Thursday, February 05, 2009

Product Review: FortePromo's Cafe Set

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Company: FortePromo.com
Product:
Coffee House Cafe Set
Rating:
3+ (translates to "good")


C
offee and tea are only good if they can be enjoyed correctly. What good is coffee if you cannot brew it, espresso if you have not the proper machine or grinder, or tea... well, if you have not a cup full of close-to-boiling water (let's face it; it doesn't take much to enjoy tea).

Consequently, quite often we beverage geeks really pay a lot of attention to equipment. So when FortePromo.com sent me their cafe set to try out, I was interested to test out the quality.

Though I've personally not had much experience with FortePromo.com, it seems the company has a great deal of background in personalizing products for promotional purposes (which is also easily deduced in that you need to buy 24 sets for the low price of $25) and also produces what seems to be pretty decent products.

The cafe set arrived in a nice black box. The set includes a 1 cup french press (around 18 oz) and two small mugs fashioned in likeness to the french press (i.e. glass in a wire frame). As I've noted in my explorations, the lid and plunger really define the set and thus, I noted that the lid is a basic two-layer plastic (there's a separable white plastic dome under the lid) and the plunger is a plastic and mesh composite.

After a couple runs, I felt that I really got the full experience of the set. To start with the less complex, I found the cups to be quaint and of decent quality. The only detraction was that the coffee residue (the fine grinds that always sneak in) looks a whole lot worse in a clear cup.

The french press proved overall decent. The glass pot seems to hold up under the wear-and-tear of use, the frame proved durable, and the plunger did a good job of holding back the grinds. My only dislikes were that the plunger's only rest position was in full plunge (i.e. the plunger was not wide enough to stop at various degrees of altitude), which made keeping the lid on between the initial mixing and 4 minutes later a bit difficult.

In the end, I found the set to be decent (especially for the price!) with but a few drawbacks. I would get this set for someone who's just getting into coffee, someone looking for a press for travel, someone who has a good coffee marketing idea, or someone who has dire need for a lot of reserves.

If you're in the market for a regiment of french presses, give FortePromo.com a try.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

CC: Darling's Cafe & Famous Cheesecakes

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
Darling's Cafe & Famous Cheesecakes
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
(20th St location)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]


Enigmatic as it is, I love cheescake but don't care for cream cheese. It could be that I prefer a spread of peanut butter on my bagel to a smear of cream cheese, and guacamole or salsa instead of a high-calorie taco dip (sorry mom). But for an odd reason, when the combination of ingredients that produce a good slice of cheesecake is laid at my fingers, I'm all over it.

And what else would go well with a good slice of cheesecake besides a good cup of coffee? I surrender that I can think of little else. Especially when it's good, local cheesecake.

Apparently the folks at Darling's Cafe & Famous Cheesecakes agree, as to my surprise amidst my first visit I found they had a full coffee menu. Sadly, they serve La Colombe, a moderate-to-fair Philadelphia roaster. The coffee followed suit as it was smoothly bland and had a bit of an off-taste (not to mention a wee bit stale, but that's on the barista). The espresso fared a little better, as it had hints of cocoa and lemon, but overall the shot was quite charred. The cheesecake most fortuitously twas delicious; I felt morose that I hadn't a better coffee to ingest it with.

Walking out of the cute little cafe, I made a note to stop by Darling's the next time I'm in need of a cheesecake. But unless things change with the coffee operation, I'll probably be pairing it with coffee of better pedigree.

If you're nearby Philly, give Darling's Cheesecakes a try.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

CC: La.Va Cafe

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
La.Va Cafe
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]



Though I greatly enjoy long urban hikes, it's rare when good company, good surroundings and good weather cooperate. Sure you plan for the best, but sometimes you just get stuck with a bitter cold day, four morose companions, and a list of horrible tips coming to fruition as a day spent wandering amidst closed stores.

And then once in a while everything works out just right, such as this past month when I was walking with friends in Philadelphia. We had a small outing planned: lunch at the Reading Terminal, coffee and then a stop at the Mutter Museum. The forecast showed cold temperatures and snow, but that only characterized half the day, as about 2 PM we encountered beautiful skies, a warm breeze and a beautiful neighborhood along the Schuylkill River.

Thankfully, the nice experience lasted throughout the rest of the day, even into the early evening when we were ready to head home. On our walk out, I spotted a sharp-looking corner coffeehouse with large windows called La.Va Cafe and deduced that given our fortune thus far, it could be a nice spot to stretch our legs and grab a quick cup of coffee.

The interior stretches out into a vaulted space with warm decor and classy furniture. The coffee comes from La Colombe and upon sipping their drip, sadly my usual fears were realized as I noted the same tastes of a typical (disappointing) La Colombe cup; bland with hints of char. The espresso sipped a little better, as the barista had decent skills and pulled cherry-toned shots though it still possessed a good deal of char on the end. I didn't note the tea, but aside from the coffee they have a very full menu (which I unfortunately didn't get to try).

While La.Va ended my day in a fair manner, the coffee experience could've been better, especially given what seems to be strengths in other areas. Thus, if you're in the neighborhood, give La.Va Cafe a try for a meal and/or some moderate coffee.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Caffeinated Shirts



Got an email from laughing hyena on his line of coffee-related t-shirts. While there seems to be a little more emphasis on the effects of coffee (caffeine!), I really do like a few of these (such as the black one pictured above).

If you're looking for new threads, give it a look.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

CC: Ray's Cafe and Teahouse

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
Ray's Cafe and Teahouse
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : no
Rating: 3+ [see key]



Vacuum press coffee. Not just a recent fad but a coffee method that's been going on since the 19th century yet for some reason over the years, not a lot of coffee businesses have bothered to use them.

Oddly enough, a small cafe and eatery in Philly's Chinatown called Ray's Cafe and Teahouse has been doing it for years. Ever since I got into coffee research, I've heard various people rave about the amazing coffee obtained from Ray's vacuum presses. Naturally, when my parents wanted to grab lunch in Chinatown, I figured I could kill two birds with one well-aimed stone.

Unfortunately, Ray's was packed when we showed up to their small cafe and we ended up trying out a different spot down the street for lunch. But when we finished our very authentic Chinese meal, we then made a sweep past Ray's so my dear mother and I could get some coffee (mom made the sweep much easier).

The exterior of Ray's demonstrates an ordinary storefront (with lots of pink!) and the inside lays out in a cute cafe setting with dim lighting and a very compact counter. True to form, they have several vacuum presses lined up on their coffee counter and offer quite a selection of coffee, though much of it looked like it came roasted from afar (like their Japenese charcoal-roasted coffee). I had an African coffee (I believe it was Kenyan) and my mother had Ray's Blend. Both were painstakingly prepared in the vacuum press (they knew what they were doing) but to my dismay, the coffee was old. Sure both coffees had a smooth characteristic and little char, but the stale quality made it hard to label. They do also serve espresso, but as the espresso wasn't something that had been mentioned and the espresso machine looked a little inactive, I decided to pass.

Despite the good vacuum press techniques, the not-so-great coffee put a bit of a damper on my experience. If Ray's had fresh coffee from a local roaster, I think the place could really begin to shine even brighter then it already does.

Thus, if you're looking for a good display of vacuum pressing skills, stop on by Ray's.