Urban Spirit

Before we begin, we would like to thank everyone who came out to our Fair Trade/Organic coffee tasting at the Spore Infoshop! We had a great turnout and everyone really engaged in the cupping and presentation on certifications. Special thanks go to Amy, the Spore volunteer who joined us for the tasting and helped iron out some of the kinks encountered along the way. Hopefully we'll get to taste more coffees and meet more readers at future events!

Alright, on to the review:

Urban Spirit
889 E. Long Street
Columbus, Ohio 43203

Urban Spirit is located on Long Street in Olde Towne East. It carries Crimson Cup beans and boasts latte art on its advertisements. Apparently, it is much more than a coffee shop, as it offers services such as consulting, event planning and catering on their website. It is also a nexus of community involvement ranging from a weekly jazz night to political organizing. Their coffee drinks, though, are all offered with a "top hat," which means whipped cream from an aerosol can. While this is a kind service, it is not exactly what we're looking for in a coffee shop.

Espresso

Beans: Crimson Cup
Machine: Nuova Simonelli

Overall, the espresso was not as delicious as it could have been, but it was better than others. It was thicker than most, although still thin. The crema was a darker brown. The barista did not know which coffee was being used for the espresso, but we can only suspect Armando's blend...that's definitely what it tasted like (tart and syrupy).

Positives:
Ground per shot

Negatives:
Used small cappuccino cup for espresso; no demitasse available
Did not clean portafilter between shots
Did not purge group between shots
No saucer nor spoon
Shot was fast
Did not preheat cups

Cappuccino

Sadly, this was no cappuccino. It was a latte. And there was none of the latte art depicted in their advertising because there was no foam on it whatsoever (not even a little tiny layer that is quite appropriate for a latte). Bronwyn also thought it was a bit acidic for her taste. The complimentary “top hat” was declined.

Positives:
Proper size cup

Negatives:
No foam whatsoever! (It should have had at least as much foam as milk and espresso.)
Used 2% milk (whole is preferred)
Acidic
Same espresso as above
Did not preheat cup