CC: McCafferty's

Subject: McCafferty's

Location: Fairbanks, AK

Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating: 4+ [see key]

When I go with others on trips, no one volunteers to wake up extra early with me and hit a coffeehouse first thing. Truth be told, most of my family and friends think it psychotic that I wake up with the sun just so I can try out a new coffeehouse, but then again, I guess not everyone gets the same child-like euphoria upon discovering a local coffee gem.

While I was in Fairbanks, I awoke with the dawn to visit a coffeehouse and roastery that I had read kind words of, a place dubbed McCafferty's. Located in the historic and uniquely charming Fairbanks downtown area, I found McCafferty's in an unassuming building with large glass windows. Inside the place had multiple levels with a mishmosh of furniture, decent lighting and lots of local art. 

In ordering, I got an espresso of their espresso blend and a drip of the Costa Rica Tarrazu. The espresso, pulled medium-long with a blonde-ish crema, presented the flavors of cherry, chocolate, pepper, english muffin and cabbage with a buttery aftertaste and a slight dark aura to it; a fair spro but their extraction proved not as optimally skilled as I would have hoped. The drip of the Costa Rican held wheat, baked apple, oak, brisket and wheat grass in a light/medium body, a pleasant cup of coffee though some of the flavors felt a little faded. 

While I've had better early morning coffee destinations, McCAfferty's proved a decent Alaskan gem to rise for in the AM. If you happen to be in downtown Fairbanks, give McCafferty's a go.

  

Ekobrew: Can It Redeem the K-Cup?

Subject: Ekobrew

Rating: 5+ [see key]

Over the past few years, the k-cup phenomenon has been sweeping the land. While these machines utilize non-recyclable pods full of pre-ground coffee that go for almost $1 a piece, people have been buying them up like beanie babies. The selling points seem to be that people find it fun/exciting to brew the pods and that the brewing of said pods is super quick and simple.

Now for these past few years, I have been completely opposed to this rising trend and still today, I 100% oppose the use of the single-use k-cups purely for environmental reasons (it really is needless waste), though the poor coffee aspect is also reason enough to embargo the pods as well. But since these pod coffee machines do not seem to be disappearing, I felt it was high time that I explored reusable k-cups to see if they could put forth a decent cuppa' joe.

Stopping by a coffeehouse in my travels (Crescent Moon Coffee of Sewell, NJ), I noticed a display for Ekobrew, a reusable k-cup that claims to facilitate the brewing of a quality cup of coffee in a k-cup machine using your own coffee. Curious to see if good coffee could be had by such means, I got my hands on an Ekobrew reusable k-cup and borrowed my parents' k-cup coffee machine to try it out.

Taking a look at the methodology of how a (reusable) k-cup works, there are two things that stood out: the necessity for an even grind and that the coffee granule size needed for optimal brewing was going to have a greater effect with the k-cup then in your regular drip or french press infusions. Given the short coffee and water interaction, the coffee grinds need to be even for duplicable and quality results (i.e. you need a burr grinder and not a blade) but also much like espresso, the granule size of the coffee grounds would need to be at the right size for the water utilized; otherwise the coffee will be too weak or two strong.

So using several different coffees, I did a side-by-side comparison between a regular pour-over/drip infusion and the Ekobrew, trying to use as similar ratios of coffee to water as possible. I also fiddled with granule size between coarse and fine, trying to see how it would affect the coffee in both cases.

Overall the results were positive. The Ekobrew produced a fairly decent cup of coffee that tended to have a french press-like body with some occasional fine silt. Compared to the drip/pourover, the Ekobrew produced a lighter coffee even with a fine grind, but a stronger coffee could be made by adding less water to k-cup process. It also seemed that more full-bodied coffees did better in the Ekobrew given the quick time of infusion.

Thus, I would have to say that if you're dead set on keeping your k-cup coffeemaker, at least get a reusable k-cup like the Ekobrew. Not only can you use it to kill less of the environment, you can also utilize fresh, well-roasted, whole bean coffee to make a pretty tasty cup of coffee. But nonetheless, I still hold that there are many better ways to make your coffee. 


note: Ekobrew was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

CC: Matching Half Cafe

Subject: Matching Half Cafe

Location: San Francisco, CA

Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating: 6+ [see key]

As many folks of the Bay Area espouse, despite the small land mass there sure is a vast variability in climate. It can be foggy five blocks from someone lying out in full sun. Do people exaggerate? Sure. Did I experience this weather weirdness? Absolutely. 

