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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Cat's Ass Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Kopi Luwak
Rating: 2+ [see key]
Kopi Luwak, the only coffee lucky enough to enjoy a trip through a civet, is a coffee that I have long sought to try. Sure it sounds gross to drink a coffee that has been defecated out of the jungle equivalent of a raccoon, but with a price tag in the hundreds for a single pound, who wouldn't be curious?
But my long abstinence came to an end when Cat's Ass Coffee offered to send me out a sampling. Completely flattered, as this coffee is not cheap, I readily accepted with hopes of trying something different.
I received the coffee one sunny day and opening up the coffee, I noticed that the beans were big, plump and extremely black (the darkness from being really over-roasted). I brewed the coffee in the usual three infusions of drip, french press and siphon.
The french press was my first endeavor. The brew produced a really dark coffee with overpowering notes of bitterness and campfire followed with notes of butter, cocoa, a little wheaty ale and a syrupy texture.
The drip delivered a similar result, with primary flavors of bitterness and a little curry along with some flecks of rum, apple, wheat, a little nut and a heavy body.
The siphon proved a little better, as I purposely brewed it a little weaker to compensate for the uber dark roast that emerged in the first two. The result was still a dark coffee with a potent body but much more cocoa, nuttiness, wheat as well as bits of rum and apple.
All three brews displayed little initial reaction with the water, displaying a flat brew common to stale beans (my deduction).
Alas, my first interaction with Kopi Luwak proved not as great as I had hoped. The coffee proved too darkly roasted to enjoy the other flavors and as mentioned above, it seemed pretty old (quality control?). Overall, there was little in this coffee (sadly) that would make me buy it for the price of normal coffee, never mind the price tag of Kopi Luwak.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Seattle, WA
(Greenwood Ave location)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
It's still a rare find these days to see coffee roasters focus exclusively on coffees that are environmentally and/or socially responsible. But slowly enough it seems, such practices are becoming more and more common.
One Seattle coffee operation that seems to hold a healthy outlook on their products is Herkimer Coffee. I had caught wind of them due to their reputation for serving quality beans but upon a little more investigation, I was impressed to find their aims for quality extend into the ethical arena (organic, fair trade, etc).
I paid my visit to Herkimer's Phinney Ridge location one lovely weekend morning when the streets were flurried with activity and their shop full of patrons. The entire cafe has a lovely wood construction that makes it seem rugged yet dapper, not to mention the splendid accompaniment of gorgeous lighting, complimentary decor (especially the animal art) and extensive seating (both inside and out).
Of their coffee, I sampled their Colombian via drip and an espresso (which utilizes their espresso blend). The filtered coffee marched in a honey-sweet, grassy coffee with a nice earthiness, a little bright Belgian ale, some bourbon chicken and a subtle darkness that did not hinder the other flavors, but shadowed them well. The espresso espoused bitter cocoa, lemon, glazed doughnut and some dry-roasted peanut all rolled in a well-pulled short shot with robust crema. I did not note the tea.
The glory of Herkimer proved all it was foretold to be. I tip my hat to their tasty products produced responsibly. When nearby, go Herkimer.
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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Brooklyn, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Making it into Brooklyn for coffee is never easy for me. Despite knowing better, I always figure the subway to take a fraction of the actual travel time and when I finally do arrive at my stop, I realize I only have a small bit of time to enjoy my coffee.
So of course, to make sure I have more time for coffee, I briskly walk to my targeted coffeehouse, Southside Coffee on the corner of 19th and 6th. Having caught wind of some local praise and journalistic favor, my unexpected exercise was fueled by high hopes of finding a genuine gem.
Southside sits on a tranquil corner, with outside seating gated off from the sidewalk. Inside, the environment emits a decent coziness amidst orange walls and more tables then usual in a NYC coffeehouse.
Serving up Intelligentsia, I ordered a cup of their House Blend via french press (pre-brewed in a pump pot) as well as an espresso of Black Cat. The House coffee provided sweet honey, a little pear, orange juice, wheat, nutmeg and a bit of almond. The brew had a lot of sweetness to it and despite being a french pressed coffee, it didn't have a lot of sediment. The espresso also proved delicious, with flavors of lemon, peppercorn, cocoa, cane sugar and a touch of Merlot. I did not note the tea.
To put it simply, Southside satisfied my curiosities splendidly. They displayed decent skills along with good coffee to make me one happy camper. I just wish I had given myself more time.
When in South Slope (or nearby), stop by Southside Coffee.
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What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Counter Culture Coffee
Cascaras Mugged: Finca Mauritania, Finca Kilmanjaro, Finca Los Alpes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
As a big fan of coffee and tea, I was very intrigued when I first heard of cascara a few years ago. A tea brewed from dried coffee cherries, cascara has been a beverage of coffee-growing cultures for some time.
Recently, my friends at Dean & Deluca and Counter Culture sent me out three Cascaras from El Salvador to sample. Having never really had Cascara before, I wasn't interested in comparing it to other cascara but more to see how it stands up as a tea.
In sampling, I brewed it according to the explicit directions on each package (5 g per 8 oz of tea) and each batch sampled similarly. Each had some kind of apple flavor and some noticeable juicy-like sweetness as well as its own flavors.
Finca Mauritania: Held the flavors of spiced apple and sparkling cider, bits of fig, date and sassafras. The body was distinctly that of a light tea but very potent.
Finca Kilimanjaro: Provided sparkling cider with notes of oolong, pumpkin seeds and a little black cherry. Also a nice light complexion with a syrupy punch.
Finca Los Alpes: The brew showcased apples and champagne, as well as some bubblegum and a fresh white grape. The body proved light and sweet.
All together, the three cascaras proved delicious and something fairly unique to my tea knowledge. I would say that as teas go, cascara demonstrates a naturally-sweetened option that not only is sustainable (farmers can get money from the coffee cherries!) but is also pretty satisfying as an after-dinner drink or refreshing morning beverage.
Go grab some cascara.
note: cascara was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
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What's does "CC" mean?Location visited: Portland, OR
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
A well-decorated shop really goes a long way. I am all about the quality of the coffee but a cafe should breathe life and purpose to the the cafe. On the flip side, when a coffeehouse induces yawning and fringe comas (at worst disgust or horror), it's not only hard to be in the space but in a lot of ways, slightly depressing.
In the land of Portland, they seem to have an abundance of nice venues but by far, the one that really caught me was a little downtown operation called Public Domain. Outfitted in a corner space with splendidly open windows, Public Domain uses its extensive coffee operation (a pair of 2 group espresso machines and 6 grinders) to showcase like a culinary display. The cafe has seating along the windows mostly, the room feels huge amidst a room full of woods, whites and dark grays all lit by well-distributed lighting.
And though the cafe proved gorgeous, the coffee is always where my heart rests, and Public Domain propped my blood pumper up high. PD roasts their own beans (apparently every barista gets a crack at it) and from their selections, I chose their Peru San Ignacio for my espresso and the El Salvador Las Delicias in a french press. The espresso, pulled well with a nice crema, held notes of dark cherry and strong lemon, a little oregano, bittersweet cocoa, a pinch of cinnamon and some white chocolate (a good display of flavors with little detraction). The french press fired off bullets of honey, grass, mint leaves, hops and a dot of chick pea (a lighter coffee with lots of good quality). I did not note their tea.
Though I was able to spend little time in PD's posh shop, I will remember my experience well, given the many pleasantries. If you happen to be downtown, saunter over to Public Domain.
