Started at Kopplin's (which my super cool and sophisticated boss Merry told me about first) in St. Paul and oh my did it live up to its standards. For my two espressos Andrew Kopplin suggested a Brazilian bean for one and an Ethiopian for the other. The Ethiopian won my pallette with an excellent brown crema and a taste that stayed with you long afterward. They were both rich and full and thicker and more syrupy than places I've been before. I asked for two singles but Andrew said that they started as doubles because they were done "ristretto style" which mean less water anyway so they were perfect. Poosa loved her Espresso Cortado which was prepared beautifully as well. I'll definitely go back soon as I want to get educated more by Andrew who seems like a cool guy and definitely knows his trade. These guys get 5/5 shots, the gold standard. Here are a few pics...
Click Here for KARE 11 Video News Feature on Kopplin's
Coffee News Cafe (on Grand near Macalester) kind of threw me for a loop with their giant coffee mugs. The coffee they used didn't seem bad but putting the espresso in a mug was a shame and the pull was a bit long and it really just ended up tasting like a strong coffee instead of espresso. Too bad. I guess if they had regular cups and worked a little on preparation they might be able to bring out the right espresso flavor of their beans. 1/5 shots.
Now Shish, which was right next door to Coffee News, really surprised me. They had organic beans that Travis, working with a sweet machine, was really able to perform with. The pull was longer than Kopplin's, which I might have changed things but it still worked well. The espresso was lighter than Kopplin's but nevertheless it tasted very good, and the bonus was the organic quality of the whole experience. I'm sure Kopplin's was organic too but I guess since I was working on my 3rd 2 espresso batch it just worked well for where I was at the moment. Now I know you're saying three times Keith! Yes, I was on a roll but I don't recommend it. Kopplin's just set the tone in the beginning and I didn't want to stop... 4/5 shots.
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