Gornado

2 HK Barista Champions who also hold number 2 and 4 in the World Barista Championships, what does that say about the coffee. Actually not that much if they use crappy beans. But Derek "Capo" Chiu does not do that. He has Andy Sprenger to (the renown roaster of Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters) provide them world class beans roasted appropriately for the bean type and origin. Then add great friendly customer service, good food, and pastries from the owner's wife herself - got to try her twice baked almond croissants, and the daily cruffins (Muffin and Croissants hollowed out for daily cream based fillings). So great coffee, wonderful friendly service, good food and a great, location - if you are in Central or Sheung Wan, you got to stop by here.

The cold brew drip coffee was pretty amazing. The contraption that it came out of was unique. They have a Gothicism Steam Punk, a groundbreaking Dutch-style slow-drip cold brewer from South Korea. Wait till I post some pictures of that "thing". From that I tasted 2 different slow drip cold brews. One from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia that was very pure and familiar tasting. The other was a honey processed bean from Los Lajones Estate, Boquete, Panama, and that tasted delicious. They were such different taste from each other. Their other coffees were pretty good too, but the cold brew took center stage with both equipment and beans.

Sous Le Pont means under the bridge in French. What it really means is that it is a bit hard to find and hard to park. Once inside this place, you will find a very well designed and decorated space. The staff are amazing. I only wish they did not go from a local specialty roaster in order to change their cost structure and go for a mass produced commercial coffee.

Mike and Chris operate one of the most people/community centric coffee houses in America. Come in to converse and sit next to strangers and become friends with people from all walks of life. This is the vision behind this coffee roaster, and it is the way it is operated. There are no lone rangers here with a laptop just pounding away. People engage and they have conversations. It is so refreshing. It is my go to spot of Saturday mornings where there are many surprise goodies. The experience is so enriching I forget that I am there for coffee and believe you me, coffee is pretty important to me.

NOC short for "not only coffee" boast the 2011 HK Barista Champion Sum Chan. So the way he treats coffee is respectful and delicate. However his partners are less delicate with their customers have not undertaken to totally comprehend that the culture of retail coffee should be one of friendliness and community. Yes retail is a service business. As a result they are kind of formal and reserved and not too approachable. They designed a nice space in Central/Sheung Wan and have an all white scheme in their equipment (white Linea, EK 43, Simonelli Grinder) but don't try to take photos because they are adverse and kinda grumpy about it. So if you want good coffee and not too friendly service, you can get it here or go nearby where there are also different year HK Barista Champions and they actually smile and greet you.

One of the first places in Dallas that combines fresh organic raw pressed juices and coffee, Local Press + Brew reminds me very much of DTLA Verve where Juice Served Here co-locates with Verve. But this is Dallas's own creation with Ben and Tiffany two long time residents making a go of their passions. The place is beautifully done and much of it by Ben himself. They have such a high value on quality and have put their life experiences into the design and products of this place, and it shows. They have nailed it. I have had their juice flight and their coffee including a matcha almond milk latte, and I can say that their products are only matched by an amazing crew. Rounding out the staff is Carla and Blair and they are just great hosts. They also support local based artisan bakers and food purveyors (like Sugar Monkey Bakery and others) so you can get some of the tastiest treats. There is really nothing less than stella about this place and get to know the story behind the people and it gets better. Btw, it is an awesome place to shoot photos inside and out!

Their Dutch style cold drip brewer designed in gothic style from Korea stand at attention at center stage. 6-8 hours it takes to produce a ceramic carafe of coffee. Their 2 choices of beans a from Yirgacheffe Ethiopia and the other a honey processed from Los Lajones Panama was a perfect matched contrast with each other. The Panama is brilliant and the notes amazing and the Ethopian distinct for its notes. Was really surprised at the level of coffee in this western area of Hong Kong. Sheung Wan has more coffee shops, but Shek Tong Tsui is coming up with some of the latest of excellent cafes.

