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What's does "CC" mean?
Subject: Uncommon Grounds
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 3+ [see key]
How I've overlooked Saratoga Springs all my life, I do not know. To me, it meant a distant race track and some mineral water, but a recent trip into town illustrated a more copious sampling of opportunities than I thought probable.
Of course, I was also pulling blindly for a good coffee experience, this time from a place called Uncommon Grounds, what seemed like my best hope in town after much dead end research.
My entourage and I pulled up in front of the shop amidst a bustling Saturday morning crowd. Uncommon Grounds resides in a large white brick building with a large awning and alcoves ripe for outside seating in nice weather.
The interior was quite behemoth in scope; a large space with a faux-courtyard (or faux-house depending on your view) in the middle with lots of seating in and around it. I made my way to the crowded counter off to the left and ordered a drip of their house blend (they roast their own coffees) and an espresso. The house blend was birthed out of one of their many pump pots; a slightly old, slightly bitter coffee that had bits of tart berry and a relatively smooth body (i.e. mediocre cup). The espresso, pulled of a medium volume had a lot of crema, a chocolate milkshake-ish taste and consistency, followed by a tiger-sized bite of bitterness on the back end. The tea was free leaf.
Before I had ventured to Saratoga Springs, I read on a forum somewhere that given the beauty and draw of the area, Saratoga Springs needs a great coffeehouse. I would venture that given some overhaul, Uncommon Grounds could be that place. If not, the field seems ripe for a savvy newcomer.
If you happen to be in town, try out Uncommon Grounds.
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Novo Coffee
Coffees Mugged: Hartmann Honey
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Some time ago, when I was heading through Colorado on a bit of a cross country road trip, I stopped south of Denver to stay with a friend in Littleton. Prior to my arrival, I asked him if there were any things to do in Denver, as I had a few hours to kill, to which he assured me there was no reason to set foot into Denver, and Boulder would be a better use of my time.
Looking back now, I am glad I got to see Boulder but in skipping Denver, I bypassed going to Novo Coffee (instead I picked another spot on my list that sadly ended up closing soon after).
Thus I will visit Novo's cafe one day but for now, I'll settle for distant encounters with their coffee east of the Mississippi. One such occasion was on a recent partially compensated GoCoffeeGo order (this is the 2nd of the 3 coffees to be reviewed), whence I received 3/4 lb of Hartmann Honey, a coffee from Volcan, Panama that looked very enticing.
I received the coffee fairly quickly (3-4 days) and dove right in, subjecting it to three different styles of infusion: french press, drip and siphon. I pressed it first, finding to my astonishment that the coffee actually had a strong taste of honey (most coffees only offer hints of such flavor), more akin to a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios (it even had whole grain sweetness!), as well as little fig and a light body.
The drip turned out much lighter, this time with less honey, more nut (like peanuts) and with a stronger, wheaty/grassy sweetness coupled with a bit of dark cocoa.
The vacuum pot produced a little more nuttiness in the front of the cup, still the noticeable honey similar to the drip (i.e. still had the honey nut cheerio taste) and minor facets of wheat grass. A little heavier body was produced.
While I know that this coffee is no longer offered by Novo or GoCoffeeGo (sometimes GoCoffeeGo has different coffees than the roaster offers), Novo does have a coffee from Volcan (as of today, at least) that seems similar to this. If said coffee produces such a quality brew as Hartmann Honey, I would strongly recommend a purchase.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Towson and Baltimore, MD
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
*Updated 3.25.11
I never thought that I would pass by an alleged amazing coffee stop three times before I finally stopped at it. But sure enough, several trips brought me past Jay Caragay's Spro Coffee in Towson, Maryland with either circumstances that demanded I push on with no rest or with promises that we'll hit it on the way back (which we didn't).
Finally, on the way home from a great trip in Baltimore (great, except for my coffee fortunes that is) I got to stop into the Towson Library where Spro's initial flagship store resides (there's another one opening in Baltimore soon). Parking proved interesting but on a slow side street my steed came to a rest and my wife and I walked over.
The Towson Library is a gargantuan public biblioteca in a very oddly-shaped building. Spro itself sits on a bridge off to the left when you first enter the main portion. Spro's set up is definitely minimal and a little bland (but there's little that can be feasibly done in such a space). Spro is basically a long counter and a group of tables off to the side in a spot where one couldn't ask for a better visibility.
Spro Coffee definitely seems to have a nice rotating selection of various coffee roasters (just check out the list for their new Baltimore location under the 12/12/09 post on Jay's blog) but they seem to stick pretty close to Origins Organic Coffee. Despite the option of vacuum pot, I ordered a filtered cup of Java Kali Bendo from Origins, a smooth coffee that demonstrated milk chocolate, a bit of blood orange and a tinge of nougat; a good coffee to pair with a dessert as I really had a hankering for sweets while I ingested the brew. The espresso, pulled short and expertly, had flavors of sugar cane, a bit of a lemon, cocoa and a nice flavor of cloves. As for tea, they use Rishi.
While I could see the downsides of operating in a public venue such as a library, I can't help but think how much more reading I would do if there was such a splendid coffeehouse in my library. If you're in Towson, especially if you are looking for a great place to have some coffee while you read, make sure to bookmark Spro.
*Update 3.25.11
I made out to the Baltimore location and I must say I was further impressed. There were many options for coffee infusion (I believe there were 6) and the coffee and espresso were delightful. The cafe is also cozy and a nice addition to the Spro name.
Just wanted to explain the lack of a post this week: I am running around like a mad man to prepare for this hectic yet festive weekend!For some reading, you can check out this MSN article that Pure Coffee was so graciously featured in! Happy Holidays!
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What does "Mugged" mean?Subject: Klatch Coffee Coffees Mugged: El Salvador Las Mercedes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
When I was in LA some months ago, there was a coffee operation in San Dimas called Klatch Coffee (or Coffee Klatch; your call as the website states both) that I had really wanted to stop at but given distance and lack of time, I unfortunately missed out (most heinous).
Yet the opportunity to sample their wares ended up landing on my doorstep with a partially comped order from quality coffee purveyor GoCoffeeGo. To put in my two cents about GoCoffeeGo, they definitely have a great selection, great service and good delivery as the coffee arrived quickly and also directly from the roaster (in this case, Klatch Coffee). Thus, all was swell and the only thing that tore my opinion was that it came straight from the roaster; a great thing for freshness, but a bad thing for shipping/carbon foot print when you order three coffees from different roasters like I ended up doing (usually, the allure of such companies is the one bulk price for all one locale).
Anyway, I ended up picking Klatch's El Salvador Las Mercedes Pepinal 1 Micro Lot, a nice direct trade, lightly roasted coffee that has been Cup of Excellence worthy in past years.
I brewed the coffee in the typical gamut of methods: french press, drip and siphon. The french press produced a sweet coffee with the flavors of wheat grass, sweet nougat, a little tinge of pomegranate and a bit of lager. The drip provided an also sweet cup with a little more earthiness and more of a wheat taste as well as more of a sweet cherry sauce and a bit more of an oolong-like body. The vacuum press, brewed a little later in the time of my possession (like 4 days out), made a much more of a nougat-ey coffee with only subtle hints of wheat grass and the pomegranate, plus a tinge of sweet wine and noticeable spice cake; a pleasant development.
To encapsulate, the coffee was a grand addition to my daily ingestion and I feel slightly less sad about not getting to visit the cafe of Klatch Coffee when I was in LA (especially since they apparently have the World's Best Espresso Blend).
If you're looking for a grand El Salvador coffee, take the Las Mercedes of Klatch Coffee for a spin.
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Saratoga Springs, NY
