thevaultpgh Senior Member Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Expertise: Professional
Espresso: La Cimbali m27 Basic Grinder: Nuovo Simonelli Roaster: Orinoco Coffee & Tea, Ltd.
Posted Tue May 27, 2008, 7:28pm Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
it is all cool kids. jake, (and others) feel free to email me and we can discuss this topic away from the board of boards. bradlyrichards@gmail.com also anyone who wants to offer me a cushy position and throw bunches and bunches of money at me, i can be bought. as long as the terms "banana"," super-sized", and "mega-mocha brownie crunch" never appear before "latte".
the coffee comunity of Pittsburgh has been overtly kind to the displaced vault staff, and for this we are very humbled and grateful. thank you.
The_Mighty_Bean Senior Member Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 458 Location: Bowie, MD Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: "Beauty" (the gentle and... Grinder: Gi-normous Rossi RR45; 100... Vac Pot: I just got lectured about... Drip: French press purist, have a... Roaster: Borrowed HearthWare...
Posted Tue May 27, 2008, 8:20pm Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
A quick note to express my thanks to Mike and Annette at Blue Horse for their kindness and for showing me how CCC's Espresso LaForza is meant to taste. I've had it a couple of times in D.C., but I've never had a shot like that. Fantastic depth, notes of bakers' chocolate, sort of like hooking Toscano up to a subwoofer and kicking up the bass. I enjoyed it very much.
I also had the treat of drinking a french press of the Rwanda Rusenyi. This coffee has a pronounced butter- caramel base, but it's the top notes and subtleties that really make this a coffee worth tasting. There is a smoky-sweet roundness to it along with a punch of brightness, and those flavor qualities, taken together, remind me of dried figs. The taster's notes mention blackberry and citrus, and I definitely got that almost lemony quality to the top, but- I don't know if you can relate to this- but it was almost like the quality of the tanginess "turned" and shifted while on the palate.
To me, that quality is a signature of two flavors- guava (a more restrained shift)and passion fruit (very dramatic, instantly recognizable "turning" sensation to my palate). So, I am very curious as to whether anyone else tastes passion fruit in this remarkable coffee.
To Rich and the crew at Aldo, you were my planned next stop, but much to my disappointment, there was a midstream change of plans for that evening. I look forward to visiting you all again next time Karen and I head into town.
(By the way, anybody who likes a seriously buttery raspberry crumb cake could do a lot worse than wandering into Uptown Coffee and purchasing their fresh-baked version. Yum.)
Worldman Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 1,626 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Office Control Grinder: Cunill Tranquilo - Gaggia...
Posted Mon Jun 2, 2008, 8:35am Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
jakeliefer Said:
I think anyone who knows me and knows my character knows that I'm not asking this question out of sheer titillating pleasure. From the strangely worded email (that the owner provided), I presumed that there was a major difference between the owner and everyone working there, for why else would everyone resign? If it was simply a difference in vision, I can understand that. However, if it was because the owner disrespected and treated the barista's with ill-intent, then I have a very different feeling. I cannot and will not spend my money at a shop that forces out barista focused on quality to hire on some bubble-gum chewing kids who pull 8 second shots of 'expresso.' Hence why I was asking this question, so that I could receive clarification over the issues surrounding the closure to know where my allegiances should be. I do not think it was out of line for me to ask this question on the board, for all of us should be concerned with what's happening to our fellow baristas in Pittsburgh.
Posted Mon Jun 2, 2008, 7:09pm Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
To sort of steer away into other pastures:
What is your all (shop owners, baristas, home enthusiasts, etc) opinion on how we can improve Pittsburgh coffee culture? What about our area and its history (and potential future) is worth building into our shops and our customers? What differentiates us from Portland or Seattle or New York or Chicago and makes us better or worse? I spend a lot of time thinking about this, especially since our shop isn't in one of what you might call the ritzier parts of Western PA: I don't want to be avoided as too high-brow, nor do I want to be a diner (which is the expectation in our area).
On a semi-related note, if you are in the Beaver County area, a young chef has opened up a restaurant in New Brighton (about 5 mins away from us) in which he offers gourmet waffles and espresso drinks on his four-group LM. He's interested in joining the SCAA and is really dedicated to improving his coffee service in the years to come. His shop is called Waffles Incaffeinated, in the old Krestal's building (I feel so W. PA for talking like that!) It is definitely worth the trip--my suggestions are the steak and shallot waffle or the sausage and gravy waffle.
bluehorse Senior Member Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Location: Pittsburgh Expertise: Professional
Posted Thu Jun 5, 2008, 5:02am Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
In a different vein, check out the newest issue of Barista Magazine. Yours truly wrote an article for it, and a couple of familiar names appear. You can go to www.baristamagazine.com to see the issue. You can just click on the magazine cover to get to the current issue, a great feature of this great publication. My article is entitled "Mid-Life Coffee." And yeah, there are some other pretty good articles, too, including interviews with and the deconstruction of the signature drinks of the 6 USBC finalists.