Ethos is a mixture of retail, lifestyle, food and coffee. It is located off HKU in the western part of Hong Kong island. Well designed and conceived, they have some experienced baristas that have cut their teeth at other local establishments. They continue the trend of moving cool coffee from the central business district to the west side and the decor is right there to match. A bit off the beaten track it is none the less a great place to grab a bite and have some coffee.

Kim Yeung & Cat man this place most of the time. If you appreciate latte art, this is the place to go because Kim won a latte art competition in New York a few years ago and in his sleep can pour better than most. Amongst the other locations, this new location in Central is now my favorite of the Coco Espressos because it is well designed and comfy and the service excellent. The coffee drinks are well done and balanced and I am sure you will feel comfy and satisfied here

A white Slayer, a white Simonelli grinder, and a white EK43 and a off-white Marshall speaker, make this place a pretty cool shop in the bustling Sheung Wan area. The beans are roasted in Macau and is a darker roast than most. But in a milk drink it goes well. Ah Yat is the go to barista on most days. He has an amazing memory. I went on their first opening day in Nov and visited them a few more times, and came back 3 months later and he remembered my name. The rest of the crew are pretty friendly too. There are 5-6 coffee shops within a few hundred yards of this place. So if you are in Sheung Wan anyway, you can give this a go.

This is right on Bedford in the heart of Williamsburg. It has the perfect balance of eclectic, relaxed and cool spaces to hang out. It has a very cool long space with plenty of seating along side of the counter that runs from front to back. It has Bedford facing window seating. It has a rear nook for group seating. And it has a very comfy and sizable outdoor seating area in the back year area. For cool space, I think El Beit stands out amongst all the cafes. For coffee, a orange La Marzocco FB/80 sits at attention and extracts a good shot from Nobletree Roasters. I had a great time and felt right at home and wanted to linger. Now that says a lot.

Gimme Coffee is opening small stores all over the NY and Brooklyn area to the benefit of all coffee lovers. They are NOT from NYC, but upstate to being with. But we are glad that they have decided to move into the big apple. Their basic espresso "Leftist Espresso Blend" is quite balanced and flavorful. This store on 6th and Roebling is an easy walk from the center of Williamsburg. The coffee and extraction is very consistent with their other locations. Kudos to that. This is one of 2 locations in Brooklyn so go by. While small, it has seating for about 12-14 indoors and 6-8 outdoors.

I been back several times now and there is a beautiful Kees Van Der Westen 3 group "Spirit" right there on the left side of the counter. Their prior machine was on the right side as one enters and that caused a stoppage in the line between the cashier and the barista. This way it is much more efficient and one enters the cafe much sooner. (Not sure that the coffee comes out faster, but at least the line is not outside the door as often) The space is still awesome. The coffee distinct.

Williamsburg has more than a few cafés. Toby's Estate, Sweet Leaf, Gimme .... Just to name a few. Oslo is a coffee house and roaster in the heart of the action. It's local meaning from right here and that deserves an automatic shout out. My espresso is the ODIN mix and comes with favors from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Sumatra, and Brazil. It's dark and flavorful, but not over extracted nor bitter. The milk based drink came with an oversized paper cup thus I thought it was weak and milky. They should stick with bone china which they have. Overall I liked my experience and agree that their staff are super friendly. It's a 5 min walk from the center of Williamsburg from the Bedford stop on the L line. Worth going

If you Iove sheep, this is the place to be! They have a more than 2 dozen cute sheep dolls decorating the cafe. And their space is both comfy and intimate. By all means go downstairs where they have one massive long common table. It's a wonder they got the table downstairs. Hannah (shout out to SF) and Kaya were at the helm today with their Synesso. 20.5 grams later with a ristretto like extraction using their "sweetspot" espresso, by Red Roasters, all is well. If you are by the World Trade Center area, there is no better spot to go.

A white linea brews Counter Culture beans with experienced baristas at the helm. Now that is a pretty good combination. A cool spot that has enough 4 tops to sit and enjoy your brew, I recommend the place.

