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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Swarthmore, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Despite traversing Philadelphia so many times, there always seems to be a distant suburb of it that I have to unearth. My latest strike is the cute, college town of Swarthmore. A little bit off my route one day, I stumbled upon a new coffeehouse that had popped up on the main street. Titled Hobbs Coffee, it looked promising from what I could decipher and with a little bit of a weird means (my GPS likes to take scenic tours), I finally found my way.
Hobbs sits in a corner shop right next to the Septa train stop with nice, open windows. The inner domain consisted of a very open space with nice wood floors, a comfortable arrangement of furniture and decent lighting.
The coffee comes from local Chestnut Hill Coffee Company, a good operation putting forth good coffee. I had the Rwandan that fateful day, a drip that fared a tad darker then I would like but still displayed decent flavors of strawberry jam as well as a complimenting nuttiness and earthiness. The espresso, pulled short with good crema, had the qualities of lemon, sugar cane, bits of bitter cocoa and some milky molasses on the end. The tea is Equal Exchange.
Though I wasn't a gargantuan fan of the Rwandan (too dark for me) or that they wouldn't serve a bagel after breakfast hours (why put a time limit on something that has a shelf life?), Hobbs showed a pretty high level of quality (at the least) with their espresso and choice of coffee roaster. With a few little improvements, they have potential to really be top notch.
If you happen to be near Swarthmore, give Hobbs Coffee a try.
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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.
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Swarthmore, PA
