Philly Coffee Crawl With Brian's Coffee Spot Part Two

Sunday...my coffee crawl with Brian ambitiously continued as we planed on hitting at least five coffeehouses.  Daily News food photographer Drew Lazor arranged to join us at two of them Bohdi and Ox Coffee.

Cortado, Bodhi Coffee

Hanging out with Brian put me in a British frame of mind and decided to try a Cortado at our first stop, Bodhi Coffee.  What a marvellous drink it was!  In Spanish, cortado means cut. Quite simply, the drink is espresso served in a shot glass cut with an equal amounts coffee to milk, packing a lot of taste in a four oz drink.  This one was made with local micro-roaster elixr's beans.

Drew Lazor, Philadelphia Daily News

Drew joined us as we settled into our chairs.  I learned that Brian's interest in coffee houses is finding those who not only makes great coffee but more importantly is a comfortable and welcoming destination.  We discussed the growth of specialty coffee in Philadelphia and beyond, how coffee houses try to break down the "coffee snob" barrier and where the industry might be headed in the future.

Brian, Drew and Max

After an hour relaxing at Bohdi we took a walk over to Ox Coffee where co-owner Max Cudworth was slinging shots of Stumptown.  I had a cup of Hollar Mountain blend and our conversation continued.  You can read Drew Lazor's article here: "Tea for two, coffee for the rest".  If you read it, please be kind when commenting on the photograph of Brian and me :)  After about 2 1/2 hours Drew left us to continue our Philly crawl

Preparing A Latte, At Ox Coffee

Max Cudworth, Ox Coffee

Our next stop was One Shot Cafe in Philly's Northern Liberties neighborhood.  I love photographing this coffeehouse with its interesting layout and architectural features.  One Shot also serves food and by the time we arrived we were famished.  In honor of my special guest, I ordered a Stumptown Flat White.  Brian and I parked ourselves by the front door, discussed the merits of British vs. American coffeehouses and admired the attractive crowd streaming into this popular establishment.

Lunch And A Flat White, One Shot Cafe

ReAnimator Coffee

By the time we got to ReAnimator, it was four o'clock and we were buzzing from the caffeine.  I already had six cups and was beginning to feel like the day was becoming a sort of out-of-body experience.  No, I don't do coffee crawls that often and I was considering crying "uncle".  It was quite the dilemma as ReAnimator is my favorite Philly roaster.  I started with a cup of Chiapas which was well crafted and I would never have guessed that it was  decaf.  We also ordered two cupcakes in an attempt to neutralize the effects of the caffeine.  Co-owners Mark Corpus & Mark Capriotti soon arrived sporting a new Mahlkoning grinder they purchased that day at Coffee Fest in New York City.  Corpus is also ReAnimator's roaster and we stood around talking shop.

Mark Corpus & Mark Capriotti, Owners, ReAnimator Coffee

Around 5:30 we left ReAnimator and drove back to Brian's hotel.  On the way I asked what he thought of Philadelphia's coffee culture.  Brian declared it is on par with any city in Europe or the United States and he was especially struck by the welcome feeling he got at every stop.  So with my job done I bid Brian farewell and wouldn't be surprised to hear that's he's going to visit us again the next time he is in the States.

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Brian's Coffee Spot

Drew Lazor's article "Tea for two, coffee for the rest"

Bohdi Coffee

Ox Coffee

One Shot Cafe

ReAnimator Coffee

Philly Coffee Crawl With Brian's Coffee Spot

A year ago coffee blogger Brian Williams from Brian Coffee Spot contacted me about producing an Android version of CoffeeGuru.  We met in New York City at Stumptown's Midtown location at the Ace Hotel during Brian's yearly coffee explorations in the US and Canada.  Even though I decided not to expand CoffeeGuru beyond the iPhone platform, we got along really well and discussed the possibility of him visiting Philadelphia the next time he came to the States.

For years hometown roaster La Colombe was pretty much the only game in town.  But in the last few years a large number of micro-roasters and third wave coffeehouses have opened, suddenly making Philadelphia a must visit destination for any coffee lover.  I mapped out 14 and sent it to Brian (click here to view my Google Map: My Coffee Crawl Map).  It didn't take too much cajoling and he added Philly to his trip.

Just before Brian's arrival, I contacted Philly food reporter Drew Lazor about his visit.  Drew has been writing about the local food scene since 2005 for City Paper, Philly.com and the Daily News.  I pitched a story idea about our city quickly becoming a must visit for serious coffee "crawlers" from around the world.  He thought it was a great idea and arranged to hang out with us at a few shops.

