Has been a while- recap time

Fyi, I’m not going to write anything more about las vetas… Been there five times, not once did I get a great coffee. Some people seem to love it apparently, but I’m thinking they must either work there or have friends working there. For the record, if I ever have any ties whatsoever with a shop I mention, I will also state that relationship.

The best news is that a new shop opened up in Darien: Espresso Neat. This place is consistantly excellent. Use Counter Culture beans, and for drip coffees, they brew one cup at a time, as ordered, right in front of you.

Port continues to be pretty consistant, but there was one day when the beans didn’t seem quite as fresh. Based on other visits, I’ll chalk that up as an anomaly.

Over in the city, Stumptown has open up a cafe… As expected, it was phenominal. Not a lot of room in there when there’s a line, but it’s worth the the risk of claustrophobia.

Gimme and Grumpy are still staples of city visits for me, depending on which side of the city I’m on. Both continue to make the train ride worth it. I still haven’t made it to a 9th street location, and I kick myself every time I don’t go. I also heard Blue Spoon is worth the trip as well…. Soon.

NC

 

Plotting

I have actually not been to any cafes in the past month or so.. have kept myself alive with my Silvia and Aeropress.  Every now and then I’ll do a scan to see if any new places opened up nearby, but I think I may be at the moment doomed to live in an area full of sub-par coffee.  Molten Java isn’t too far, but it’s in the other direction from home than where I normally kick around in.  There’s occasional rumor of plans for a place in Stamford… fingers crossed.

I will be going up to Montreal for a couple weeks in Sept… so excited about hopping around a ton of places up there.  Also will hop over to Cicinnati area at some point briefly, and try to hit something out there.

Will probably make the rounds again during the next couple months to see how places around here are doing, any changes, etc.  Seems a lot of folks somehow love that Vetas place, so I may give it yet another shot.  However, if those wands are still crusty, I’ll just turn around and walk out.  Just no excuse for that.

 

SoNo Caffeine

Needed to get away for a little bit today during work, so went over to Caffeine for a short coffee run.  Got a skim latte… and it may just be my imagination (although I seriously doubt it), but that place seems to get a little bit worse every time I go there. 

Today, the espresso pull lasted approx 50 seconds, and the bubbles in their milk frothing are getting larger with every drink they make.  I think they even changed the beans they use.  I was about to rank them as low as Zumbach’s and Las Vetas, but I did notice the barista wipe off the steaming wand, which definitely counts for something. 

If this place doesn’t catch an upswing, I think I’m just going to move.  Fairfield County is way too frustrating for anyone who likes good coffee.  Think I’ll swing by Port Coffeehouse this weekend just so I can renew my faith in the possibility that good coffee can survive in this region.

 

Zumbach’s, again

Didn’t have time to roast some more coffee the other day, so today I’m all out… so decided it would be a good opportunity to swing by Zumbach’s again on my way to work to see how the place is doing these days. 

The cafe seems a bit cleaner than it has been in the past… but the espresso machine still had old dry milk caked on the steam wands.  SO I wasn’t going to even try an espresso beverage.  They had some Tanzanian Peaberry among some other coffees in self-serve airpots, so I got a cup of that.

The coffee seemed possibly a bit too carbonny, or possibly a slightly related taste overtone that was unexpected for Tanzanian.  Guessing it was just roasted a bit too dark.  Some people just love to dark roast beans and can’t help themselves.  Overall, the coffee was alright, but nothing to do somersaults over.

The baristas were quite friendly this time around, and the place was a little cleaner… so maybe that is motion in the right direction?  But I’m assuming they are still quite ignorant in regards to espresso prep, as indicated by the disgustingly caked steaming wands.  New Canaan really deserves a better cafe.  Such a cute town.

 

Coffee Labs

I had some of my afternoon off today, so I went over to Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, NY to check it out… they do their own roasting and pull off a La Marzocco.  Fantastic place.  Ordered a macchiato, which was excellent/superb, and the baristi were quite friendly as well.  I believe they even allow dogs in the shop, which is actually pretty cool, (even though my beagle is way too old for a coffee road trip, and might howl at everyone anyway).  I would have gotten some of their beans to bring home and play with, but only had enough cash for my afternoon consumption.  Next time.  But my first impression of this place is that they really do know coffee.

I’ve definitely found my ‘home’ for when I’m up in that neck of the woods.  I’ll likely be popping in that place any time I’m nearby, or I may just have to find a reason to be in that area to begin with.  Seems like a pleasant neighborhood as well..  All-around happy day.