Sunday, August 18, 2002


is this the best coffee in lower manhattan?

just came from higher grounds, at ave. c and 9th, where i talked to the english barista michelle. she's very nice. their equipment is all rancilio, grinders & machine. they have 2 reg barber tampers. (i have one myself, you might recall.) the espresso blend is from dallis brothers, with a nicaraguan base.

i was the only customer on a summer night. i just walked in, said hi. michelle lept to attention. she ground the shot fresh, tamped hard with the reg, pulled the shot, peered at the crema. "it's not right," she said. she tossed the shot. it was a slow night, and she wasn't happy with the machine temp.

she fiddled a moment, ground again, etc. result: very drinkable shot, without sugar. nice thick, clingy dark red crema. the espresso itself seemed a little thin about halfway through. i said, hmm, the body? she immediately agreed. she noted that the owner of the shop, kenny, had actually gone out to dallis brothers recently to talk to them about this; he felt the blend had been changed, or had become inconsistent. "so he's still working with them on the blend," she apologized. way to go, michelle! highly recommended.

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