CC: Taylor Street Baristas

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Subject: Taylor St Baristas

Location visited: London, UK
[New St location]
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


London is one crazy town during weekday rush hour. Granted New York City is just as crazy but somehow, I half expected the crazy rush of rush hour to be a little more relaxed on the other side of the Atlantic.

Amidst the wanderings of the morning rush hour in the realm of London's financial district sits a very well-placed coffee venue called Taylor St Baristas. One of five locations, this Aussie-founded operation was created to give Londoners a good cup of coffee in their everyday comings and goings. The New St location I visited couldn't have been better located, as the masses literally spilled off of Bishopgate right past Taylor St's front door.

As for doors, the cafe has an efficient entrance and exit worked out, with the line filling the majority of the interior. From their multi-barista machine they churn Union Hand-Roasted coffees in both filtered and espresso forms. I ordered a cup of Ethiopian Sidamo via a pump pot of drip, a light coffee with a little caramel, grass, bit of pear, some oregano, pepper and a slight taste of cardboard and staleness (I guess drip was not popular that day). I also got myself an espresso that was pulled short, had decent crema and tasted of lemon, milk chocolate, sugar and nutmeg (a good showing). The tea is East India Tea House.

Sadly, a sailor in rough waters has not time to enjoy the scenery (it was too busy to enjoy it fully) but though I didn't have time to linger, I would add that the bustle did not seem to phase the cheer of their employees (always good to have a smile with my coffee). Aside from a little stale drip, the entire experience was delightful.

Stop into a Taylor St Baristas location when you're in London.

Coffee in Italy

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Italy. One country that is venerated to a true place of honor in coffee contributions. Espresso, though only one manner of coffee infusion, pretty much began from popular Italian culture and the art of Italian espresso has helped sculpt the modern quality coffee world.

But despite the inspiration, the current coffee culture of Italy seems to differ from that of the many other countries it could claim to have inspired. I had heard it from many firsthand sources, such as from The Shot's wisdom and from World Barista Champion Giorgio Milos per a coffee class I covered (which also featured the knowledge of Illy man Moreno Faina) as well as from his diagnosis on American coffee (which is an article made into a great discussion by the comments). All in all it seems that some would say the non-Italian culture is inferior (this seems to be mostly Italians) and others would say it's just different.

So I decided to check out Italy myself. I recently had an opportunity to travel through Rome and Tuscany, so I had decided from the beginning to make some cafe stops and write up some reviews on the coffee. I scored some great recommendations (many from The Shot as well as some from internet research) and planned to make several cafes a must on the tours of the day (I even marked up my maps!).

Yet after going through a couple cafes, the differences in their product really seemed pronounced. My research told me that there were many cafes doing decent espresso but few serving great. This might sound blasphemous to some but of all the espresso I had in Italy, not one shot really stood out as amazing. I deduce that this seems to come down to the fact that espresso in Italy (traditionally) requires either sugar (straight espresso) or milk (cappuccinos) and I was drinking straight "cafe." As for taste, the espresso I had, at best turned out balanced (little bitter or sour notes) with flecks of citrus, tobacco and cocoa, or at worst bitter and lacking in other flavors.

And believe me when I say I sought out numerous cafes. I hit a bunch of big-name cafes, such as Sant'Eustachio (with the added sugar part of the initial espresso preparation) and Tazza D'Oro (with some really dark and oily beans prepared extremely poorly) in Rome as well as some in Florence, like Caffeteria Piansa, Pasticceria Robiglio and Caffe Giacosa Roberta Cavalli. All of these supposedly excellent cafes (according to the Bar d'Italia) but all of them produced only decent espresso. And also true to the earlier statement, the random other cafes I patronized had fairly decent espresso as well.

Thus, after several experiences, I decided not to write up reviews of the cafes I attended.

Why you may inquire? Well, the first reason was that I saw little point. One of my goals is to identify good coffeehouses so people don't have to drink bad coffee, but that proves difficult given that most coffee in Italy hovers around average-to-decent and the cafes exist everywhere (literally, you can't go 500 feet without seeing one in the cities).

The other reason has to do with different standards. An Italian espresso is meant to be consumed with sugar or milk (according to many, including Giorgio) and thus, it would be of little value to measure Italian espresso according to my non-Italian tastes (and my tastes look for an espresso that can bust a move all on its own).

Some would argue that Italy clings to tradition with their espresso and that as a result, many other countries' cafes have made greater strides with it. While I can't claim to know what country is best with espresso, I can say that I have had better espresso in America and the UK than in Italy. Blasphemy? Only if you hate constructive criticism.

CC: Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea

Subject: Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea Company
Location visited: Beaver Falls, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The drive between Pittsburgh and Erie is not one populated with many well-known pit stops, unless you like stopping to experience nature (fortunately, I do!). Sadly, this is usually the case with many stretches in the middle of the country.

