What's a Coffee Commentary?
Subject: Bean Exchange
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]
Any native Philadelphian knows of the rich history the city holds but few people really know all the various stories and random facts of the age-old city. I personally love to wander as a curious native, learning of places of (relatively) ancient lore where great men and women stepped out of their comfort zones to do what was needed in shaping this nation.
So it was to my delight that I learned of the London Coffeehouse, a place of 18th century Philadelphia that was a hub of business and politics that closed its doors forever shortly after the Revolution (apparently it couldn't compete with the City Tavern). I'm not sure where the original location is or if the building still stands, but it turns out that there is a coffeehouse called the Bean Exchange that stands as a commemoration to the long gone establishment.
The Bean Exchange sits on Bainbridge in a lovely corner brick building, with the name emblazoned proudly along the length of the building. The warm colonial interior has various tables running conveniently the length of the long space.
The coffee is a brand called Lacas, which according to the BE barista is a quality "Greek" coffee (website says nothing along those lines). The house blend was decent, embodying only a very noticeable spiciness. The espresso was also mediocre, not having much body or pizazz. The tea is Mighty Leaf.
While I'm glad to have come across Bean Exchange for its historical commemoration, it doesn't really add much to the Philadelphia coffee scene. Nonetheless, if you like a dose of American antiquity with your java, stop on in.
What's a Coffee Commentary?
Subject: Esselon Cafe
Location visited: Hadley, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Day-long conferences without a drop of decent coffee is a bit of a trial, but very worth it when you stumble across a local gem on the way home.
Traveling west from U Mass Amherst, my fellow colleagues and I had a long road ahead of us and as I was behind the wheel, I was aching for a decent cup of coffee. I noticed a place on our way in that looked like it served coffee (had a coffee cup on the sign) but also noticed that it said "now serving breakfast." The sign as well as the the title "cafe" made me wonder whether it was a legit coffeehouse or one of the many eateries labeled cafe that gives the impression that they serve good coffee, only to shatter my hopes the second I see the old coffee sitting on a hot plate next to the deep fryer.
Fortunately, Esselon Cafe was not an awaiting disappointment. Walking up to the red awnings of the stand-alone building, I could see the expected coffee menu. The inside was spacious and pleasantly arranged, with both inside and outside seating.
Moving on to the coffee, it's all roasted in-house and displays a nice variety. The java sampled held a beautiful body and splendid flavor. Similarly, the espresso was pulled decently by a very congenial barista and tasted bright and lucious. The tea was Oishi.
As mentioned above, the stop at Esselon definitely made my drive home a whole lot sweeter. If you frequent nearby U Mass or happen to be in the area, I would definitely make a recommendation to stop in for a good cup of coffee.
What's a Coffee Commentary?
Subject: Connect Cafe
Location visited: Marlton, NJ
(Rt 70, heading east of the 70/73 circle)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]
*Update 1/1/09*
It appears that Connect Cafe is out of business.
Looking back to the old days, I remember when the internet first came out. It was the coolest, most mysterious thing that all the hip people had. And where did they all hang out when in groups? At an Internet Cafe of course, yet only if you lived in a cool town or the city, and my town growing up had neither. Then WIFI came about as well as laptops, and the fad was dead before it ever came alive on most of the East Coast.
But a couple months back I heard someone actually opened a coffeehouse in Marlton with the intent of capitalizing on the internet cafe niche. Thinking the rumor half-joking, I decided to pop in the next time I was in the area.
After finding it, labeled "CAFE" (that's eye-grabbing!) in a boring beige strip mall along Rt 70, I soon realized my suspicions were confirmed. The interior has a heavy internet cafe theme (though beautifully decorated), with the drinks labeled "bytes" and "megabytes" to denote the sizes and a policy that you have to buy a certain amount in order to use the internet (I thought that was assumed?). Another side note about the inside is that they have this long, spacious deep-red wall empty of any kind of local art, which seems to be an utter waste.
Moving on to the cafe end they surprisingly serve Crescent Moon Roasters, a dynamite roaster based out of the Mullica Hill area. The coffee served tasted a little stale (as if it hadn't been refreshed in a timely manner) but it was decent. On this particular occasion, the espresso was drastically over-pulled by the young barista and the taste reflected it. Didn't observe the tea selection.
Overall, I would say Connect Cafe could fill the perfect coffeehouse niche in the area if they lost the internet cafe look (the trend died; leave it be), presented the work of some local artists, and really stepped up their coffee passion (Crescent Moon must offer subsequent training...). So when in Marlton, as there's no other decent coffee to my knowledge in the whole town, give it a go and hopefully things will have improved.
Having not stopped in Collingswood for awhile, I was very unaware that the former owners of the Treehouse Coffee Shop have decided to sell the long-running coffeehouse in order to pursue other dreams. While this is very sad sad news, as they have proved to be a constantly improving outfit, one can only hope that a humble, cunning entrepreneur is on the move to buy and reopen the place as a venue of quality coffee and espresso.
If that person is you, please take your time and do it right (I've seen too many shops race to open without even trying to understand the business).
To the former owners, all the best.
What's a Coffee Commentary?
Subject: Zummo's Cafe
Location visited: Scranton, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Anthracite coal mines have oddly made up a lot of study in many of my classes, both in secondary and higher education. The social dynamics of mining, the geologic fundamentals, and how it made a large impact on mid-Atlantic state formation (mostly Pennsylvania). As a result, I'm extremely curious of the history around mining and the towns around them.
So of course anyone enticed by or curious of coal mining will head to Scranton, home to one of the larger and more interesting coal mine displays/tours this side of the Mississippi, called the Lackawanna Coal Mines. Only once to my recall have I done the tour (maybe twice) yet I have since then driven past the mines and have longed to revisit. One day soon...
But what has been newly unearthed to me is decent coffee in Scranton. One such place that I caught wind of was a place operated by Electric City Roasting called Zummo's Cafe. The place is a little off the beaten path for a non-Scrantonite though not hard to find with good directions. The exterior is two very different-looking houses joined together by an extension on the first floor. The interior is a huge space, with an ample front counter, extensive seating, and a warm, open decor.
The coffee is their own, and in my experience has been a breath of fresh air to my taste buds (though they roast a little too dark on a few roasts, a seeming 2/3 of the coffee is of a good shade and wonderful flavor). The coffee is brewed into either pump pots or into the ever-glorious Clover (which paired with their coffee, brews a wonderful cup).
The espresso holds its own but I can't say it stood out, as it had a bit of a charred blankness to it. I would say overall it's something they could work on in refining barista skills and/or their espresso roast, but generally speaking they seem to be on the right path of good espresso.
The tea is Mighty Leaf, of which my wife loves the silk tea bags most of all (followed in suit by the tea itself).
Thus, I would definitely recommend a stop at Zummo's Cafe if you're in or driving through Scranton, as it's not far from 81, parking is usually very available in front of the store, and it's a great spot to refuel and reminisce of your coal mining experiences (if you had just wrapped up a day at the mines, of course).
What's a Coffee Commentary?
