For starters there are a few variables that will remain as constants in my reveiws. The drink of choice is a 12oz. Latte with 2 espresso shots. As to weither it is to go or to stay that will be determined by the individual visit, for instance if they offer me a mug to stay I will accept it. This is somewhat like Morgan Spurlock's experiment with McDonalds. If prompted to consider a mug "To Stay" I will accept, otherwise it will be a to go cup. In any case this will be noted in the review. Oh...the milk...yeah, it matters. for all of my reviews I will be using whole milk only. There is a reason for this. I would prefer 2% milk, however some coffee shops prefer to economize by having skim and whole only...and when 2% is requested they simply mix the two making thier own brand of 2%, which I would argue is not really 2%. So...whole milk cannot be screwed up...so I will always use whole milk.
There are some variables that are simply value oriented items that you cannot attach a controlable variable lable to. For instance, do they roast thier own coffee or whose coffee do they serve? This is increadibly impotant. This is perhaps he most important variable that requires mentioning. There are several shops which roast thier own espresso, however others are still serving coffee roasted by someone else. This is not necessarily a negative, however it is definately a positive in most cases if they do roast thier own!
Next comes an entire class of variables that are quantitative in measure but qualitative in terms of context of a review. Here are a few to consider
- If served in a mug was the glassware warm or cold?
- How was the presentation?
- How was the interaction with the Barista?
- How was the decor of the shop? Local art...or generic art of the Target variety?
- How is the signage? Can you easily identify your beverage on the menu board?
- How was the quality/variety of the "cold case" options? Muffins, crissont's, cookies ect.
- How was the parking? (Note this may effect the overall customer experience.)
- How is he clenliness of the shop?
- How was the overall customer experience?
Im positive that this will not capture all that I am hoping to in terms of qualitiative measures, however this is a good start.
Lastly...and most importantly. No matter if you are treated like a king, or like a coffee vagabond...ultimately the coffee is why we are going through this little exercise. So lets discuss the beverage. A latte is a great benchmark that almost no one can screw up to badly, however there is a significant difference from the average latte and an amazing latte, of which I have had both. There are specific measures that are intigral to this specific review, so I will mention them now.
- How was the crema in the beverage?
- How was the temperature of the beverage?
- does the barista know what coffee art is? Any coffee art?
- how is the nose of the cup, crema ect. Does is smell burnt or sweet?
- How is the body of the beverage? Is it creamy or flat? Dull or Vibrant?
- How is the espresso? Is it single orgin?(DOUBTFULL!!). Is the espresso bold or mild, sweet or bitter? How is the aftertaste of the espresso?
- What flavors do you taste in the beverage?
- What is the flavor profile? Is is short and crisp..or long and robust?
I will certainly answer most of these questions in my reviews, and I certainly believe that it is important. Measuring coffee shops against each other is complicated, however everyone definately has thier favorite's. Some coffee shops fit specific moods or purposes (i.e. studying, catching up with a friend, surfing the web for a bit, quick espresso on the way to the office).
The ultimate reason for this review is because there are so many coffee shops in SLC, where do they fit into the social tapestry that makes this city so damn great? Now this is an organic project that at some point may expand outside of the SLC area....for instance if I happen to go on vacation to the coffee mecca Seattle (this town makes me happy!), or its little sister Portland! There are tons of great shops in the west...something that the East coast simply does not grasp. Manhattan in all of its greatness is unfortuantley missing some of the simple things in life. There is far to much stress and far to little hanging out and socializing without a $15 cocktail in your hand. Don't mistake this to mean that I do not like coctails and wine as well, however I dont think it is a pre-requisite for a social interaction, part of the reason that I wanted to move from the East. I simply appreciate my lifestyle in the West more...however this is the topic area of another post which is forth comming.
There is one element that I have not mentioned at all that while is somewhat related to the review purpose of this blog is also not any measure of the quality or either the coffee or the overall experience. Photos...yes photos. I full intend to create a catalog of photos which will display each of the coffee shops that I visit. This may be the deal breaker for my readers as to weither a visit is waranted or not...or may simply reinforce the value offered by each coffee shop. In any case, I will make it a sincere effort to capture each exerience on film.
Now that we have establisher a general framework concerning the criterion that will be used to grade coffee shops, which shops have thus far made the list? Now this is not a completely comprehensive list of shops in the SLC, as I am certain I have missed several so please feel free to comment on any shops I have missed.
- Caffe' Dbolla
- The Coffee Garden
- Salt Lake City Roasting Company (aka: RoCo)
- The Coffee Break
- The Greenhouse Effect
- Alchemy Coffee
- Java Jo's
- Caffe' Expresso (that is tragicl not misspelled)
- The Coffee Connection
- Blue Star Coffee
- Cup of Joe
- Millcreek Coffee
- Beehive Tea Room
- Bad Ass Coffee Co.
- Nostalgia
- Beans and Brew's
- No Brow Coffee & Tea Company
- Cocoa cafe
- Two Creek Coffee Co.
- Dolce Coffee
wow...as I expanded my seach I noticed that many new shops have emerged. Now I am going to go out on a limb and assume that the vast majorty simply wrote thier name on a shingle and hung it out declaring that they are a coffee shop. I have seen this before...and it is typically not pretty. However I am always willing to entertain recomendations by the many readers of this blog.
Cheers....go enjoy an amazing Sunday in SLC!!
1 comment:
Missing:
Do they grind to order?
Yes? Stay and have a taste.
No? Get the hell out.
Do they distribute and tamp properly?
How can you tell? Watch the color, balance and flow of their shots.
Do they keep their steam wands clean?
Are the portafilters in the grouphead?
Do they date their roasts?
OR can they tell you when it's roasted?
Do they have a strict schedule for rotating regardless of how much has sold?
Do they keep coffee on shelves until it sells? Regardless of packaging, if this is their practice, they are cheating the customer.
Do they sell pre-ground coffee?
If so, that puts them at the bottom of the list. No concern for coffee, no concern for customer, only looking to sell to the uneducated rather than educating and providing a better product.
Regarding Roasting:
In house roasting should be a factor to look at, but not always as a positive.
Many local roasters cannot deliver the goods --in this city as well as others. You can use a high quality roaster, have beans shipped in and have fresher and higher quality beans than most locals. It's about quality of bean, understanding of blend, freshness when used, it's about results in the cup.
Finally, you can't do good coffee or espresso for cheap. For those that have gas station prices, know they are carrying gas station quality.
Even 7-11 makes fresh coffee every twenty minutes. While you are focusing on the latte, it's something to keep in mind. Subtract the decor and the "feel good" of being local. Is what they are doing any better than the convenience store? In some cases, it's worse.
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