Posted Thu Jun 5, 2008, 11:21am Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
Melissa, Nice article and good topic as a lot of folks who are burning out or wondering "what's next" after 15-30 years in corporate trenches are looking at coffee and other foodservice areas to "live the dream". Reading other forums, it's apparent that more coffeehouses are going to be popping up in Pittsburgh in the near future run by "second-career" people. Some have already shown a commitment to quality through their equipment and supplier sourcing, which can only be a positive for Pittsburgh. It'll be interesting to see what ideas the new shops and owners will add to the local scene.
Worldman Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 1,626 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Office Control Grinder: Cunill Tranquilo - Gaggia...
Posted Sat Jun 14, 2008, 6:35am Subject: Re: Do you dare rate Pittsburgh's coffee bars?
Worldman Said:
I have lived in the "Burgh" since 1971 when I came here to go to school and was drinking espresso by the end of the 1970's. In those days there were NO espresso bars in the city. This all changed in the 1980's when Las Prima opened its doors. Today, there are lots of coffee bars and espresso is plentiful…probably it is the same story in most other cities throughout the USA. But now, just because there is espresso available all over the city, is it something you want to drink? Unfortunately, the answer is all too often a resounding ”NO!”
Of the coffee bars that are out there, many of them do try to offer a good product and have a knowledgeable and conscientious staff. Of the myriad of local coffee bars, the best IMHO are: La Prima – it is, after all, the original. With the retirement of Ellio, La Prima moved one of its best barista to the 22 St. location to carry on the tradition of excellence. The beans are their own Miscella Bar which are roasted just around the corner on Smallmen St. and are never burnt and this is perhaps the most “Italian” of coffee bars in the city. By this I mean that this bar is often frequented by native Italians and there is no seating (just like in Italy). Intermezzo – while I have yet to visit their new location in the Frick building (with its Synesso machine) the original Smallmen St. location in the strip has perhaps the most consistent offering of any coffee bar around. This is simply because the shots are always pulled by one of the 2 owners. Not having a staff means that they are limited in what they can do…but they do it so well. They use Intelly’s BC. Aldo’s on Washington Rd. in Mt. Lebanon in a real nice neighborhood coffee bar where they have the city’s only Swift grinder (AFAIK). Hubby & wife owners, Rich & Melanie care a lot. Unfortunately, some of the baristas are less then stellar in their performance but the same can be said for every coffee bar where there is a staff of non-owners. They also use Intelly’s BC. Affagato on Lincoln Ave. in Bellvue is another great place. Its owner (a mere “kid” of 23) puts out a nice product and maintains a dedicated clientele. The nice feature here is the round bar which encourages inter-customer chat. La Prima MB is used here. The Vault on California Ave. near Ohio River Blvd. is another good place. Drew & Brad are conscientious and care a lot about what is served. They use Orinocco beans.
OK, I also “suspect” that Simpatico Espresso in the Alcoa Bldg on 6th Ave., downtown is probably real good – though I have never visited yet. EDIT:They use La Prima MB beans. as I do forTazza d'Oro and a couple of other places could also be included based on recomendations from those "in the know" though I have yet to visit.
There are other shops which used to seem to be OK but are now just so so.
OK, you fellow Pittsburghers, any other places to suggest?
Hmmm...it has been some time since this original list was made and there have been a few changes in town as well as in my mind.
Changes in Town - We must change the name of Intermezzo to 21St. Street Coffee & Tea and include the downtown location as well as the Strip location. - We must sadly delete that pantheon of mirth and merriment which was, alas, the former Vault as it is no more. - Since this original post in February of 2007, Jake Russ & Bethany of Beaver Falls Coffee have opened their doors and merit inclusion on this list of shops that offer a good product and have a knowledgeable and conscientious staff
Changes in my mind - I regret to inform that the offerings at Afagato have not met (admittedly) my requirements for quality for some time and therefore feel that they also need to be deleted from this list. - After having visited Tazza d'Oro as well as Simpatico, these are to be included. - Perhaps the biggest change in town is the UPGRADE, almost transformation that is Blue Horse Coffee. The place was always nice, but the coffee offerings are now as nice as the "space"...BRAVO, Gals.
This leaves both Aldos and La Prima and these have continued to be GREAT places to get a quick shot...in fact, both have improved their game since this original post was made.
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