CC: Bowery Coffee

Subject: Bowery Coffee
Location: Manhattan, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Wandering the streets of Manhattan, I had a good, strong craving for some smoked fish and hence, I mapped out a straight line to get to the esteemed Russ and Daughters on Houston St. And sure enough, after waiting amongst the throng to get some various tid bits of high-end lox, I was able to feast like a Nordic fisherman. But soon after completing my meal, my appetite sought a bit of a palate cleanser (fish does not linger well) and then, some great coffee.

Fortunately not far away sits Bowery Coffee, a local coffee establishment that is among the few five borough shops to roast their own beans, operating under the roaster name American Bulldog Coffee Roasters. I arrived at their brick shop to find a cozy spot, with wood slatted walls and classy white tables, complete with chipper baristas. I ordered an espresso of their Yemen and a drip of their Burundi. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, rustled up some lemon, chocolate nibs, salt, cream, Chianti and granulated sugar, making a syrupy pull with a slight tart punch. The drip yodeled out caramel, buttered corn muffin, snap peas and light blackberry amidst a medium body, proving thick and succulent.

The only thing I could think of suggesting as an improvement would be adding smoked fish to the menu, but then again, maybe that would be too much of a good thing. Nonetheless, head over to Houston St for some great beans at Bowery Coffee.

Mugged: La Flor del Cafe [Rostov's]

Subject: Rostov's Coffee and Tea
Coffee Mugged: La Flor del Cafe
Rating [see key]: 4+

It's funny that the city of Richmond has stayed off my radar for so long, and yet the place keeps coming up as of late. The most recent interaction of note was that I received some coffee from an outfit I was unable to visit on my recent trip to Richmond, a seasoned coffee roaster (since '79) of the great state of Virginia called Rostov's Coffee and Tea. The coffee sent was their La Flor del Cafe, a sun-dried Guatemalan coffee from the Antigua area, a coffee I sampled via pourover, french press and siphon.

The pourover whispered out notes of chocolate, honey on toast, basil, vanilla cream and a touch of ham; within a medium body, the coffee proved sweet and full.

The french press held out chocolate, rye toast, milk, some nutmeg and a slight beef broth. Though less sweet than the pourover, still a solid infusion.

The siphon, last and sweet, demonstrated bits of chocolate, milk, nutmeg, toast and lemon pepper. A sweet and pleasant coffee with a minor pretzel flavor on the back end.

Thus next time I'm in Richmond, I shall have to drop by Rostov's for a run of their wares on home turf. In the interim, if ye seek a sweet coffee with a soft array of hearty and spicy notes, give the La Flor del Cafe of Rostov's a go.

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

CC: Cake and the Beanstalk

Subject: Cake and the Beanstalk
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Certain retail spaces seem to be perpetual coffeehouses, as if the space can harbor no other type of business. One such place is a shop on Locust between 11th and 12th that over the years has held at least two shops prior to the current tenants. Chalking up the past cafes' failure to poor quality (the coffee was swill as I remember in both cases), the current resident coffeehouse seems to be a place looking to serve quality products, a place called Cake and the Beanstalk.

Wandering over one overcast day, I found C & the B running full tilt, with a house full of chipper regulars and an atmosphere ever-bubbling. The brightly decorated cafe straddles two rooms, with the bar in the first and the seating in the second, with the seating room feeling immensely more open and airy compared to the first.

As for coffee, they offer Counter Culture staples, that day the Farmhouse for drip and the Toscano for the espresso. The Farmhouse tapped out cherry, shredded wheat, caramel, almond and a little malt ball, proving sweet with medium body. The espresso, pulled short with a light brown/blonde crema, smacked of cocoa, a little lemon and some sage, making for a slightly astringent pull that could be slightly tweaked, but was overall pretty good. I feel its also necessary to mention that true to their name, they have various cakes-by-the-slice for sale.

Thus, it is one of my prayers that the beanstalk thrives and that it continues to grow and refine its technique. If you happen to be in neighborhood (a lot of traffic seems to be for the copious amount of hospitals that are nearby), climb up the beanstalk for some coffee and cake.