One sunny (then foggy, then cloud choked & then sunny again) morning, I took a trip over to Matching Half Cafe for a visit. Rumor had it that they were pulling skilled shots with great coffee over in the Western Addition, using local Sightglass Coffee and also providing good food, beer & wine. Finding a parking spot downhill, I hiked up to a corner building with a red wood exterior, a heavy section of outside seating and nice open windows peering into the muted space within, complete with a fair amount of inside seating and metallic blue walls. 

As for my coffee, I ordered an espresso of Owl's Howl and a Sightglass El Salvador via Chemex. The 'spro, pulled short with brown crema, tasted of chocolate, lemon, cane sugar, vanilla icing, salt and cilantro; a delicious infusion with a nice body. The El Salvador smacked of honey, melon, rye toast, caramel, a subtle earthiness, hefeweizen and cream, gladdening my tongue with the nuances of a smooth and sweet coffee. 

To put it plain, Matching Half ponied up a whole lot of excellent coffee. If you happen to be in the Bay Area, make a stop by. 

Mugged: Sumatra Permata Gayo [Rockin' Coffee]

Subject: Rockin' Coffee

Mugged: Sumatra Permata Gayo

Rating: 4+ [see key]

New to the coffee scene as of Fall 2011 is Rockin' Coffee, a coffee roasting operation birthed from PAID Inc's love for freshly roasted coffee. The first of their two coffees that I had the pleasure of trying was their Sumatra, a coffee produced from the Permata Gayo Co-op in North Sumatra. Roasted medium, I brewed infusions of drip, siphon and french press accordingly. 

The drip threw out notes of biscuits, honey, sweet mango, slight cloves, leather and jasmine amidst a medium body. A sweet and wheaty coffee.

The french press produced the flavors of biscuits and more of a concentrated cherry with maple syrup sweetness, along with bourbon and slight bacon, within a light/medium body. A smooth, eclectic infusion.

The siphon held out bourbon, notes of wheat, bit of apple skin, mango and jasmine in a medium body. Like the drip, this brew was full of wheat and sweet characters. 

While flavor-wise this Sumatran was diverse, it proved fairly tasty. If you're in the market for a decent coffee of Sumatra, check out Rockin' Coffee.

note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

CC: Istria Cafe

Subject: Istria Cafe

Location: Chicago, IL

Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating: 6+ [see key]

While coffee gets much of it’s spotlight in the morning hours and amidst the work day, I have to admit that some of the best coffee times I have are at night when I can slow down and relax with my coffee. Given a divine blessing, caffeine rarely affects my sleep patterns, so while some might unwind with a cup of chamomile, I’ll occasionally treat myself to an espresso or pourover as I sit in my ninja turtle footie pajamas.

Where the evening coffee treat really proves lovely is when I’m in a town with a coffee establishment with later hours. Chicago being one city with a plethora of cafes that are open when the street lanterns are lit, I made my way to a local coffeehouse called Istria Cafe right after clocking out of work that eve. Located at the Hyde Park Art Center, it proved close to my last stop on business.

The café has large open windows that allow the approaching patron to take in the café well before the door opens. Inside, the café is a mix of orange-cushioned walls and white counter space, complete with beautiful lighting and plentiful seating. For my order, I decided on an espresso of Intelligentsia’s Black Cat and a pourover of Counter Culture’s Ethiopian Idido.

The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, held notes of lemon, cola, bitter cocoa, a bit of pepper and a dash of dough; a good pull of Black Cat. The pourover plowed into my tongue like a mac truck of raspberry and tomato, with aftershocks of wheat, rose petals and potato skin. The pourover proved well extracted and quite delicious. They also serve gelato, free leaf tea and a decent food menu. 

Aside from some minor issues in finding a street parking spot (it is Chicago), Istria was a glorious stop that ended my work day and gave heed to my evening activity beautifully. Give Istria Cafe a hearty hello if you're nearby.