Located at an adjunct space to Club Monaco, this is a much smaller space than that of their shop in Brooklyn. The coffee is nice but bc the store is small and busy, thus it is more of a run in and run out place. They do have a bench outside, and some counter space inside. Space wise I like their Brooklyn store much more. But in downtown, this is much like many other coffee shops. Nice to go to if you are close but not a destination place.

Aug 14th, 2014 - Grand Opening Day and Dallas again raises the bar and ups its coffee offerings. By noon, Sean Henry was in need of more than coffee to perk himself up with the successful opening of Houndstooth. Congrats on a smashing success. As for me, I did not have to get ready for a 6:30 am opening, so I could leisurely walk in and get my double double and a cappuccino (for latte art). There I got to meet Jonathan Aldrich, the guru roaster for Tweed Roasters. He was at hand at the opening. The coffee is as beautiful as the packaging! Also at hand were some of the best barista's in Dallas. Sean got a great bunch of them behind the counter. I recognized many of them from the various other cafes they used to be at. Talk about a great recipe for success. A great store, experienced ownership, great beans, experienced baristas..........Yes I do miss the Mistral that commands center spot in Austin. But the mistral is but one of several components that allow for a great pull of a shot. So many places have the right beans and machines yet extract a mediocre shot. Houndstooth Dallas is not one of them, they have it all in spades.

Since my first review, I have been back at least a half a dozen times. Each time I have noticed slight changes in staffing. The baristas have changed and yes I understand that they are hard to keep especially when Dallas is going through a growth period of coffee shops. But gone are the original bunch that are so friendly and awesome. The coffee too is changing some even though it is still blue bottle. Baristas have a good deal of influence on the extraction of a cup of espresso. This is still a very nice place to go and certainly when in Highland Park Village area, this is a great place to stop by. But as a café, the place has passed its peak. It's still very good.

Just remember - Cash only. The place is small and quaint. Right next to NYU in Greenwich Village it's good coffee. But because it is small, probably not a great place to linger, but a good place to meet and get caffeinated. They serve Stumptown coffee.

Just because one uses Intelligentsia beans and a La Marzocco Linea does not necessarily mean the result is great coffee. The milk was a bit of an afterthought and was not that important. The coffee was too hot and the beans thus over extracted. This is a coffee shop and not much more. But it is central and easy to get to. For a caffeine boost, that is ok. For great taste, there are many better

Culture Espresso serves Heart beans from Portland. They use a La Marzocco Strada MP that is pretty dialed in. I am generally happy to see that New York has embraced West Coast coffee and have brought that style and game East. I found that there was not much to fault here. Everything was quite good but not great. But at least one does not have to go to Brooklyn for coffee now and there are plenty of good places in the city. A definite should go if you are close. An alternate if you are seeking a coffee experience.

I had so much bad coffee the day I went to Gimme Coffee that I was really wanting good coffee. So I got one version of the meaning of the name it my own personal way. GIVE ME SOME GOOD COFFEE or in short Gimme Coffee. I had just finished watching the world cup finals between Germany and Argentina. So I not only needed good coffee the game with extra time made me really crave the coffee. Won and Renee took care of my coffee needs. I had 2 shots of espresso. One their standard leftist blend and the other a single origin. Ah, a local roaster, an upgraded Strada from an FB80, shots of sparking water, a great staff and good service. What more can you ask? Gimme MORE!

The cafe is joined to a local hotel. It has 2 Mistral's and one just does not see these beautiful machines much anywhere for they are in such limited supply nor are they being made anymore. Being from the west cost and Portland based, they have brought their reputation and their brand of coffee to the big Apple. And the big apple has embraced them. They are not the only one that have come into NY and taken the place by storm. Blue Bottle is also West Coast based and even from down under you have Toby's estate. The coffee is very good and consistent. And they have very good baristas. But I can get Stumptown in Portland and in NY, there are smaller micro roasters that are getting their hands into the game of roasting and purchasing beans. So if you are looking for something different and maybe not even as consistent, there are other places, but here at Stumptown, you know what to expect. But it's a busy place! So you are not going to get much in terms of coffee talk in. Go anyway. Its nice!

