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.

Espresso Cafe

Espresso Cafe
250 Civic Center Dr.
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Espresso Cafe is a little shop on the Riverfront in Downtown Columbus. It features not only coffee and espresso beverages but also breakfast and lunch food. The patio has very nice chairs and a great view of the river. Two computers and a printer are available for the office worker that has neither laptop nor coffee. While Damion tried to score a view of the barista's activity, he missed the action as much of the machine is obscured because of how it is situated on the counter. This did not matter much, as the product told us everything. They also offer a soda fountain and a "French vailla latte" machine like one might find at a gas station.

Espresso

Overall, a pretty terrible shot. It was served in a styrofoam cup...a 16 ounce styrofoam cup full a good third of way with espresso. It was extremely bitter. Let's review: a 5-6 ounce "double shot" in a 16 ounce STYROFOAM cup.

Positive:
They use Ohio's own Caruso's Coffee, Volare blend, for their espresso.

Negative:
Served in styrofoam cup (they have no "for here" cups whatsoever).
Thin; very watery.
Tan, dissipating crema.
Very bitter.
Beans were not ground per shot.

Shots had body like they were brewed in a French press. Which is fine (if it were brewed in a French press).
Before our drinks were started there was dried, crusty milk left on the steam wand from a previous customer's order. On that basis, it is safe to conclude that the machine is not cleaned or wiped down at all between uses.

Cappuccino

The cappuccino had some surprisingly well-steamed milk but, when coupled with the terrible espresso, it was undrinkable. The ratio was way off (it was quite heavy), not to mention the volume. There were only 16 or 20 ounce sizes available.

Positive:
Well-steamed and foamed milk.

Negative:
Incorrect ratio
Same terrible shots as above
Used 2% milk
Wrong size (again, the smallest possible option is 16 ounces).
Served with grounds on the lip of the styrofoam cup.
Tasted like a Cafe au Lait. Which is fine, if what we ordered was a Cafe au Lait.

Drip

They said they had Caruso's Awaken blend brewed but none of the signs on the self-serve airpots said anything about that. I got the last bit of what was marked as "100% Colombian" and filled the rest of the cup with "House Blend." It was flat, weak, and cool.

Global Gallery

Global Gallery
3535 N. High St.
Columbus, Ohio 43214

Global Gallery is a local set of shops that sell hand-made jewelry and household items using a "trade not aid" business model that benefits people in developing countries. To this end they also sell small organic and "ethical" food items like chocolate bars and, most importantly, coffee. Global Gallery now has its own cafe in Clintonville in a building that has also been used as a garden store and a locksmith shop. Its eclectic history is reflected in various architectural idiosyncrasies, nooks, and crannies which make it a very interesting place to enjoy a coffee.

Espresso

Machine: Three-group La Pavoni

Positive:
Ground per shot.
Barista knew ristretto terminology.

Negative:
The crema dissipated quickly.
Body was too thin.
Volume of liquid in the cup was too great for a ristretto.
Did not purge group prior to or after the shot was pulled.
The espresso tasted sour and too fruity (like cough syrup, almost).

Cappuccino

Positive:
Used whole milk, so the froth held up well.
Well proportioned foam:milk:espresso.

Negative:
The serving size was too large. They have no cups smaller than 20 ounces.
Tasted sour, like the solo espresso shots.

The drink was served too hot. Damion took a regular first sip and used all the normal precautions one takes when unsure of a given drink's temperature and was still so overwhelmed by the heat that he spat it out immediately. It was pretty rough. A lot of cursing was involved.

Drip

The drip coffee (a blend called Justice) was served out of an airpot and tasted fresh, with positive grainy and sesame flavors and a slippery mouth-feel. This and the ambiance were the best part of the whole experience.

Upheaval

There is a lot of coffee in Columbus but none of it grew here. This is another installment in our continuing series of producer-country profiles intended to get a sense of what a massive undertaking it is to get coffee from there to here. While this is not a profile as such it will, I hope, expand our perspectives as consumers of coffee.

There have been two major revolts in Latin America recently:

Honduras

The president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has been exiled to Costa Rica by members of the military. He attempted to add a third term to his presidency. This was ruled unconsitutional and the Honduran Supreme Court gave an order allowing the military to detain Zelaya.

WSJ, NYT, (via).

Peru

Indigenous Peruvians blocked roads and cut pipelines to resist corporate and governmental incursions into areas they claim rights to. At least thirty-five people died in the clash over proposals to open large areas of rain forest for oil drilling, logging, and hydroelectric dams.

NYT, (via).

More reviews of local coffee shops will be up after the weekend. Have a happy Fourth!

Coffee & More

Coffee & More
Corner of Gay and 3^rd Streets

This small operation features bar seating that allows customers to look out on one of Downtown's more interesting intersections. Forget that "coffee" is part of the name and drop by for a mango lassi made from scratch by the friendly and generous owner.

