No Foam Please
All Things CoffeeKohana Coffee Sampler
I just received a Kohana Coffee sampler thanks to the good people at Kohana Coffee here in Austin. It came in cute packaging and includes quite a few samples to try. You can follow Kohana Coffee on twitter as well.
Kohana Sampler, in case
Once opened, an assortment of roasts awaited me – a few medium roasts and a few dark roasts.
Kohana Sampler, Opened
We tried the Kohana Blend medium roast first, on Mother’s Day morning. The first surprise was the different color beans in the bag. The aroma was fantastic, and the coffee was rich and smooth (at least, it was the way I take it, with cream). We made it in a pretty standard drip coffee maker so you don’t need special equipment to enjoy the coffee, but I do want to try it in a french press sometime. I wasn’t the only one raving about the coffee that morning.
Kohana Blend
I’ve tried two of the dark roasts now (including Austin Rocks), and two of the medium roasts (including Kohana blend), and I definitely prefer the medium roasts – they have a rich flavor without any bitterness – although my wife tells me I just may be making the coffee too strong which might put the dark roasts a bit over the top. The Kohana blend is by far my favorite to this point – but we’re only halfway through the samples! Several more to try over the next couple weeks for our weekend coffee.
Look for another update on this space in a few weeks!
Lola Savannah
On the recommendation of a friend in Austin, I went a little out of my normal routine to try Lola Savannah coffee. Too far away from home and office for a regular pit stop for me, but it does have an excellent location near 360 and Mopac. The only downside I can see is the extremely limited parking (not much of a problem first thing in the morning, but I’ve been to Grove Wine Bar next door and parking at mealtimes is tough).
Lola has a feel that is somewhere between bar and coffee house. The color palette is coffee house, but the bar setup implies you might want to have a glass of wine in the evening. The furnishings are a combination of leather seating and modern surfaces. There are coffee bags decorating the ceiling.
A view from the back of the coffee lounge
But down to the main event. The coffee. I tried a double cafe mocha, and it was fantastic.
A double cafe mocha
It was rich, but without getting overpowered by the chocolate (even at the bottom of the cup). The foam on top was just right (I noticed it, but it didn’t interfere with drinking). They took the time to do a little foam art as well (always a nice touch that says either “you’re special to us” or “we’re just that cool we can do coffee art and still make money”…). There are some pretty awesome looking desserts in the display case, but it is 8am. I had heard (via Yelp) that there were good breakfast tacos, but I didn’t see any, and this blog is about coffee anyway, right?
Bonus points for having power plugs scattered about inconspicuously. And more points for commenting on my shirt (a picture of a coffee cup running on empty with all kinds of warning / danger signs – a bit like your laptop battery display).
Yelp Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The Lola website has a little “virtual barista” to recommend coffees to you if you’re not sure what to order. I’d recommend just consulting the barista though…
Dolce Vita in Hyde Park, Austin
Dolce Vita has been in Austin at least as long as I have, parked next to Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and the Duval Street Barber Shop (formerly Gaitan’s Barber Shop). I first discovered this place for the desserts (gelato and cakes mmm) but after I developed a taste for coffee it became a good stop for that too.
I recently stopped by and was surprised by the half-price coffee drinks before 11am! Take that, Starbucks. I didn’t take a picture of the scene, but there was a film crew shooting a coffee-conversation scene the day I stopped by. This place has a cool vibe and a nice area for sitting outside on the patio – shaded from the heat, but also sheltered against the rain. The inside seating area is pretty small, but if you want an intimate conversation, it’s perfect.
Drip Coffee
A Latte in a to-go cup
The latte was good but not remarkable – they don’t waste any time on decor or flair – just delivering a quick cup of coffee. I managed to resist the dessert display… but it sure was tempting.
Yelp Reviews again are mostly positive.
Illy Espressamente in the Palazzo, Las Vegas
The Palazzo has a plethora of coffee options – pretty unusual for a casino in Vegas, surprisingly (you’d think the casinos would want to keep the caffeine going!). There’s a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which was fairly unremarkable, and another shop upstairs that I didn’t get to try, and then there is the showcase coffee store- the Illy Espresso Cafe.
Illy Espressamente
This place looks fantastic – modern, sleek, and coffee-centric. And they made a great latte, and the next day, mocha latte. They also clearly served a lot of straight shots of espresso, and I was tempted to try that but just never made it back for a third dose. I was in Las Vegas for a convention, and this place did a great business as a result.
What was the downside? The cost. A large mocha (3 shots of espresso) was $8.75. That makes Starbucks look like a bargain. Ok fine, you could argue the Illy mocha was better, but I think most of that price was going to the high priced rent. At least the high prices came with a good ambiance, a lot of European clientele lending authenticity to the coffee experience, and a friendly staff that remembered you even though you’ve only been there once before.