An orange Synesso sits at the front. Who could miss that? They currently have 2 espresso roasts. 1) A blend of called Heartbreaker with Guatemala and Ethiopia and 2) A single origin called La Bolsa with a Guatemala bean. Both roasts are much lighter than say a Stumptown or a Intelligensia. It is actually creamy blond looking. But the nuances are very transparent and come through quite well. Nor is the lightness a lacking of flavor. It was very flavorful. Shaak pulled 2 shots for me, of both espresso beans and they were well executed! I enjoyed my time there that I went back on the 3'rd day. And of course in NY, there are tons of coffee places to visit. Cheers!

I have been back a few times. And each time the service gets better and I just find it one of the most pleasant places to have a cup of coffee in Dallas. Really it is hard to beat because it is in a Joule Hotel but it is not owned by the Joule. A big shout out to Jessie and Rodrigo. They are excellent baristas. Edgar has assistant manager has the memory like a elephant. And Brett the other manager is so cool that he had 25 people listening intently this past Saturday on his home brew class! A must try if you have not been.

If one uses Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso, it should be an automatic hit correct? Not if the baristas are not well trained and the milk is treated as a stepchild. My macchiato and cortado were basically left mostly untouched. And I love Intelligentsia beans. They were the ones that hooked me on espresso 8 plus years ago. This shows you how much impact to the final product your barista has. Wicked had a decent machine and used good beans. But the result was really poor. In any other city, this would pass, but this after-all is Vancouver and this city rocks with some great coffee houses.

This is a mid-block off the center of Bishop Arts district house that has been converted into a eclectic bookstore, wine bar, local draft and brews, brewed coffee and espresso, and pastries and cheese amalgamation. And it works really well. There are so many places to sit. Out front, in the backyard, inside. The whole place is done up super nicely and its obvious that Dallas has found the place. It was packed. While the coffee is from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters which is ok. There are familiar faces that I recognized. Earnest from No/1 Café in Highland Park is one of the Baristas. He knows his craft. In Oak Cliff, there is Davis Street which is open for limited retail hours, Oddfellows which is a restaurant with a coffee program but now you have a lounge that you can really hang out at no matter what you enjoy. They even have pie from Emporium Pies! This is a great one stop and stay for a while place!

This is a new coffee house in Gastown and yes there are many coffee shops there that are worthy competitors. There is one reason you should check this place out, and that is about their attitude of constantly striving to be better at their game. You can see it in their design. The shop uses ample sheet metal, raw steel that is clear coated smooth. They have innovative seating (not sure how practical) where people can sit on the inside of bench seats and face each other. The design of the coffee bar is first rate. The materials are well thought out and the equipment first rate. In particular I like the flat or bubbly water dispensary at the end of the coffee bar. That is another nice touch. I can chose and refill to my hearts delight. This is the second store of a bunch of young entrepreneurs that have already gone the traditional business route and now have ventured together for the love of coffee and the pursuit of excellence. As for the coffee, I sampled 2 espressos that are roasted in house. One was Brazilian and the other Columbian. They as expected were very distinctive. Both a bit dark for my preference but very well executed. The staff there were very friendly. Have to say that around downtown Gastown, this and Revolver are must visits.

Waves is attempting to be a lifestyle coffee shop. They have many locations in Vancouver and its surrounding areas. 25 at the last counting. They are also in Alberta. As such the place is corporately decorated to be comfy and cozy. It has a kind of a chain type mentality with young baristas at the helm. But atlas the coffee was lets say poor and very disappointing. There was no attempt at latte art. Just a big dollop of foam like some south of the boarder chain. Most of the time, I finish my coffee. My macchiato was the size of a latte and it did not have much flavor of coffee. I did not finish my drink. Coffee lovers need not go here.