a lot, I figured to give it a go.
Casciano sits on the main avenue of Hammonton in a charming brown store front with a few outside tables, complimented with free parking and a second entrance in the back. The interior displayed a long shop split in half by the kitchen and bathrooms; the counter and some tables in the front and much more seating in the back. The overall ambiance seemed to focus more on average American decor and though not compelling, proved very comfortable.
The coffee hails from Mountain Peak Coffee Roasters, based out of Forked River, NJ. I sampled a cup of their Colombian via drip; the brew proved bright with hints of lime, flavors of olive oil, oregano and Earl Grey all encapsulated in a medium-bodied coffee that wasn't half bad. The espresso, pulled short/medium, had a grapefruit sourness followed by a strong milky taste and ending with cardboard and a deep, charred flavor (i.e. the espresso could stand to improve). The tea is Republic of Tea.
While Casciano shows a lot of promise, I can see some areas that, if developed, could send them further towards the top. In the meantime, if you are in town, give Casciano a try for yourself.
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Aduro Bean Micro-Roasters
Coffees Mugged: Black and Tan Blend
Rating: 2+ [see key]
Blending coffee (mixing certain single origin coffees to make a desired flavor) has been a widely-used practice for some time. While I don't know if they were first, Italians truly made popular the art of coffee blending in order to better harness the right mixture of coffee beans to better make their espresso pop (most places still do it today). In the non-espresso arena, coffee entities have looked to blending for years in order to keep a similar flavor profile for a consistent product.
As for appearance, I can't say I've seen too many blends that have beans that look vastly different from one another. But I managed to find such a mixture with an Aduro Bean coffee that mixed a dark and a medium roast into what they call their Black and Tan Blend. Despite some concern of how the darker roast would play with the lighter roast, I assumed the best and dove in.
Thus, in getting started with the sampling, I took a crack at the coffee with my french press first. The cup proved bitter right up front, followed by a tickle of strawberry, some nice mention of chocolate and then more bitterness in the end and aftertaste. There was also a little bit of a jalapeno burn and overall, the cup was not so smooth and a held a very heavy body.
Next up was the drip. I definitely still tasted the bitterness and pepper but a nice pear-ish and watermelon sweetness swept underneath soon after. This cup had a smoother body once I got past the lingering darkness.Lastly came the siphon. This cup threw out the least bitterness and pepper of the three, held more of the watermelon than the drip and had a fair earthiness. The body seemed smoother as there was less lingering darkness.
To put it simply, I think Black and Tan might be better off left to blending beer. While the coffee embodied some nice flavors, they were all overshadowed by the dark beans. Maybe if the "black" component of this blend was more of a medium/dark roast (i.e. no oil on the outside), it may fair better.
If you're looking to try out an unconventional blend, try out the Black and Tan.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What does "Mugged" mean?Subject: Willoughby's Coffee & TeaCoffees Mugged: Guatemalan El Socorro Y Annexos, 2008 Cup of Excellence #4
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Connecticut is yet another nearby state that stands as a stranger to me, kinda like the neighbors three doors down that seem like happening people, but you are never around when they are home. I grew up somewhat close (2 hour drive) and yet, the only time I've stopped in was for a graduate school interview at Yale. As you can deduce, things did not work out for Yale and since then, I haven't been back.
Thus, I was thrilled to get some coffee from a New Haven coffee company called Willoughby's Coffee & Tea. The place had not really made my radar but their cafes look pretty nifty and their coffee offerings intriguing.
The first of the two coffees I tried was a 2008 Cup of Excellence winner from Guatemala. I sampled it in the typical three methods of drip, siphon and french press.
The drip I dove at first. The ensuing mug demonstrated a coffee smacking of sweet honey and caramel popcorn, with a wheaty aftertaste, a tiny sour kiss and an overall pleasant smoothness. This was by far one the sweetest coffees I've had in a long time.
The siphon had a tad heavier body. This cup possessed more of a chocolate and caramel sweetness as well as bits of fig, date and a milky texture. Different result but still delightful.
The french press generated a lighter coffee similar to the drip, though with much more prevalent caramel and a nice chocolate milk texture and flavor. The fig and ending wheat were still present and some unique notes of spice also showed up; also a great cup.
To say I was satisfied would be putting it lightly. If Willoughby's locations can serve up espresso as well as they can roast coffee, then Connecticut would finally have a true pull for me to visit.
If you're looking for a well-roasted Connecticut coffee, order a pound from Willoughby's.
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: Corning, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Gorgeous museum layouts truly capture my admiration, and the Corning Museum of Glass did surprisingly that. I showed up expecting a warehouse-ish display of fancy old glass containers only to find an engaging collection of history, art and practical knowledge.
And the surprises did not stop there. As I walked into the cafe to get a glass of water, I noticed that they had a two group lever espresso machine, specifically a Mirage Idrocompresso, a machine I rarely see in serious coffeehouses never mind a museum cafe. I asked the barista if she knew how to use it, to which she confidently assured me she did, so I indulged and ordered an espresso.
Using Gimme Coffee's Piccolo Mondo (surprise number two: a museum using good coffee!), I must say I was floored. The barista not only handled the machine with grace but she pulled a delightful, short pair of shots with good crema and flavors of whiskey, sugar cane, chocolate chip cookie and but a smidgen of bitterness on the end. The single downside was that she only had paper cups.
The cafe also offers three drips; a medium roast, a dark roast and a decaf of Gimme Coffee. While I didn't go for any drip this trip, the pump pots seemed often replenished and I can at least vouch that Gimme's medium roasts are usually quite delicious (not a fan of their dark roasts and I don't drink decaf enough to recommend). I did not note the tea.
Walking away, I got my last surprise in that the barista told me that the museum plans to make this experience even better (I think that included ceramic cups) when they reopen their coffee bar in the near future (apparently it is closed for winter).
Putting it all together, I have to say that of all my cultured experiences, this is one of the few times where good coffee practices found a way in. If you're around Corning, even if you don't go into the museum, give the cafe or coffee bar a visit.
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Painted Post, NY
