One Stellar Coffee Trip

In one of my blog readings, I stumbled across this website called the Cafe Circuit that is dedicated to a couple of baristas' western coffee pilgrimage via motorcycle posse.

The website is quite well-done and the reading well worth it. I have to say I wish I could fit a trip like that in while the weather is fine.

CC: Sidamo Coffee and Tea

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Sidamo Coffee and Tea

Location visited: Washington, DC
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]



Ethiopia has always been a country that has interested me. One of the few African countries that never really endured colonial rule, Ethiopia has stood the test of time with thousands of years of rich history. Of that history, one topic of great interest to me is that Ethiopia is the championed birth place of coffee.

But alas, my low funds have kept me from a trip to Africa and so when I decided to make a stop in DC to visit a friend, I was intrigued when he suggested we visit an Ethiopian coffeehouse called Sidamo.

Located east of Union Station on H Street, Sidamo stands out with a huge ceramic pot jutting out over their open storefront windows. Inside, the cafe has a long layout with nice exposed brick, beautiful pieces of art and a gorgeous garden patio in the back.

The coffee is roasted in-house and all sourced from Ethiopia (at least that's what I interpreted). I had a decent cup of their Ethiopian Sidamo that demonstrated a bright cinnamon, cherry-esque coffee that was just a tad too dark and had minor hints of cardboard. The espresso faired decently as well, with a short pull producing hints of white chocolate, a buttery texture, fair crema and a bit of a bitter bite on the end. The tea is free leaf.

While I wasn't blown away, I really savored my experience at Sidamo. It's rare to find a coffeehouse based on one country's coffee and plus, the people there were super nice. Hopefully, the place keeps getting better as it seems to have a lot of potential.

If you happen to be around, give Sidamo a swirl.

CC: Caffe Pronto

Subject: Caffe Pronto
aka Ceremony Coffee's last vestige of it's old name
Location visited: Annapolis, MD
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


*UPDATED 02.10.14, at bottom*

While I've always wanted to visit the city of Annapolis to see the rich Chesapeake Bay history and Naval wonderment, time unfortunately held me to a short pit stop.

Wanting to utilize my time and cup of coffee wisely, I chose amongst several locations of a popular coffeehouse and roaster called Caffe Pronto. Having had several of their batches before at a couple different other coffee establishments, I have actually been aching to make a stop at one of their own stores to see how they wield their beans.

Based purely on geographical proximity to the highway, I made a beeline for their spot amidst the humongous Festival at Riva shopping megalopolis. Wading through the immense mall traffic, I finally landed outside the corner shop with its beautiful huge windows and bright brick shell.

In I walked into Caffe Pronto's open cafe, a very nice space with plenty of furniture and an overall very luminous atmosphere. As mentioned, they roast a mean batch of coffee and they brew their coffee by the cup via a pourover (aka manual drip). I ordered their Brazil Cerrado, a smooth earthy coffee with the sweetness of a pear, a touch of earl grey and a nice body; a pleasant coffee in totality. The espresso made for a pretty good cup, as the short/medium pull possessed decent crema and displayed a little like a chocolate-covered cherry with hints of dark bitterness. The tea is Revolution Tea.

Including a pleasant interchange with both baristas, I really found my stop at Caffe Pronto to be a gust of refreshment. If you happen to be near a Caffe Pronto or one of their purveyors, give them a slurp.

*Update 02/10/14*

Despite the image change to Ceremony Coffee Roasters, this lone vestige of Caffe Pronto remains. The shop has been updated (I love the birch trunks behind the wood booths) and the coffee has improved categorically (hence the update in rating). 

Mugged: La Esmeralda [Apres Coffee]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: Apres Cafe
Coffee Mugged: Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain
Rating: 4+ [see key]



Aside from Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain, coffees dubbed La Esmeralda have been all the rage ever since the Cup of Excellence auction a few years back when the Geisha bean made a rising success. Now, coffees coming from Hacienda La Esmeralda seem to ride the wave of that special bean but unless you've shelled out a good chunk of cash, it's probably not the famed bean of great worth.

Nonetheless, the farm still tends to put out good coffee even if you don't pay an excessive load. My most recent encounter with the La Esmeralda was with Apres Cafe's Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain, a coffee that arrived in a gorgeous sleek box. The coffee itself was roasted fairly dark (not dark enough to have oil but close), a new roast profile for me as most Esmeraldas I've had tend to be a lighter roast.

I tried out the coffee in french press, vacuum press and drip (aka filtered). The french press produced a deep, succulent coffee with strong chocolate and cherry flavors and a hang of bittersweet cocoa. The vacuum press gave out a lighter, more even-keeled coffee with more of a grape flavor and a smoother chocolaty taste. The drip displayed a bright brew as well with the same grape flavors as the vac press, though it produced a bit more of the bitterness on the back end.

In a nutshell, Apres' La Esmeralda made for a good cup of coffee. If you're looking for a good coffee from a well-known farm in Panama, give Apres' Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain a go.

CC: Rao's Coffee

What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Rao's Coffee

Location visited: Amherst, MA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]



For a good part of my life, I've only really looked at the coast of Massachusets as a place worth visiting, such as Boston and Martha's Vineyard. Then recently, I've had the distinct pleasure of traveling through the other 90% of the state for various reasons and have found many groovy locales.

Though an obvious pick, Amherst still towers as one of my favorite spots mid-state (though a colleague of my contends Northampton as superior). Aside from nearby U Mass, the town boasts a pretty cool spread with decent parking and seemingly plenty to do.

One such happening destination proved to be the decade-old coffeehouse, Rao's Coffee. The place sits a little off the center streets which gives it a nice secluded ambiance with more than plenty of outside seating amidst a beautiful courtyard and patio. Once you walk inside, the place grabs a lot of natural light from its windows as well as their huge globe lights and has two rooms with more than enough seating.

Rao's roasts their coffee at a seperate location in nearby Hadley and had a good variety available at their cafe. That fine morning of my visist, I had the Tanzanian Peaberry, roasted a little dark for drip, which had a flare of char that added a little spice as well as nice grape presence (not endemic of the roast). The espresso was pulled in two medium shots, had decent crema, a little lime up front, a nice chocolate milk flavor and a tinge of pretzel on the caboose. The tea I noted but right now, I cannot read what I wrote.

Given the cool location and the fair coffee, I would say that Rao's adds a nice facet to the town. If nearby, give Rao's a try.