Favorite Local Coffee?

[Buckethead]

I really like the Italian Market Reserve from Anthony's, just south of 9th and Christian. We buy a pound of beans there every week or two. La Colombe is pretty good too, but most restaurants that serve it don't brew it strongly enough for my taste.

[Neuronix]

I'm a big fan of Hausbrandt coffee house over on 15th St. between Locust and Walnut. They have excellent coffee, a nice, friendly atmosphere, and free Internet. It's usually not too crowded.

I always used to go over to The Last Drop at 13th and Pine but these days it's just always really crowded. The service is really hit or miss too, with either friendly and quirky or "I hate life" twentysomethings. Two recent favorites with free Internet closed up--Millenium on 12th street and The Mean Bean which is now the Village Coffee House and is not as good and doesn't have free Internet anymore.

If anyone knows anything in Center City with free Internet that isn't always crowded please let me know!

[rlibkind]

If anyone knows anything in Center City with free Internet that isn't always crowded please let me know!

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The RTM has free wireless internet access, so does Old City Coffee count? Of course, not open in the evening or on Sunday. But except at the height of lunch hour when seats are at a premium, you can always find plenty of space.

[herbacidal]

I'm a big fan of Hausbrandt coffee house over on 15th St. between Locust and Walnut. They have excellent coffee, a nice, friendly atmosphere, and free Internet. It's usually not too crowded.

I always used to go over to The Last Drop at 13th and Pine but these days it's just always really crowded. The service is really hit or miss too, with either friendly and quirky or "I hate life" twentysomethings. Two recent favorites with free Internet closed up--Millenium on 12th street and The Mean Bean which is now the Village Coffee House and is not as good and doesn't have free Internet anymore.

If anyone knows anything in Center City with free Internet that isn't always crowded please let me know!

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Yea, Hausbrandt never gets any love. It's a quality place.

[davidbdesilva]

I too have never liked Bucks County Coffee but I know a lot of people do. I am a big La Colombe fan, I love their Corsica and have recently begun drinking their delish decaf (Monte Carlo) in the evenings. Only decaf that doesn't taste like decaf, IMHO.

For daily "on the way to work" consumption I really like WaWa coffee personally. I am surprised only one person mentioned Ray's in Chinatown, the only place where I've paid $8-10 for a cup of coffee and it was definitely worth it.

[chowfun]

The High Point Cafe in Mount Airy is my new favorite coffee shop. The coffee is lovingly and carefully made by the owner/barista. This is the best cappucino I have had in years. Order it "dry" and you get espresso on the bottom and a wonderfully textured milk foam layer on top to mix only as you drink it. Their coffee is high quality shipped from a roaster in Seattle.

The folks running the place are very welcoming. The pastries are house made and delicious. They make quiche, salads, and crepes for lunch. Last time I was there they had a chorizo, carmelized apple and chive quiche, it looked amazing.

This place has a wonderful neighborhood cafe feel but it is out of the ordinary for Philadelphia.

[herbacidal]

This place has a wonderful neighborhood cafe feel but it is out of the ordinary for Philadelphia.

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How so? There's more than a few coffeeshops with neighborhood cafe feel.

I'm sitting in one right now, the Ground Floor, at 2nd and Poplar.

[Neuronix]

The RTM has free wireless internet access, so does Old City Coffee count?

Sure, it counts, but RTM is kinda crazy most times when I can go. Sure, I could find seats, but it's too noisy, chaotic, and the seats too uncomfortable for me to do work there.

[chowfun]

I forgot about the place at 2nd and Poplar. We have looked in and havent tried it yet. How is the coffee?

The High Point is run by the owner and she is always there. The coffee is excellent and made right. I am fussy. I think most coffee bars have mediocre coffee including many mentioned here except La Colombe. I havent been back to Passeros in a while but I remember having good coffee there. The food is made on the premises and it is good. It is has a comfy, homelike vibe. I think it is unique for this area. I urge everyone to check it out!

[herbacidal]

I forgot about the place at 2nd and Poplar.  We have looked in and havent tried it yet.  How is the coffee? 

The High Point is run by the owner and she is always there.  The coffee is excellent and made right.  I am fussy.  I think most coffee bars have mediocre coffee including many mentioned here except La Colombe. I havent been back to Passeros in a while but I remember having good coffee there. The food is made on the premises and it is good.  It is has a comfy, homelike vibe.  I think it is unique for this area. I urge everyone to check it out!

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Wouldn't know how the coffee is. I drink too much during the week. I try to avoid it during the weekend as much as possible.

Plus, we're sort of on a tangent, because I was talking about local coffeehouses, as opposed to locallly available coffee brands/roasts.

Perhaps the thread should be split.

I think the owner was there, but I'm not entirely sure. The counter person gave off that impression.

I do think lots of coffeeshops in the area have comfy homelike vibes.