A Touch of Earth

A Touch of Earth
(in the North Market)
59 Spruce St
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Another pleasant surprise! A Touch of Earth is located in the North Market in the Short North. It offers a variety of local roasters' beans to buy by the pound and has a little coffee bar with stools for sipping your beverage. They offer two blends of espresso for their own drinks; Crimson Cup's Armando's Blend and Cafe Brioso's Milano blend. They also offer two great baristas, Shawn and Joy, who were a lot of fun to talk with while we drank cup after cup of coffee*.

Espresso

Equipment: La Pavoni grinders and a 2-group Brasilia Gradisca espresso machine. This model is unusual in that the group heads are positioned outside of the housing that contains the boiler and temperature controls. Some say this causes the groups to lose heat and negatively affect quality in the cup. As you will see, our experience contradicts any doubts about what this machine can do.

Wow! Another decently pulled shot! The shot began nice and slow, dark and thick, and was pulled directly into a preheated demitasse (with a spoon!). We first had Armando's blend, which is slick and very acidic. Not Bronwyn's favorite, but Damion likes it. Then we found out about the second option and went for the Milano blend. It was smoother, charcoaly, and thick-bodied. Although we asked for a double ristretto, the shot was pulled too long. Both had nice crema, however.

Positives:
Used dry towel for cleaning the portafilter between shots
Ground per shot
Served with saucer and spoon (and chocolate-covered espresso bean)
Dark crema on both espressos
Purged group
Preheated demitasse

Negatives:
Did not give us ristretto shots

Cappuccino

The cappuccino here was pretty good: well-done shots (we had the Milano blend for this one), great foam, yet it was very dry. It was served in a cup with a saucer and spoon, although we had to ask for the proper size and make sure we were all on the same page of what that is (6-8oz). The usually use 12 or 16 ounce cups. While both the espresso and the foam were great, the barista did not free-pour the drink; he simply scooped the foam into the cup from the pitcher. This contributed to an extremely dry cappuccino with non-standard ratios of espresso:milk:foam. It was still delicious though, and the foam made from Snowville Creamery whole milk was robust enough to enjoy with the aforementioned tiny spoon.

Positives:
Uses whole milk as their default
Sturdy melted ice cream foam
Preheated cup

Negatives:
Did not free-pour
Too dry

Drip

The drip coffees are provided in self-serve airpots in front of the espresso machine. Although I got the last 12 ounces of Crimson Cup's Peruvian coffee, it tasted fresh and had the rustic flavor and subdued acidity one wants in a Peru.


*Hopefully you guys don't mind being name-checked. We can always be reached at columbuscoffeereview AT gmail DOT com for any corrections, comments, or concerns!

Yemen

There is a lot of coffee in Columbus but none of it grew here. This is another installment in our continuing series of producer-country profiles intended to get a sense of what a massive undertaking it is to get coffee from there to here.

Yemen's history is closely tied to coffee. Yemenis were the first to popularize coffee, trade coffee, and establish a "coffee culture." Coffee may have evolved in Africa, but coffee as we know it started at the tip of the Arabian peninsula. Located just across the Red Sea from coffee's native Ethiopia, it was a natural launch pad for the small fruit that would become the world's rocket fuel.

Republic of Yemen

Distance from Columbus, Ohio: 7335 miles (11803 km)

Capital: Sanaa (or Sana'a)

Relative Size: Slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Major Coffee Growing Regions:
Mattari (from Bani Matar), Hirazi/Harasi (from Haras), Haimi, Saihi, Ismaili, Sharasi, Dhamari from Dhamar), Rimy (from Raimi or Rayma).

Introduced from Ethiopia around the 6th century, full-scale coffee cultivation began in Yemen around the 15th century. The old port of Mocha (or Moka, or Mokka, or Mokha, or...) was formerly a major site of international trade and a point on the route of goods from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean (before the contstruction of the Suez Canal). Mocha became synonymous with coffee, becoming a generic term for the drink early in the beverage's history. Abandoned, it has been replaced by the ports of Adan, Hudaydah, and Mukalla.

Today, the coffee trade in Yemen runs a lot like it has for centuries. People grow it casually at home or on small-holder farms and sell the dry-processed beans through a byzantine system of traders and exporters. Of the small amount of arable land in Yemen (2.91% of Yemeni territory) there are 330,000 coffee farms and an estimated 1,530,000 people working in the coffee industry.

Yemeni coffee is dried on the ground before the bean is removed from the fruit and mucilage that encases the roastable seed (called Dry or Natural processing). This method, along with the terroir of the various growing regions, imparts flavors ranging from winey, wild, and earthy to fruity or acidy. Yemenis who grow coffee are coffee drinkers themselves and may also enjoy a tea-like beverage called qishr made from the dried husks and a mix of spices. A typical day in Yemen may start with coffee, switching later to qishr as the day heats up in the afternoon.

Sources: CIA Factbook, Sweet Maria's, ICO, CoffeeReview.com, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Previously: Brazil