Artisan Coffee Qualities

I'm feeling like I should start a portion of the blog called Coffee Wednesdays.Wednesdays always turn out to be a day committed to coffee shop exploration. But then I realize I would never be able to commit to something like that and would quickly want to move onto another kind of Wednesdays post dedicated to french fries, chocolate chip cookies, doughnuts, the list is endless, really. So I abandoned that idea.

Anyway, I've been thinking about it. 

These days there is no serious shortage of artisan coffee. On the contrary, it's everywhere. Intelligentsia, Stumptown, Counter Culture, Blue Bottle, Gimme Coffee, Grumpy, La Colombe etc. etc. no longer have just an outpost or a solitary coffee shop, but have all grown into brands that roast and sell their beans to mass market. With so many choices, one develops a taste for the good, the bad, and the exquisite. There is no longer a need to to resort to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts (I know there are some of you devout followers out there, do not take offence!) when there are so many other organic, glocal coffees sold within a solid 10 to 15 block radius. Do some research and you'll find that the random local cafes in your neighborhood brew some great artisan cups.

As artisan coffee has grown into a huge subculture with such easy access, the growth of these companies has, with some, sacrificed their quality. La Colombe and Gorilla Coffee are examples of this. When each used to roast and cultivate their own beans for their lonesome solitary coffee shop there was a fresh taste of beans roasted that day and flown in a day or two prior. Now these shops-turned-brands are mass producing their beans to be sold to a number of coffee shops and cafes throughout the city and country. When La Colombe first came about, the coffee was smooth, thick and had the true taste of quality. Now, there is a bit of a mass produced taste that loses the globally sourced and locally roasted, fresh taste. The beans may still be roasted on site or nearby, but the taste just isn't the same as before. I can't quite place my finger on what that new taste is; it has a reminisce of Folgers, Taster's Choice and Starbucks. It isn't a full fledged grotesque taste but there is that hint of factory production. I am not saying that the mass production of artisan coffee is now the equivilant of drinking Starbucks or Dunkin, just that there is a loss of freshness and I do mourn the old days of La Colombe and Intelligentsia. 

All artisan coffee shops use this same plastic cup size with the very same black straw accompaniment. 

The Coffee
The very first sip of iced Counter Culture coffee at Everyman Espresso bar, which was hot coffee from the large thermos poured over ice, immediately elicited this very same hint of somewhat processed and mass produced brew coffee. Ugh.
This was unbelievably disappointing.
The hot cappuccino became a must-try in order to potentially recover the bad flavor in my mouth at the very least. And, to have some hope for their espresso drinks, at the very most. For all we know, the brewing temperature for the hot coffee could have been off that day. I would go back to try it again and double check. Although, I doubt it and am too turned off from the bad taste to really go back any time soon.

As it turns out...
the Toscana Espresso blend was an impressively smooth double shot in my cappuccino and was bursting with a chocolaty sweet flavor. Taste-success, at last. The horrible iced coffee after-taste had disappeared and my disheartened feelings towards Counter Culture temporarily subsided.

I'd say Blue Bottle Coffee is better tasting for both iced and hot. Coincidentally Blue Bottle (see my review here) does not mass produce in the same quantity as Counter Culture, La Colombe, Intelligentsia and Stumptown and would possibly explain why I enjoy it better. It's still made fresh and roasted locally. Although Stumptown, with its growth, has not lost its quality and I would take a Stumptown iced any day.

#SooooHipster ;)
The photo may not have captured it but there was lots of chat with some patrons about the Williamsburg bike shop...

Ambiance

It's a small shop and they add the milk and sweetener for you. Something I've never been a fan of. 

Very hipster, and very large square glasses type of scene.

Wait Time

Not something to worry about.

Everyman Espresso

301 W. Broadway 

(between Canal & Grand)
See website for their other location

http://everymanespresso.com/

Some other recommendations for two of the other coffees I've sampled a  number of times and would recommend...

Stumptown at The Ace Hotel 
(The original location for Stump and their and starting point)
Cash only, by the way.
Recommended: Hot coffee, Latee, Capuccino and very big fan of the Iced Coffee. Its dark, rough and chocolaty.


La Colombe
Recommended: Latee/Capuccino, Iced Coffee, beans for purchase.
It brews quite well at home. I still argue it isn't the same as it used to be a couple of years back.