But fortune shines every once in awhile, and in this case fortune lighted my attention on the town of Beaver Falls and a coffeehouse called Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea Company. The tales told of well-roasted coffee and espresso slung out in a most satisfactory nature. Such news made the coffeehouse a natural pit stop on my route.

BFC&TC sits on a main stretch of road in a converted house. While I've seen my share of converted houses-to-cafes, this one seems to have little conversion on the outside (no additional structures added for seating or ambiance) or on the inside aside from the addition of the coffee bar in what would have been the living room. Nonetheless, the interior is very warm and has the nifty feel of home with the wondrous convenience of a barista five feet away.

I ordered a cup of their Malowi Light via pourover, which held notes of nuts, grass, honey, carrot, sauce, a tinge of hops, agave and a little caramel. I found it a light coffee that held a delicious array of flavors. I also ordered an espresso, a blend composed of African and Brazilian coffees, that was pulled short/medium, had nice crema and paraded the tastes of lime, sugar cookie, mint, cilantro, a little dark cocoa and some almond on the end (good espresso). The tea was free leaf.

All together, their coffee operation seemed of good quality. The operation definitely seems to be one that is still growing in skill but given their good results, I think that further improvements will truly endow Beaver Falls with a nice cafe. If in town or passing by, stop by Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea Company.

CC: Nude Espresso in Rapha Cycle Club

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Subject: Rapha Cycle Club/Nude Espresso

Location visited: London, UK
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


Many people have noted that serious bicyclists tend to be avid coffee drinkers. I don't know if there is a true correlation, but it certainly seems to be more then a small coincidence in my relations, observations at coffeehouses and in the admitted habits of some in the coffee community.

While in London, I stumbled upon a venue that took the biking and coffee marriage up a notch. The Rapha Cycle Club was a temporary open-to-all-club that sold merchandise, organized bicycling-centered events and had its own cafe. Of course, the cafe was what drew me in, especially with the emblazoned name of Nude Espresso on the sign (a popular coffee roaster and purveyor) since visiting their official cafe was a probable no-go on my trip due to time restrictions.

The interior of Rapha was a huge space with a mammoth common table amidst merchandise in the front two-thirds. The cafe portion consisted of a small counter with dual baristas in the back corner. Given the emphasis on espresso alone (no other coffee infusions available), I ordered an espresso which held really bitter chocolate, lemon, heavy cream, nutmeg, a little cherry, oregano and fig. The shot was pulled well and the crema was of a good thickness and color, though the shot was a little too bitter for me. I did not see any tea.

As I mentioned above, Rapha was a temporary institution and hence, does not exist as of the end of July. But, despite of Rapha's end, I felt this information could be useful since this was my only experience with Nude Espresso in London (albeit an unsure one as I am not sure if the baristas were Nude's employees or Rapha's people). Thus, give Nude Espresso a try and keep an eye out for more bicycling-coffee hybrids.

CC: Big Dog Coffee

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Subject: Big Dog Coffee

Location visited: Pittsburgh, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



I have a negative association with the product line of Big Dogs. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes and mine never favored the hackneyed phrases and witty(?) dog pictures. Yet sadly, every time I hear the phrase (or a variation) of "Big Dogs," I think of the clothing line.

Fast forward to a nice evening at Pittsburgh's Hofbrauhaus (try the Oktoberfest Schweinshaxe if you like good pig and have a herculean appetite) when a leisurely stroll and some nice coffee was needed to work off a Germanic food coma. Lo and behold my party stumbles on Big Dog Coffee. I had heard of it before but I hadn't expected to hit it in my trip to the city given that our travels during coffeehouse hours hadn't been in the area. And while my lack of plans had nothing to do with my aversion to the name (I am not so childish, I swear), I couldn't help but expect to find a large picture of a black-and-white canine over the mantle.

Thankfully, the associations were curbed right there. The cafe beams a sharp contrast of a tan building, black awnings and big windows, with the interior spinning 180 degrees to a color scheme of pink and kiwi as well as what felt like a real homey decor.

Big Dog serves Intelligentsia, of which I ordered a doubleshot of Black Cat and a cup of the Costa Rican Flecha Roja via pump-potted drip. The espresso, pulled short/medium and with a nice crema, displayed dark chocolate, lemon, a bit of ginger plus tinges of smokiness and tobacco; a pretty good display of Black Cat. The drip had notes of pear, cocoa, black cherry, nutmeg, grass and celery as well as a slightly old/stale character. Aside from the age, it was good coffee. I did not note the tea.

I would say my disdain for the word combination of Big Dog(s) has been lessened by this keen cafe. Sniff out Big Dog Coffee if you're nearby.