1. Friday Afternoon

Brian Williams Photographed By The Philly Press

I picked Brian up at the train station at 2:30 pm and dashed over to Ultimo on Catherine Street.  Drew had arranged for  a photographer to shoot us for the article.  Ultimo's roaster is Counter Culture and they are considered one of the best presenters of those beans.  In fact on the second floor resides Counter Culture's Philly training center.  Barista Abby prepared me a Tsheya Congo pour-over and Nueva Ilusta Espresso, both excellent.  Although we were a bit nervous when the photographer showed up, I think Brian felt like a coffee rock star given all the attention he received bearly an hour after his arrival.

Google Glass

During our Ultimo visit, a group of well dressed guys strolled into the shop, one of them sporting the new Google Glass.  I've never seen them in person and I must admit they look better than I expected!

Afternoon At Menagerie

Our next stop was one of my favorite coffeehouses, Menagerie in Old City.  They are the only shop that uses Dogwood from Minneapolis and Ceremony from Annapolis, two fantastic roasters.  Brian adored the space, commenting that this is the type of coffee shop that he could see spending time in every day.  The design is well thought out, utilizing reclaimed wood throughout (the tables in the back are made from old bowling alley lanes).  It is also right around the corner from Brian's hotel, a huge plus.

Body Graphics Tattoo

Since the day started really late, we decided to pause our crawl and head out to dinner.  I was able to score a reservation at one of Philly's best, Zahav an Israeli tapas restaurant like no other.

As we strolled back to the hotel, we passed Body Graphics Tattoo.  They were having an art opening and we checked it out.  While the skate board art on the walls were not that interesting, the woman sitting in the window made up for it.

2. Saturday

About six months before Brian's visit I tweeted a picture of one of my favorite city diners, Jany's.  As it turns out one of Brian's other passions is good diner food so I had to make it our breakfast stop.  The place is a classic.  It's been in business for over 40 years and Jany makes sure the quality remains high.  The coffee is changed every 30 minutes, the eggs are fresh, and the prices are cheap!  However, as we left Jany shared some sad news.  She's selling the place and expects to retire in about three months.  So if you're anywhere near this place make it a point to visit before it's too late.

Jany's Diner

I had tickets to Pennsylvania Ballet's Coppelia so Brian explored on his own.  We made plans to spend Sunday together checking out more coffeehouses and I left him to it.  He was able to visit Elixr, Plenty and La Colombe's Dilworth Plaza location and like you, I'll have to wait to read in his blog the adventures he experienced.

Next Week: Bohdi Coffee, Ox Coffee, One Shot Cafe and ReAnimator...and an interview by Drew Lazor

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Brian's Coffee Spot

Drew Lazor's article "Tea for two, coffee for the rest"

Ultimo Coffee

Menagerie Coffee

My Blog Post, Menagerie Coffee, A Breath Of Fresh Air

Jany's Diner

Cup Of Excellence Cupping In Philly

On Tuesday March 4, I was invited to a pre-auction tasting of Brazilian Cup of Excellence late harvest coffees.  23 microlots were shown in six cities across the US.  The Philadelphia tasting was held at Urban Outfitters headquarters campus at the old Navy Yard and hosted by La Colombe.

Navy Yard, Philadelphia

The location for the tasting couldn't have been more impressive.  The 350,000 square foot Urban Outfitters campus was built in a dilapidated navy shipyard.  Instead of removing the old patina of rust, old paint and other signs of aging, the architects made it the dominant aesthetic.   The result is uber-hip, young and fostering creativity.

Urban At The Curb, Urban Outfitters Headquarters

COE representative Andrew Hetzel hosted the event in the “Acid Bath Event Lecture Hall.”which was attended by an industry crowd and press including Sprudge, Elxir Coffee, Electric City Roasting and La Colombe.

Andrew Hetzel Addressing The Crowd

All of the lots were processed using the dry natural method and ranged in score from 85.5 to 92.22.  Interestingly, the number one coffee was produced by a woman farmer, Cinthia Dias Villela.  The lot sizes are extremely small and will be auctioned on March 6.  It was my first Brazilian cupping and I came away impressed by the quality, depth and range of flavors.

Lot 17b

Todd Carmichael & JP Iberti Cupping Lots

JP Cupping Lot 1, The Highest Rated Out Of 23 From The COE Brazilian Tasting

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

List of the winning lots

Coffee Strategies by Andrew Hetzel

La Colombe