Posted Mon May 28, 2012, 8:46am Subject: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
A very good coffee shop has escaped my notice but I was told to go there by Samantha Rush of Rush Patisserie, who supplies their croissants. This shop has a very loyal following - seemingly for very good reason. They roast their own and have about one dozen varietals and blends available - fresh - at any given time. Their name: Drip Coffee (dripcoffeeco.com) 4343 Lovers Lane, between Preston and the Dallas North Tollway. I first visited them in search of decaf beans (I have to have something to drink in the evening) and they have a decaf Sumatra. Their Americano was weak, watery and thin, just like the two previous Americanos that I had at highly reputable Houston-area places as part of this same bean search. OK, so no beans bought here, but to experience their pulls, I next had a single shot or their regular blend. Very good! The cup started out toasty, then nutty, then slightly bitter, then there was a light high note that I wanted to call lemony, but I could not convince myself that it was. The taste ends as a slight muskiness - I do not know how else to describe it. Their shots are pulled from their own blend of Sumatran and Mexican beans; they describe the Sumatra as "Bold, full bodied yet clean...this is the backbone of our Espresso Blend" and the Mexico as "medium-bodied, very clean coffee with acidity reminiscent of dry white wines". So, the "dry white wines" character of the Mexican roast is consistent with the light note that I tasted in the espresso shot. I would assume the blend is probably 2 or 3 Sumatra to 1 part Mexico. The midrange flavors were what persisted in the cup as it cooled. The next day the taste of a regular Americano was the same as the espresso, but of course less intense. Probably the best shop in Dallas and worth a visit.
emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,716 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Mon Jun 4, 2012, 7:27am Subject: Re: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
Got back from McKinney last night.
We were getting ready to go to our friend's house for breakfast when we happened by a place called Cafe Brazil - "not just another coffee house" (so they say). I couldn't resist the temptation to try them out, but as we were on our way, I got two drinks to go, one for me (a double cappa) and one for my wife (a single shot large latte). Not to waste your time, I took a few sips of mine and left it in the car until later in the day when we made it to Drip...where I tossed what was left in the trash.
On to Drip...unfortunately, we were heading out of town to come back home to Houston, so again, I was forced to just go for my usual double small cappa, rather than get an espresso first. Unable to account for the differences of getting a double cappa in a togo cup, versus sitting in the shop and enjoying it from a warmed ceramic, I have difficulty comparing it to Odd Fellows, but in summary, I preferred the drink I had at Odd Fellows. The Drip drink was flat and lacked any excitement offered by the espresso. You might argue I ruined it with milk, but that's my typical drink and since I make my own at home with RedBird (usually), it didn't even compare. The consensus in the car was (three of us this time) that my drinks at home are much, much better than Drip's. The foam wasn't close to micro. Though it had a decent creaminess to it, it was way too thick for my taste (even for a cappa). Would I try them again? Yeah, but not if it means a 20 minute detour from our trip home.
Posted Wed Jun 6, 2012, 8:50am Subject: Re: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
Thank you for your post. I am sorry that Drip did not live up to fellow Coffeegeek standards. Maybe I will try shots again at Oddfellows and Drip on the same day for another data point. JS
coffeespoon Senior Member Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Posts: 6 Location: DFW, Texas Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu Nov 22, 2012, 3:29pm Subject: Re: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
Being new to this stuff, I'm curious: are there no top notch coffee houses in DFW? I'm in Flower Mound so Odd Fellows is a hell of a hike for 2oz of espresso. The Drip appears to be a tad closer. But either place would need to be damn near orgasmic to justify spending 30 minutes in the car.
What I'm really looking for is a place that can teach me how to make a top notch espresso at home, steam milk properly and do latte art. Is there anywhere around here that can do that?
Posted Fri Nov 23, 2012, 5:42am Subject: Re: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
Dear Coffeespoon,
You are in luck, perhaps. The Texas Coffee School http://www.texascoffeeschool.com/ is located in Dallas. Even though it is not near your residence, you would be driving for a determined set of instructions and not driving for a chance encounter. This is a good way to acquire and sharpen your coffee skills. They break it down into focused, affordable classes. The down side is that it will cost more than buying two lattes and getting the barista to 'show you how'. I have met Tom, who is the head of the school, but I have not taken any classes from them. For a second opinion, you might want to talk to Jason, who runs the Texas Coffee People website, http://www.tx-coffee.com/. You just missed the Barista Nation Texas event in Dallas, but so did I, I am out of town, now. Also, they seem to have an investment in Oddfellows cafe and Cuvee roasters, two establishments that do not 'deliver the goods' to my palate. That is beside the point because, once you have the necessary skills as a home barista, you become free to realize your own unbounded talents and, of course, to make your own mistakes.
Posted Mon Dec 10, 2012, 2:41pm Subject: Re: The Java Sojourner - Drip in Dallas
Dear Coffeespoon,
Please, please let all of us know about your experience of the class when you take it. I am sure there of many others, like yourself, who are considering taking a class and there may be some experienced friends who might wish to contribute additional pointers to your experience.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 