Mugged: Guatemala and Nicaragua [Coda Coffee]

Subject: Coda Coffee Co.
Coffee Mugged: Guatemala Batzchocola and Nicaragua Bella Aurora
Rating [see key]: both 5+

Colorado has been in the news a ton lately, sadly not much of it super positive. But one chipper piece that caught my ear came from the heralds of Roast Magazine, when they recently bestowed upon Denver's Coda Coffee Company the honor of 2014 Macro Roaster of the Year. Not a title given away flippantly, it's a distinction that recognizes Coda for it's hard work and accomplishments (I'm particularly impressed with the coffee carts in the Arizona Cardinals stadium).

Recently, I was honored to have two of their farm 2 cup coffees stop by my abode to spend a little quality time in my belly. They sent out their Guatemala Batzchocola, a coffee from the A'achimbal community, and their Nicaragua Bella Aurora, a former Cup of Excellence coffee. Both I sampled via pourover, french press and siphon.

Going alphabetically, I started with the Guatemalan beans. The pourover smacked of kavo syrup, smoked peanut, strawberry, oats, sarsaparilla and hazelnut with a medium body, proving multifaceted with a various sweet flavors and touch of smokiness. The french press contained smoked peanut, Nutella, strawberry, oats, root beer and caramel popcorn within a medium body; superbly sweet, with rich, sultry flavors. The siphon capped this fine coffee off with hazelnut, roasted peanuts, asian pear, lemon pepper, chicken, spinach and root beer, demonstrating some odd bed fellows but nonetheless, still a sumptuous coffee.

The Nicaraguan proved similarly complex. The pourover doled out heavy chocolate, habenero, smooth cream, seaweed, toasted walnut and noticeable fig. The french press sampled of chocolate, grapefruit, bran, corn tortilla, skim milk and nutmeg, with a medium body and grainy aftertaste. The siphon bellowed out chocolate, noticeable cream, seaweed, peanuts, fig cookie, slight brocolli and biscuit. Overall, the multiple infusions held a diverse and sometimes odd harmony of flavors, but each cup proved delicious.

Thus, if you happen to be near a coffeehouse that serves Coda or you wish to shop online, try out the orange juggernaut of the southwest.


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

Mugged: Kenya AA [John Hancock]

Subject: John Hancock Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Kenya AA, Roast Level 1
Rating [see key]: 4+


Roasting stands as one of the great final hurdles to a coffee. If roasted correctly, a good coffee will display its natural character with clarity and gumption; if roasted poorly, the flavors will be under-extracted or completely cloaked by burnt, bitter oils. Hence, like most things that take a lot of skills, most people leave all the details of roasting to the hands of skilled professionals.

But a few coffee roasters are letting the customers of all skill levels run the show. The only change to the game is that when someone orders a coffee, the purchaser chooses whether sir/madam wants their coffee roasted light, medium or dark. One coffee entity to champion this method is John Hancock Coffee, an online roaster that specializes in customization, both of coffee to come as light or as dark as you wish, but also in customization of some elements of packaging. To try it out, Hancock asked me to pick a coffee and a roast level, to which I picked their Kenya AA roasted light (Roast Level 1).

The coffee arrived in a white packaging, with the standard label (no need to customize packaging for me). The beans were their lightest roast, but definitely were closer to second crack in color/form. As far as infusing the beans, I sampled the coffee via pourover, french press and siphon. The pourover radiated notes of raspberry jam, light cheddar, blue corn, malt and oats in a medium body, coming off sweet and thick. The french press proved a bit lighter, with notes of oats, blue corn, some cocoa, wheat and light jam. The siphon also held notes of cocoa, blue corn, wheaty cereal and milk with a nice, creamy medium body. All in all, a flavorful coffee with a noticeable wheaty aftertaste.

Thus, while my Kenya was fairly delicious, I must say I don't know if I trust myself to regularly pick the roast level of a coffee I've never met prior. Much like I don't want to be in charge of telling a Michelin chef how to cook my scallops, I usually would rather skilled professionals take the burden of figuring out how to best roast my coffee (unless I'm roasting at home, which is another conversation). But for people who like to take the reigns and run the whole show, check out John Hancock Coffee.


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