Ground Floor is one, also the one on 9th south of Christian, not Anthony's, the other one.

Mugshots is slightly less homey, but mainly because it's larger.

There's one on 41st(?) north of Walnut I like, but can't recall if it was homey.

I know a few people here (I think Sara now in Wisconsin) like Cafe Clave around 43rd and Locust, but I've never been myself.

Old City Coffee is sort of homey, but in an Old City, kinda more modern kind of way. Cafe Ole is clean, arty but also nice. Stellar (at both 11th and Spruce and 20th and Walnut) are both fairly homey, but that's mainly because they're both small. The one on 20th slightly less so.

I don't like Green Line at 43rd and Baltimore, but that's less the feel than that I think their food is overpriced.

There's a cafe (Kaffa I think it's called) on Chestnut btwn 44th and 43rd that is more of a coffeeshop, but they serve a few simply prepared hot foods like omelettes.

I know there's also a coffeshop in the 1500 block of South Street, and there's also an Ants Pants Cafe at 22nd and South.

Okay, I suppose that's enough for now.

[brescd01]

I love Hausbrandt, but not for its coffee, which leaves me indifferent.

And La Colombe has great coffee I agree, though it is tarnished somewhat by the fact that those establishments serving La Colombe BRAND coffee are FAR inferior.

In my opinion, and with the caveat I have not tried every coffee place mentioned in the above reviews (because this would defeat a coffee place's purpose for me, a place to near my home to hang out), Ants Pants has extraordinary coffee drinks. I think they use coffee from Australia for everything but the drip.

[chowfun]

One place that serves La Colombe coffee that is quite good is Caramel (once known as La Cigale) on Walnut between 7th and 8th. They serve excellent croissants and pastries and very good salads and paninis for lunch.

I would be happy to go out of my way to any of the places Herbacidal mentioned in his post if anyone thinks they are worth going out of one's way for. Old City Coffee is off the list because their coffee is not my favorite, over roasted until it has a burned flavor, and why does all of it taste like flavored coffee even when its not? If we are going to ignore food and coffee quality in coffee shops then Starbucks and Panera should go on the list as well as Cosi and Au Bon Pain.

I am willing to go out on a limb and recommend a trip just to go to High Point Cafe for their espresso drinks, particularly the cappucino, dry, no olive. The food is a good accompagniment everything is baked and cooked in house, but this place stands out because of the coffee and its meticulous preparation. Of course one could trek out there and spend the day on Forbidden Drive walking or biking or visit the Morris Arboretum or the Woodmere Art Museum that has a new photography exhibit, but not until you get the coffee!

[phaelon56]

Old City Coffee is off the list because their coffee is not my favorite, over roasted until it has a burned flavor, and why does all of it taste like flavored coffee even when its not?

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I'll guess that it all tastes liek flavored coffee because

a) They're using magnetic "coffee type" tags on airports and swapping them in and out without decontaminating the pots between coffee types

or

b) More likely they are using the same grinder for both flavored and regular coffee - and any shop that's so cheap and/or so clueless as to do this does not deserve your business!

[herbacidal]

One place that serves La Colombe coffee that is quite good is Caramel (once known as La Cigale) on Walnut between 7th and 8th.  They serve excellent croissants and pastries and very good salads and paninis for lunch.

I would be happy to go out of my way to any of the places Herbacidal mentioned in his post if anyone thinks they are worth going out of one's way for.

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I don't go out of my way for coffee of any kind.

Please note, as briefly implied above, I'm not necessarily endorsing the places listed nor am i indicating their coffe is superior, merely listing them as possiblities and telling you what little I know about them.

That said, I usually know where all the indie coffee joints in a neighborhood are

because I:

avoid Starbucks usually

sometimes want a chill place to hang for a little

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

BTW, here's a great book on the subject of coffee (or tea).

The Book of Coffee and Tea

Look up "approved coffee measure" in the index as a guideline for measuring portions.

[mrbigjas]

bumping this back up, today's table talk points out that passero's, which i've always recommended, has closed. and that's a damn shame. i'm sorry to see it go.

[degustazione]

I think they use coffee from Australia for everything but the drip.

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they use australian coffee for the drip and domestic for regular

[NaFairge]

a few places come to mind.......

1. stellar. i used to live by the one on 11th street and would hit it up in the morning. always crowded. to be honest, never really liked the coffee. switched to the last drop.

sidenote: a friend of mine works at the la colombe warehouse and i mentioned to him that stellar was doing them an injustice with their brewing methods. todd and jp from LC sent a warehouse guy, unannounced, to taste around the city to see who was brewing right or wrong.

2. how bout chestnut hill coffee? my mother swears by it. i have yet to try.

3. darlings on 20th below pine. slammin cherry cheesecake and a ristretto shot on the side no sugar. awesome.

4. higher grounds in no-libs. heard good things. anyone?

[mrbigjas]

a few places come to mind.......

