Brennen's

Brennen's Cafe
High St. and 15th
Columbus, Ohio 43201

Brenen's is just across from the OSU campus. They offer food and a study space¹ in a two room, Olive-Gardenesque atmosphere. While the food descriptions looked delicious, the coffee itself was terrible. The details about how it was made are largely limited to what we could hear as we could not see behind the bar. However, many times one can decipher whether or not the barista knows what they are doing just by listening.

Espresso

Machine: Rancilio
Beans: Caruso's

At least 4oz of undrinkable bitterness.

Positive:
Served in ceramic cup.

Negative:
Shot was way too fast which, in turn, results in a watery, bitter shot.
No crema.
Rubbery taste.

Cappuccino

Brennen's offers what they call a Cappuccino and a Euro Cappuccino. Neither drink matches up with any accepted standards. The Euro Cappuccino is made with "equal parts espresso and foam" while the Cappuccino is "one part espresso to steamed milk topped with foam." A true cappuccino, Euro or otherwise, is one third espresso, one third steamed milk, and one third fine milk foam in a 1:1:1 ratio. This is easy for properly trained baristi² to eyeball and, besides, precision is always valued over accuracy. The palate measures by taste. The variations presented by Brennen's create enough slack in the industry standards that precision is irrelevant. These just aren't cappuccinos.

We ordered the Euro Cappuccino and the drink we received did not match up with even Brennen's standards. We were given a double shot of espresso with twelve ounces of bubbly milk foam, like an exaggerated macchiato.

Negative:
No ceramic cup; served in 16 ounce styrofoam cup.
Incorrect ratio of espresso, milk, and foam.
Transparent bubble bath foam.
Undrinkably bitter, tire fire rubber taste.
Loud milk frothing, looked like barista was shaking a baby.

¹ The study space was a separate room without the music that played in the main dining area. It shares a wall with the kitchen at the neighboring Jimmy John's, so all the classic rock on their radio and clatter pans were plainly audible.

² Many times the baristi working behind the counter are doing the best with what they're given. This is likely the case with Brennen's, since the owners decided to go rogue with their cappuccino stylings. Although the role of barista has been heightened lately in the Specialty industry, employees are only as good as their training. It would be like a car repair shop that spends thousands of dollars on tools and marketing and then expects the first Tom, Dick, or Harry off the street to be able to work miracles on broken vehicles by doing nothing more than handing them a $50 wrench. In general, the best shops are those that understand training and education as an important aspect of quality-in-the-cup and belong to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (scaa.org). You can also check out the 2009 WBC competition standards for cappuccinos (§2.1.2) here.

Kafe Kerouac

Kafe Kerouac
2250 N High St
Columbus, Ohio 43201

Kafe Kerouac is a little shop selling books, cds and vinyl, alcohol and coffee to the college kids of Columbus. Located on North High Street on the corner of Northwood, this campus hangout holds various events including cigar and poetry nights (held separately), and offers a quiet space to study while drinking, unfortunately, not so great coffee.

Espresso

Machine: Faema Due
Beans: Chief Cooker

Overall, a thin, bitter shot that was undrinkable.

Negative:
Watery
Shot came way too fast
Did not preheat cup
No saucer or spoon
Tan crema that dissipated quickly

Positive:
Cleaned portafilter between shots (with micropore towel!)
Purged between shots
Ground per shot

Cappuccino

A bubble bath foam with watery espresso. They only had two percent milk, but the barista offered to make whole for me by mixing half and half and two percent (thanks, lady!). Unfortunately, while this was a very nice offer that we appreciate and took advantage of, it did not enhance the beverage by much.

Negative:
Bubble bath foam

Did not have proper size, but the barista did make a smaller cappuccino because we asked, so thank you!

Same sad espresso as above
Inappropriate ratio

Pulled shots before steaming milk, leaving our shots to spoil before they even had a chance to prove themselves

Drip

They feature a "Private Reserve" blended especially for KK. It was pretty good but did not stand out in any particular area.

Double-Action!

This one's a two-fer!

Suds N Java
1254 N. High St.
Columbus, Ohio 43201

Suds N Java is just South of Campus and is both a laundromat and internet cafe rolled into one. While it is a great place to do some laundry and surf the net, it needs some work on the coffee. Rather than freshly ground espresso, they use the same “coffee pods” one might find provided for guests in a hotel room. The pod was placed in the single group Nuova Simonelli machine and brewed for about a minute. Our “double shots” were about 8 ounces each, quite bitter and undrinkable. They have other redeeming qualities beside coffee. Go for the laundry and web surfing.

After the incident with the pod, we decided to switch gears and simplify.

Yeah, Me Too!
3005 Indianola Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43202

Yeah, Me Too! is situated near Studio 35 in Clintonville. It is a profoundly basic coffee shop, featuring one hot brew, one cold brew, and a limited supply of bagged roasted coffee. The Diedrich roaster they use is bolted down near the front window and bags of green beans aren't far away. The whole place is just a little bigger than a large living room but, unlike most living rooms, there are no chairs or couches. Or benches. Or stools. There are also no tables but, for as austere as it sounds, the place has a welcoming atmosphere.

The best part of Yeah, Me Too! is that all of their hot coffee is made with a French press and the beans they use vary daily. The coffee on offer was a blend of medium-dark roasted Brazil and Sumatra. The gentleman behind the counter started the press as soon as we ordered but did not ask for payment until later, and only after he served our toddies. Our first impression was that it was exceptionally clean. There was a nice, fuller body to it with a slighter acidity, and faint nuttiness. After her first round of critical sips, Bronwyn felt that it held up fantastically to cream. Overall, a delicious coffee, a great roast, and properly brewed. Nice job, Yeah, Me Too!