Spruce Street Espresso

hellooooo Thunguri

spresso — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:17:26 +0000

New coffee for the brew bar folks!!! we are please to announce the arrival of Thunguri from Nyeri, Kenya. This new coffee is absolutely deeeelicious… intense fruitiness with a citrus twist and a full body. It’s been a new fan favourite since our beloved ididio misty valley! Don’t hesitate to stop by and try it out as a pour over or your own press pot ;o)

Ride to the Shore for MS

spresso — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:44:21 +0000

good day everyone!!!

just wanted to let you all know that in October i’ll be doing ride to the shore for MS . This is a great bike ride that is 150 in 2 days from Woodcrest NJ to Ocean City NJ. This year will include about 7000 riders of all levels, novice to pro, and all the money goes towards finding a cure for this awful disease. I am friends with 2 people who have MS and i’m doing this ride for them, so any donations[even if it's just $1!!!!!] you can make are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

thanks in advance !

faith… your friendly neighborhood barista ;o)

Latte Throwdown in NYC

spresso — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:15:25 +0000

Congrats are in order for Faith from Spruce Street Espresso!! She entered a latte art throwdown at Counter Culture’s training lab in NYC last thursday and she won!!! Faith went up against some of New York’s finest barista and although she was nervous pulled out the win! When as how she felt while pouring her winning rosetta here repsonse was ,”I think that because my hand was shaking so much it helped with my shake out” as she laughed out loud. The judges who had to make the tough decision of who would make it to the next round included Amber Sather of Cafe Grumpy, Katie Carguilio of Counter Culture Coffee, and Katie Duris a recent addition to the New York scene. Many coffee shops were represented such as Cafe Grumpy, Everyman Epresso, and Third Rail Coffee just to name a few. We had alot of fun at the throwdown and made many new coffee friends, who we hope will come visit soon! Til next post! Press on folks!

Customer Satisfaction

spresso — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:55:19 +0000

I [Faith] was going over some of the web reviews for Spruce Street Espresso and I came across this on home-barista.com:

by godlyone on Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:06 pm

I went to Spruce St. Espresso and also Love & Madmen today.They both use counter culture coffee and I was actually dissapointed.

The people working were very pleasant, but the espresso and technique was a little disappointing.

At Spruce st the woman working the espresso machine was very nice and I chatted a little coffee with her, but when I commented on the espresso being kind of bitter she said “can’t please everyone.” Although this is true, it’s not the best comment to make to a customer – needless to say, I won’t be going there anytime soon.

At Love & Madmen, the macchiato I had was a little bitter (better than spruce st. IMO), and when I commented on this, the barista offered to make me a nother shot – VERY Nice of her (shows cutomer satisfaction comes first). The second shot was less bitter, but still slightly so.

I talked coffee a bit with the barista and she was generally knowledgeable, but not an “expert.” She wasn’t aware of terms such as basket, naked portafilter, updosing, etc.
I asked her why she whacked the portafilter on the counter really hard after tamping and she said it was taught that way by counter culture reps. I asked her to make 2 shots – 1 with whacking and one without, but she didn’t want to (I understand, I was being a really annoying customer, but I was trying to teach her a little [which may in some people's minds not be the right thing to do] )

Another thing to note is that both shops leveled the coffee and both were several steps on top of La Colombe.

However, neither shop comes close to chestnut hill (I know I sound like I work there, but really am just an extremely satisfied customer). Chestnut hill wins on both technique and coffee knowledge. No matter the topics, the baristas there have an opinion and an interest.

Needless to say, even though my friends think I’m crazy, I will take that 30 min train ride to chestnut hill (yeah, it’s that good!).

I’m going to bring a few friends next week to try to change their minds that all ’spro is bitter.
-Ilya

Apparently we did not meet his espresso satisfaction or good customer service… for that I’m apologizing. A second shot should’ve been offered up. Since I’m not sure which one of my baristas was behind the bar when this happened I am putting out an open invitation to Ilya/godlyone to come back to Spruce Street Espresso and have a macchiato or espresso on us. I’m not sure were communication went wrong, but I want Ilya/godlyone and everyone to know that Spruce Street takes this seriously and we want people to always leave with a smile on their faces ;o)

Breads and Spreads hath arriveth at Spruce St!

spresso — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:35:55 +0000

Good day everyone!

