CC: Hudson Coffee Traders

Subject: Hudson Coffee Traders
Location: Kingston, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

In the grand scope of American history, I feel like we never really talked about pre-British colonies like New Netherland. We never really discuss that despite the failure of the Dutch to hold onto their colony long, two of their original settlements that they started ended up thriving through the centuries (NYC and Albany). And while the third original settlement really doesn't get much limelight any more, the city of Kingston, NY still has its points of interest.

Situated on the Hudson River, Kingston traces its roots back to the 1650s, has been the capital of New York and was burned down during the Revolutionary War. Along with its history and beautiful geography along the Hudson, the city has a few other draws, one of them for me was local coffee operation Hudson Coffee Traders.

Situated on Wall Street, Hudson Coffee Traders sits in a nice stone building with a majestic blue awning and large open windows that lead into a cozy (though a little cluttered) interior that has a back section that reminded me a lot of the Parthenon. As for coffee, they roast their own beans and after looking over the menu, I decided upon an espresso of their Espresso Blend and a drip of their House Blend. The espresso, pulled to a medium volume with marbled crema, held notes of bittersweet cocoa, lemon, garlic toast and sweet ginger, proving to have a nice balance with a decent combination of flavors. As for the drip, the House purveyed flavors of almond croissant, light chocolate, nutmeg, dandelion and a little pork rind all present within a medium body.

While I did not fall head over heels in love with Hudson Coffee Traders, I found the fare pretty scrumptious (i.e. the espresso and drip were both good but still had room for growth). If you happen to be passing through or in town for some local history, stop by this local coffeehouse for a decent cup of coffee.

CC: Boxcar Coffee Roasters

Subject: Boxcar Coffee Roasters
Location: Boulder, CO
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's not every day that a coffee operation boasts of having a unique means of coffee brewing to offset environmental variables, but when it does, you know it's gonna be an interesting day.

One sleepy Sunday morning, my wife, son and I made our way over to Boulder's Boxcar Coffee Roasters situated a little east on Pearl St of the mall. Since it was early, the street and subsequently the store were slow but that allowed for a little more interaction than usual with the passionate barista. The shop itself exists as a beautiful marriage of Boxcar and a fancy cheese and meat market called Cured, both complimenting the other in the space and providing a great convenience to patrons as well.

Back to the coffee, in talking with the barista he informed me that due to altitude they concocted a special means of brewing their coffee to make it come out perfectly (mainly the water goes to 203 F), and thus have dubbed it "cowboy coffee." Being easily intrigued, I settled on a Brazil SO via the cowboy coffee method and an espresso of their Stella Espresso blend. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, bucked with ginger, chocolate, sweet molasses, fresh bread, a little lavender and some salt; a delicious and robust 'spro. The Brazilian cowboy coffee proved mellow, with notes of honey, saison, croissant, nutmeg and cashew, wholly enveloping me in a sweet, wheaty and nutty ballad.

After spending a bit of time relaxing at a corner table, we walked out greatly sated with the experience. If you're in Boulder, choo choo choose Boxcar for a coffee stop.

Mugged: DeNossA Signature Blend [Memoria]

Subject: Memoria Coffee
Mugged: DeNossA Signature Blend
Rating [see key]: 3+


A cooperating community of professionals is a great thing, and many an organization has aimed to harness its power for the collective good. In Dallas, a group called Memoria has taken the initiative to create a member-driven community that includes a nice-looking lounge and a spiffy cafe.

In the spirit of entrepreneurship, they offer their own blend of medium-roasted Colombian coffee called the DeNossA Signature Blend. They sent me a pound to try out at home and I sampled it via pourover, french press and siphon.

The drip infusion doled out notes of whole milk, tobacco, pretzel, graham cracker, cherries, lemon pepper and a bit of corn. A sweet brew with a deep body and primarily bitter notes, though some nice brightness peeked through.

The french press held graham cracker, tobacco, pretzel, milk, nutmeg and corn amidst a deep body. Still malty and bitter, but less sweet and more peppery.

The siphon doled out a similar brew, with notes of graham cracker, pretzel, cocoa, nutmeg, milk and corn amidst a heavy body. Still deep and sweet.

While the coffee was a little too dark in roast for my tastes (much closer to a medium-dark roast), the coffee did have positives with some sweet and hearty flavors. If you're looking for a darker Colombian coffee with your networking possibilities, give Memoria's DeNossA Signature Blend a try.

note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback. 

CC: Milstead and Co.

Subject: Milstead and Co.
Location: Seattle, WA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

A lot of folks in the coffee industry are very altruistic when it comes to fellow compatriots of the trade, but no matter how often I see or hear it, I still find it odd to for a barista to recommend another's coffeehouse. Such was the case, this time in Seattle when I was talking to a pro about where to go for coffee in the city, and this chap emphasized that if I were to go nowhere else, I should hit Milstead and Co.

Fortunately, his heavy-handed recommendation lined right up with my plans and I was able to stop by Milstead and Co.'s in their Fremont digs, right down the street from the fabled Troll. With a sleek, minimal exterior with an overtly enticing glow, I walked into their pleasantly huge space, with a coffee bar the size of a racquetball court surrounded by a pleasing assortment of tables and chairs, not to mention a shared zany patio with the History House next door.

The coffee comes from many a spot, and that morning I settled on an aeropress of Coava Coffee's Ethiopia Kilenso Sidama and an espresso of Stumptown's Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, sang of grapefruit, honey, charred oak, a little apple juice and some nutmeg, proving to be overall very potent and deliciously flavorful. The aeropressed Ethiopian also proved delicious, with notes of wheat, blueberry, vanilla french toast, fresh pear and a little black tea and cocoa.

Clearly, Milstead and Co. did great justice to the high marks given by their peers. If you happen to be in Seattle, stop by for a great cup of coffee. 

Mugged: Medium Signature Roast [Don Tomas]

Subject: Don Tomas Coffee
Mugged: Medium Signature Roast
Rating [see key]: 3+


More and more, people are going right to the source when it comes to food. We love our farmer markets, our local butchers and even our local grocers. Sure we still live in a giant supermarket society, but the increase for small batches and transparency on when/where/how is growing (which is likely tied to the demand for organic, natural and/or socially-responsible food, but that's another topic).

With coffee, we especially love our geography, with most roasters offering full detail on (at least) the region a coffee comes from. With this love affair of source, it's no wonder that a few coffee farmers have awoken to smell their own roasted coffee and have taken on the roasting/retail end themselves instead of sending it all away so foreign roasters can make bank.

One of the handful of farms roasting their own beans is Don Tomas Coffee out of Jinotega, Nicaragua. Offering several roasts of their coffee, they recently sent me out their Signature Medium Roast to try. Below are my notes as I consumed the coffee via drip, siphon and french press.

The drip demonstrated notes pretzel, birch, apple juice, pepper and malt amidst a medium body. A deep and sweet coffee proving a tad dark in flavor.

The french press was a little different, with flavors more akin to cocoa, salty caramel, pepper, soy sauce, milk and nutmeg with a medium body. Still a sweet yet dark brew.

The siphon blasted out notes of malt, pepper, birch, apple turnover and cigar. More like the drip in profile, this brew had a bit of a tobacco to further enhance the dark aspects.

Granted, this medium roast was much more akin to a dark roast in much of its flavors but overall, it was not a bad coffee (especially for someone looking to go dark). If you're in the mood for a Nicaraguan dark roast, try out Don Tomas' Signature Medium Roast.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.