1. stellar. i used to live by the one on 11th street and would hit it up in the morning. always crowded. to be honest, never really liked the coffee. switched to the last drop.

sidenote: a friend of mine works at the la colombe warehouse and i mentioned to him that stellar was doing them an injustice with their brewing methods. todd and jp from LC sent a warehouse guy, unannounced, to taste around the city to see who was brewing right or wrong.

what was the result? did he ever tell you?

[Andrew Fenton]

Totally. I would love to hear the results...

Anyway, I tend to go to Philadelphia Java Co. It's in my neighborhood, it's friendly, it's not usually too crowded and I can sit there for a while, it has free wireless, and I think the coffee is pretty good.

[Capaneus]

bumping this back up, today's table talk points out that passero's, which i've always recommended, has closed.  and that's a damn shame.  i'm sorry to see it go.

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Well, the locations will reopen. As Juan Valdez Coffe locations. Which I honestly thought was a very bad joke when I first read it. Can't stand the man or his donkey.

And NaFairge: I haven't been to Chestnut Hill, but a) a fairly discriminating friend really likes it, and b) at one point I read a profile of one of their coffee slingers, a Left Coast transplant who had won something like Seattle's Best Barista at some point. It left me with the impression that, at a minimum, they took their coffee seriously.

[herbacidal]

And NaFairge: I haven't been to Chestnut Hill, but a) a fairly discriminating friend really likes it, and b) at one point I read a profile of one of their coffee slingers, a Left Coast transplant who had won something like Seattle's Best Barista at some point. It left me with the impression that, at a minimum, they took their coffee seriously.

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Ditto. But it might be the same friend.

[NaFairge]

turns out the guys from LC went in and re-trained the stellar staff. actually, it went over very well. stellar had had some turnover, and were stoked about being updated. this was about two years ago.

he wouldn't mention names, but he said a few other places in the city were being very lazy about brewing (holding coffee for too long, brewing the wrong amounts, burning coffee, scalding milk for espresso drinks, etc.)

my first big job was at starbucks. i was there for three years and did my drexel co-op there as well. i started as a barista then ended up assistant manager and coffee knowledge corporate trainer.

brainwashing, amigos. i will say this: there are a few tricks for making starbucks taste ok.

1. always use less than the recommended amount of ground coffee. their beans are roasted hard, resulting in overly strong, acidic coffee. they also encourage heavy dosing to increase sales of whole beans to the home drinker.

2. french press yields a wonderful, flavorful cup. and it is easy to adjust the amounts to your liking.

3. using some of their medium bodied drip coffee blends in place of their suggested espresso blends makes a nice cappucino, latte, etc.

4. they steam milk to 160 degrees. overkill. ask for it "not too hot".

that said, i used to go to LC on my lunch break when i worked at starbucks 16th and walnut!

[Andrew Fenton]

Stopped in at Hausbrandt today. I'd heard that, in addition to being an Italian chain, the owners of this franchise are Italian. They weren't around (and the kid at the bar wasn't Italian), but there were several people-- either Italians or just more stylish than typical inhabitants of our fair city-- speaking Italian. A good sign.

Ordered a caffe macchiato, my go-to Italian coffee choice. The coffee itself was pretty good: smooth, not bitter, aromatic. But they served it in a double-sized cappucino cup with about a quarter cup of foam. And okay, I'm not a coffee snob but GODDAMN IT, IF YOU'RE SERVING ITALIAN-STYLE COFFEE, GET THAT RIGHT.

I'll give them another try. But next time, I'll be one of those obnoxious customers who gives explicit instructions to the barista... (It's okay if I also tip well, right?)

[MarketStEl]

Before weighing in on the main topic:

What's an Italian coffee house chain doing with a German name?

Now on to my own comments:

• I too miss Millennium and agree that the Village Coffee House (which my bedroom window overlooks) is not its equal, even though they strive mightily to fill the "nonalcoholic gayborhood meeting place" role that Millennium used to own. Persistent rumors have it that another coffee shop is going to fill the old Millennium spot, but I will discount all of these until I see a "Coming Soon" sign in the window...

...like the one announcing yet another Starbucks at the northwest corner of 12th and Walnut, cater-corner from Così. As a friend and fellow PGMC member will manage this store, I guess I will have to stop in from time to time--but for tea, not coffee. (Starbucks' house brand of tea, Tazo, is actually very good.)

• If we're talking about a comfortable atmosphere to hang out in, Così has this down to a science. The only drawback is that to enjoy it, you then have to pay more than it's worth for merely okay coffee and decent but not fabulous food on admittedly tasty bread.

• Confidential to gabe: I think that once it's officially open, Rim will also be a comfortable place to hang out in that also serves a great shot of espresso. (I can hear it now: "I'm going down the lane for a Rim shot.") La Colombe is their house coffee, and it tasted to me like René knows how to brew it. See my heads-up post on this board.