I am very pleased to announce that Spruce Street Espresso is introducing some food items to their menu! We now have homemade bread and homemade jams [currently serving fig jam, spicy peach chutney, and raspberry.... yeaaaa!!!] Please stop on by for some delicious coffee and nosh on our delightfulbreads and spreads!

peace peace for now

New Fun Coffees

spresso — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:45:09 +0000

I know it’s been some time since we’ve posted on here… so first let me say happy new year to all our spruce street fans and secondly we’d like to introduce some new coffees to our menu!!

La Golondrina, Popayan, Colombia

Humure, Byumba, Rwanda

we hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Also I’d like to thank Mike Sala from Peregrine Espresso in Washington DC for being our guest barista back in late december. He did a fantastic job and the customers of Spruce St loved him… thanks mike!!!!!!

Spruce Street out

December BrewBar

spresso — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:40:22 +0000

We’ve updated our coffee menu for our brewbar. There are a number of fantastic coffees this month, including a very limited supply of Aida’s Grand Reserve. Come check it out!

Idido Misty Valley – Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

Ndaroini – Nyeri, Kenya

Aida’s Grand Reserve – Santa Ana, El Salvador

This last one is a very special coffee that is an all peaberry lot from Fincas Mauritania, Kilamajaro, and Los Alpes from award winning producer Aida Batlle. This coffee will only be around for a short time so taste it while you can!

More to come soon…

Renewed Press

spresso — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:16:54 +0000

This little blurb about Spruce Street Espresso re-ran in the city paper this week. Thanks to everyone for their support and good words! It’s great to see that folks are recognizing our efforts!

sprucestespresso.wordpress.com

1101 Spruce St.

Cafe/Coffeeshop, Gayborhood

Spruce Street Espresso takes coffee seriously. Its selection is updated every few weeks, with new varieties coming in all the time. (All of SSE’s coffees are roasted by Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, N.C., which sources its beans with social and environmental standards in mind.) The cafe brews with French presses, and also sells bags of whole beans imported from the likes of Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Peru and Kenya. The space is unavoidably tiny, but couches and outdoor seating make it a nice stop-off to grab a cup and peruse the paper before the midday rush. Wireless Internet available. Open Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Counter Culture in Saveur Magazine

spresso — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:17:47 +0000

This month Saveur Magazine recognized a handful of roasters for their coffee excellence. We are proud and honored that our roaster, Counter Culture Coffee, was among just nine selected with their magnificent coffee from the Karaba Cooperative in Rwanda. Many of you will recall that we featured this coffee recently at Spruce Street Espresso and include it among our favorites for the year. We are selling this as well as a few others at the store so don’t forget to come in and stock up. We’ve got the whole list below as well as the link to the article.

9 Great Coffees

by Katherine Cancila

The coffee universe has expanded exponentially in recent years, thanks to specialty roasters in the vanguard of the industry who carefully source and oversee the processing of coffees in far-flung locales. These companies generally put an emphasis on fine arabica beans (of which there are several distinctive varietals), fair-trade practices, and freshness. The sheer number of choices may seem bewildering, but it has also made it easier than ever to find an excellent morning cup. We sampled more than a hundred brews from around the globe; the following represent the best of the range of flavors, aromas, and body that’s out there.
1. COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE, KARABA (Durham, North Carolina; $11.75 for 12 ounces) Though Rwanda’s coffee industry was nearly destroyed during that country’s civil war in the 1990s, its growers are now garnering praise for excellent coffees whose complex flavors reflect the region’s unique terroir. An aroma of molasses and notes of nutmeg and cinnamon characterize this bean, an heirloom variety that was introduced to Rwanda by French missionaries and has been cultivated in the country’s southwest for nearly a century.

2. GIMME! COFFEE, SUMATRA ISKANDAR (Ithaca, New York; $14.25 for 1 pound) This upstate New York company sources beans from the Iskandar region of Sumatra, on the western end of the Indonesian archipelago, where the volcanic soil and tropical climate combine to produce ideal growing conditions and coffee with a spicy aroma and a robust, cedary taste. Gimme! uses convection ovens to roast beans in small, 40-pound batches—a technique that yields deeply flavorful results.