Yelp reviews were generally positive, most of the negativity focusing on the price. I should have mentioned this place has a million varieties of gelato as well.
Yelp Review Filter on Austin Coffee
Yelp is known as a controversial force in the restaurant business. But most of the publicity (lately) has been negative. It also produces positive articles about the restaurants that are reviewed on its site, however.
I recently received a Yelp email reviewing coffee shops in Austin and it gave me a few new ideas to try:
- Austin Brevita
- Anderson’s,
- Geniune Joes
It also recommended Flight Path, which I’ve been to before (back when it really was on the flightpath, and it was so noisy when a plane went overhead that you couldn’t think).
I’ll have to try out the other locations (they’re on my list!).
Kopi Luwak – A Rare Coffee Indeed
Kopi Luwak is also known as Civet Coffee. It is quite literally made of coffee beans in Indonesia that have passed through the digestive tract of a Civet. Um, yes. Pooped out coffee beans.
Apparently, besides being quite rare, they are also quite tasty when brewed into coffee. A pound of Civet coffee beans is approximately $227. And you thought Starbucks was expensive!
The New York Times has a pretty amusing and educational article on the subject. Wikipedia does not disappoint: there is an extensive article on the subject with links to other sources.
Return to Blue Bottle Coffee
Hayes Valley blend from Blue Bottle Coffee
I recently returned to San Francisco for business and decided to pick up some coffee beans for a friend (and a bag for myself!). Of course, another latte was a must.
When I walked over to the display of coffees, I noticed they aren’t categorized the way some are (no “dark” or “medium” roasts… ) – but they had interesting sounding names. There was a helpful gentleman working at Blue Bottle who made recommendations based on how we thought my friend might be preparing his coffee. And then he recommended beans for my espresso as well.
So I checked in with my friend, Peter, and he reports that not only does it smell fantastic, but it makes a great coffee with his french press. The espresso beans I brought home fill the room with a great coffee aroma when I make an espresso or latte, and the flavor is really rich. Too bad they only sell half-pound bags…
Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park, CA
Cafe Borrone is apparently a favorite of many of the startup titans of the bay area. I read mention of it the other day and I was going to add it to my list… when I realized, I’ve been here before, quite a few times, to meet friends who live in the area. And it is, indeed, a great place to get coffee (or food).
Cafe Borrone has a great outdoor patio, as well as indoor seating. There’s a parking garage adjacent, and they’re also a short walk from the Menlo Park train station. The desserts are fantastic, but they might distract you from getting a really nice latte or mocha to sip while you catch up with friends. I should thank my friends Kristin and Riz for introducing me to this place.
There are over 470 yelp reviews, with over 350 of them being 4 or 5 stars.
Vietnamese Coffee at Triumph Cafe
Triumph Cafe isn’t what I would consider a coffee shop per se (they serve Vietnamese cuisine and sandwiches), but they do make coffee, espresso, and best of all, Vietnamese coffee. I had lunch there the other day for the first time in many years, and decided to try the coffee. Since not as many places serve Vietnamese coffee and I hadn’t had it here yet, I thought I’d try it out and report back.
This is a "double" Vietnamese coffee, pre-stirring.
After stirring, it has a nice rich color
From the street or parking lot, Triumph Cafe doesn’t look like much – yet another strip-mall cafe. However, Triumph has a hidden gem of a back patio, surrounded by a lot of greenery and shade – a nice little oasis. In the spring and fall in Austin, its a perfect place to sit outside and talk a bit too long over coffee or lunch.
There are other places to get Vietnamese Pho and other cuisine, and I like some of them better. But this place has a nice laid back atmosphere, and they didn’t look at me funny when I ordered my Vietnamese coffee hot instead of cold (usually people will pour it over ice, but I’ve never been a big fan of ruining my coffee with ice)…
(yelp reviews here, mostly positive, especialy with regard to the coffee)
Kennedy Coffee, Bentonville
In one of my trips for work, I went to Bentonville, Arkansas, and had occasion to stop at Kennedy Coffee. Its pretty close to one of the Wal-mart facilities, so there are a lot of Wal-mart folks stopping in at rush hour in the morning. It has the usual amenities – free wifi with any drink order, ample seating to stop and check your mail or read the paper, and low enough lighting to give you a little bit of privacy.
The coffee there was good – but the first time I ordered a “Mocha” there they made me a “Kennedy Mocha” which has about 10x the chocolate of any normal mocha latte, complete with flakes of chocolate on top. The lattes were good, service was pretty efficient considering the traffic volume (most independent places don’t have quite the speed of operation that places like Starbucks and Peet’s have). They have a collection of other somewhat unique (or at least uniquely named) drinks but unfortunately the menu isn’t posted online!
Yelp Reviews are similarly positive.
I believe this is the Kennedy Mocha
