Crimson Cup

Crimson Cup Coffee House
4541 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43214

Crimson Cup is a Columbus-based coffee roaster that serves high-volume clients like OSU as well as small coffee shops around the country. They have a special coffee startup program that educates entrepreneurs in the ways of the cafe. For years, however, they had no retail operation of their own. This changed in 2007 when they opened the Crimson Cup Coffee House in the Clintonville neighborhood. Since then they have woven themselves into the fabric of the community by displaying work from children's art classes, giving time to local musicians, and hosting small events. Those pressed for time have the option of using Crimson Cup's drive-thru. Those with a little time to kill can enjoy a clean, modern interior that features CNN on a flat-panel TV and paintings of the Crimson Cup logo. Photos of the second-wave coffee shop Espresso Experience (“Armando had his very first Caffe Latte here in February, 1980”) hang in homage to the nascent specialty coffee industry.

Espresso

The beans were Armando's Blend, a medium/dark roast mix of African, Indonesian, and Latin American coffees, for all of their espresso as well as drip coffees. This espresso was decent, better than most espressos we have had in Columbus. The crema was a darker brown but not speckled. It was sticky, on the thicker side, and really latched onto the sides of the cappuccino-sized ceramic cup (demitasses were available but not used). The result is a high-acidity shot with a strong lemon flavor and undertones of fresh dry leaves. Although their technique was a bit better than most, it still led to a bitter shot.

Equipment: Nuova Simonelli espresso machine

Beans: Armando's Blend, Crimson Cup

Positives:
Portafilters remained in groupheads between shots
Coffee ground per shot
Thick, oily texture
Dark crema
Served with saucer

Negatives:
Did not clean the portafilter or purge group between shots
Espresso grounds in the cup
Sour, unsweetened lemon zest taste
Crema did not last very long (though longer than most places' shots)
Did not preheat cup
No spoon

Cappuccino

The barista pulled the shot for this cappuccino before he started on the two espressos we ordered, then let it sit while he pulled the two espressos and steamed milk, letting the espresso for the cappuccino just sit there for at least a minute or two (the lifespan of espresso shots is 30 seconds or less). In espresso and Coffeeland, timing is everything! That shot should have been thrown out and he should have pulled a new one. Espresso does not have a limitless lifespan! Let's not even talk about the bubble bath foam.

Positives:
Used fresh milk
Whole milk is their default
Good espresso, steamed milk, foam proportions (1:1:1, 6-7oz)

Negatives:
Used same sour espresso as before
Did not preheat cup
Bubbly froth, not creamy microfoam, on top

Drip

Like the espresso, Crimson Cup's drip coffee was made with Armando's Blend. As a drip coffee the high acidity is mitigated, allowing a brightness not found in the espresso. A balanced body and flavors of citrus, berry, and light campfire smoke are present. If you like coffees that are more acidic (acidity is not always bad! It can be very good! Like a little dance on your tongue!), this is the coffee for you.

Additional Notes

Crimson Cup opened a counter inside the Gahanna Stoneridge Kroger store in February of this year and has nothing at all to do with this.