3. SANT’EUSTACHIO, ITALIAN ROAST (Rome, Italy; $20 for 8.45 ounces) Rome’s 70-year-old Caffè Sant’Eustachio, which sits just a stone’s throw from the Pantheon, is loved by Romans and tourists alike. Its Italian Roast—a custom blend of beans from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Brazil, and Tanzania—has an alluring gingerbread and vanilla scent and is roasted by owner Roberto Ricci, who uses a 60-year-old wood-fired roasting machine.

4. STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS, GUATEMALA FINCA EL INJERTO (Portland, Oregon; $15.50 for 1 pound) With a faint taste of rose petals and a toasted-almond finish, this delicate, medium-roast coffee shines when drunk without milk or sugar. Arturo Aguirre has grown and processed the bourbon varietal beans on his farm, El Injerto, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, since 1956 and, along with his son, Arturo Jr., is known for a meticulous attention to detail that has twice helped the family win the prestigious Cup of Excellence coffee award.

5. INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE AND TEA, HACIENDA LA ESMERALDA (Chicago, Illinois; $30.00 for 8 ounces) In 2004, this estate rose to fame after one of its coffees—a rare heirloom varietal of arabica, called geisha—won the Best of Panama coffee competition, causing buyers to swoon (and prices to soar). With a heady nose of chocolate and berries and a bright flavor reminiscent of oolong tea’s, Esmeralda has a profile that doesn’t match the mild one typical of Central American coffees. Indeed, the geisha plant is believed to have originated in Ethiopia and been transplanted later to Costa Rica and Panama, where it grows today.

6. GREEN MOUNTAIN/NEWMAN’S OWN ORGANICS, NELL’S BREAKFAST BLEND (Waterbury, Vermont; $7.49 for 10 ounces) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is known for selling quality beans for the mass market, but that doesn’t diminish the appeal of its Nell’s Breakfast Blend (produced in partnership with Newman’s Own Organics). With a boldness taken from Peruvian beans and a depth from Indonesian ones, this excellent standby held its own handily against the pricier competitors we tested.

7. 49TH PARALLEL COFFEE ROASTERS, ORGANIC ETHIOPIA YERGA CHEFFE KONGA COOPERATIVE (Burnaby, Canada; $14.10 for 12 ounces) Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, still produces some of the most complexly flavored beans in the world. The valley of Yerga cheffe is renowned for beans with a distinctive, lemony taste; this particular variety adds notes of cherry and anise to the mix. Though 49th Parallel is only three years old, the Canadian company has already earned praise for its focus on flavor and diversity in the sourcing of African beans.

8. METROPOLIS COFFEE COMPANY, SAN RAFAEL LOT 1 (Chicago, Illinois; $18.25 for 1 pound) An inviting, woody aroma, notes of honey and blackberry, and a well-structured body distinguish this coffee grown in the foothills of the Colombian Andes, where the high elevation and humid climate yield coffee that is mild yet satisfying. A handful of other notable single-origin coffees are also available from Metropolis, an award-winning five-year-old Chicago-based company.

9. PEET’S COFFEE & TEA, MAJOR DICKASON’S BLEND (Berkeley, California; $12.95 for 1 pound) Established in 1966, Peet’s was among the first American companies to source and roast beans to order. (In fact, when Starbucks started up, Peet’s supplied it with coffee and trained its staff.) This blend of Central American and Indo-Pacific beans, the company’s signature product, possesses a mellow nose and an intense but round, nutty taste.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #114

We’ve had some press!

spresso — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:51:06 +0000

In the past week we’ve had both an article in the Burlington County Times (unfortunately you can only read the full article in its physical form) and a blurb in the Philadelphia City Paper (scroll down to “best purists’ resort coffee shop”). Whatever we’re doing it appears we’ve gotten someone’s attention. Thanks for everyone’s support and enthusiasm. We are thrilled to be a part of the Washington Square West community serving some of the finest coffee in the city. Drink it up!