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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Somerville, MA
Free WiFi ? : no
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Most coffeehouse spaces within urban environments tend to be getting smaller and more chic with each passing day. I've been to quite a few spots where 'standing room only' would be a generous claim and one place that I had to literally hold my coffee above my head so it wouldn't spill. Now, I will weasel into a bear den for good coffee, but occasionally I like large, open spaces. And Diesel Cafe in the Boston area had much more then open space; they had the seating of a truck stop.
Diesel Cafe is a cafe located right off the Davis T stop (north of Boston) nestled amidst a cute main street area. The front of the cafe opens up in nice weather, which made space for the line of customers moving into their industrial, choc-full-of-local-and-vintage art space.
Diesel serves up Intelligentsia, one of the few spots in the city not serving up local beans. I ordered a cup of the New Guinea via drip, a brew that proved bright with notes of sweet potato, celery, a little unsweetened cocoa, a bit of a dark body and a little staleness (had been in the pot too long I think). The espresso, Intelly's Black Cat blend, was pulled short with fair crema and had the flavors of sweet chocolate milk, lime, a prominent saltiness, cola and some merlot. Overall, the espresso didn't sample like usual Black Cat, but it was still decent. The tea is free leaf.
After camping out in the cafe for a little while, I developed a decent impression of the joint. Sure it could use a few minor refinements (the lighting wasn't the best and the drip shouldn't taste stale) but in the end, it was a good experience. Give Diesel a stop if you're in town.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Chicago, IL
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
Sadly, transparency in people has become more and more a unique rarity, like a responsible oil company (oh smack!) or a cheerful velociraptor. But I caught myself an unprecedented glimpse of such a cryptozoological specimen at a local cafe in Chicago (with a kicking lunch menu), where the young barista confided in me that the cafe's coffee was lackluster and that if I was looking for good coffee, to check out a place called the Star Lounge. As I recovered from my initial shock of such a disarming recommendation, he readily sketched down their web address and with strong enthusiasm, encouraged me to check it out if I wanted to try some amazing coffee.
Well, I certainly wanted to try out some amazing coffee so I suggested the spot as a rendezvous for meeting up with a gaggle of colleagues. In the waning hours of daylight, we made it to the Star Lounge, shimmering in a slightly older storefront on W. Chicago Avenue. Up the stairs to the slightly-elevated-off-the-street viscera (inside), I stood amidst a bustle of patrons nestled amidst orange walls, wood floors, an old bar and some snazzy furniture.
As I stared at their menu, I learned that though Star Lounge roasts their own coffee, they use the name of Dark Matter for their roasting operations (I do love an appropriate astronomical pun). I ordered their Burundi via drip, a juicy yet beef broth-ey coffee with notes of Earl Grey tea and a subtle grassiness in an overall smooth cup. The espresso, pulled short with a pleasing crema and velvety mouth feel, tasted of lemon, dark cocoa, sugar cane and a bit of bitterness. Both the coffee and the espresso proved pleasing with only a tad too much bitterness in the espresso. The tea is free leaf.
In departing, I thought the honest barista's recommendation was not too far off. Star Lounge seems like a great local place looking to refine with time; with a few minor tweaks, the place could really earn a name for itself (especially if all their clientele are as fervent as the chap I first met). If you're in the vicinity, shoot over to Star Lounge.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: London, UK
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
How my mouth has watered to try out the coffee of London. To my blessed fortune, I found myself heading there for an extended layover just a few weeks ago and in the months preparing, I made sure to plot an appropriate course of coffee visits (as well as some normal UK tourism).
London has been transforming over the years as a city known for high tea to a city leaping to new heights in coffee quality. Superb operations haven been popping up, World Barista Champions haven taken up residence (and business ventures) within the city and other numerous events have made London a city up and up in coffee development. Much like the San Francisco Bay area and NYC, London is making strides in coffee wonders.
But one unique aspect to the London coffee story that I haven't seen in the States is the influx of Australian and Kiwi (New Zealand) coffee establishments. Operated by skilled baristas, their presence has brought the culture of the flat white to the UK. Appropriately, the Kiwi cafe called Flat White on Berwick St was one of my stops in my short time in London.
Meandering through London town on a Sunday morning, Flat White was one of the few places open. After an English breakfast at the Mediterranean Cafe next store (not a fan of the baked beans personally), I made my way over to Flat White. The cafe is a small venue, with two benches outside and tables bordering the white-and-red interior walls, all with a cozy and chic feel.
The coffee served is from Square Mile Coffee, one of London's premiere coffee roasters gaining recognition not only on their side of the pond, but also all over the US. Flat White sticks to an espresso-based menu, not serving any other method of coffee extraction (no filter, press or siphon).
Given the lack of non-espresso based coffee options, I stuck to simply ordering an espresso, as I usually don't evaluate milk-based drinks since the combo adds more complexity to the evaluation equation (though I'm confident in my ability to decipher quality with my capps). The short-pulled espresso teeming with mahogany-colored crema gave off sweet lemon, sugar, butter, a bit of cinnamon, a hint of caramel, pineapple and held a smooth body with little to no bite. To say the least I thought it was delicious. I believe their tea was assorted free leaf.
Given the difference in culture, I found the espresso still the same lovely beverage I love back home. If you happen to be in the area, definitely give Flat White your patronage.
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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Arlington, MA
Free WiFi ? : no
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Though I've been quite a frequent acquaintance of disappointment, it always hits me anew when I walk up to a coffeehouse only to see it darkened with an unexpected CLOSED sign. Usually it's thanks to a silly holiday or special event but every once in a while it's something more ridiculous like "eh, we just decided to take the week off."
But ah the euphoria of when it's a false alarm and the cafe is only closed because the sole barista had to run a quick errand. Such was the situation I ran into in my visit to Barismo, a small shop and roaster in Arlington that has earned itself strong bragging rights on quality coffee production. The cafe is a tiny, lab-like space with their two drum roasters in the back and their counter in the middle with plenty of space to mill about and sip your coffee (i.e. this is not a place to camp with your laptop but more a place to talk coffee with the barista).
I ordered myself some shots of their Soma Espresso and a cup of their Guatemala Puerta Verde via V60 cone (aka pourover or filtered). The Soma, pulled short with a nice crema, had a nice brightness, notes of jasmine, soft pretzel, chocolate and a medium body (I would say it was spot on for me). The Guatemalan put forth flavors of nougat, chianti, tobacco, vanilla and a tinge of bourbon. I would also say this splendid coffee proved as sweet and balanced as Barismo touts. The tea is their own.
While I can't say that I see similar styles of this kind of cafe popping up much (people sure love their wifi and comfy chairs), I personally would take Barismo over most coffeehouses any day. Make sure to stop in when you are in town.
Greetings to all, whether you're a faithful reader or a sudden visitor!
In light of the fact that I am in the process of moving and at the same time, out of the area with limited internet access, I wanted to let you know that I will probably not post until July. I might be able to find a moment to throw in some content here or there, but I figured just in case, I'd go with worst case scenario.
But once July begins, expect things to be back to normal with a flurry of new coffeehouses and coffee experiences!
In the humblest gratitude,
Bill
What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Somerville, MA
