TRIP LOG: Amherst Coffee & Rao's Coffee (Amherst, MA)

Wednesday I about made myself ill on all the espresso I sampled!  Amherst Coffee came to me by recommendation; and, come to find out, the same company that owns Northampton Coffee and Greenfield Coffee owns this shop!  Consequently, all three shops buy their coffee from Barrington Coffee in Lee, MA.

Outside Amherst Coffee

On the corner of Amity St. and Pleasant St. sits Amherst Coffee inside a renovated theatre building.  Antique embossed tin ceiling, well-worn oak wood flooring, and dimmed, unshaded incandescent bulbs lights over the tables create a warm ambiance in this shop.  Japanese paper lamps adorn key conversation areas around the shop.  A three-group Synesso, much like the one my friends at Nordaggio's have, sits to the flank of a well-stocked whisk(e)y bar.  Nick, half-bartender and half-barista, noted that the whiskey bar was a unique addition to this location when Amherst Coffee moved in 5 years ago.  From the looks, the bar attracts a steady stream of regulars and other "thrill seekers," because it was busy nearly the whole hour we were in the shop.

The Whisk(e)y Bar at Amherst Coffee

The Barrington Gold Espresso was a pleasant, balanced blend that did not have any major flavor faults.  Smooth milk chocolate and light syrup foundations were accompanied by a nice spicy crack on the tail, along with gentle fruit notes filling in the space between those two realms.  This espresso is what you will get in your drinks unless you request the second espresso they have on hand, a fruity Brazilian Daterra single-origin espresso.  I asked Nick to dial in the Daterra for "evaluation purposes," and he kindly obliged us.  This espresso is very finicky!  It took him at least 10 minutes to get it in the "zone," but it was worth every moment.

Brazilian Daterra

The Brazilian Daterra is a what I would classify as a dessert espresso because of its dense caramel, syrupy goodness.  Hence, it is your typical Brazilian bean.  Nothing earth shattering here; it's really a one-trick pony as far as its dimensionality.  It was pleasantly bright and fruity from start to finish, without resorting to being sour.  We drank it in tandem with a peanut-chocolate chip cookie—a good accompaniment!

If you are in Amherst and would like some solid espresso, Amherst Coffee is a positive choice.  The atmosphere was very enjoyable and felt eclectic, especially because of the whiskey being served along side coffee.

Also down the road is Rao's Coffee, founded by world-renowned barista Scott Rao (n.b. pronounced "Ray-oh").  He also opened Esselon Café in Hadley, about 15 minutes west of Amherst on MA-9.

A triple ristretto from Rao's

This shop screams serious coffee.  For example, their espresso-only drink is a triple ristretto.  In fact, it was after drinking my triple that I began to feel ill, cashing in the day at the equivalent of 5 shots.  Bad choice after only eating a bagel for breakfast!  Honestly, when I saw John pull a 6oz capaccino mug from the bar for the triple, I wasn't so sure if I was about to get very good or bad espresso, but all fears were laid to rest after my first sip.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I have never had a true triple ristretto before; I have had a double pulled from a triple basket, but Rao's sweet and savory triple really made my day.

Latte art by John from Rao's

Our barista at Rao's, John, poured two beautiful lattes for us gratis so we could examine.  The lines were clean and symmetrical, as I would expect from someone in the lineage of Mr. Rao.  My one word of criticism was that the milk was scorched a bit, as is evident in the picture below.  John mentioned that he's been with the company for about 5 years and has seen Rao's move through a few different owners.  I still wonder why the shop has had unstable ownership, but I guess that information will have to remain unknown for now.

Close-up of the milk texture:
Look at the rim

Rao is known for starting a shop, hanging out long enough to get it off the ground, and then moving on to a new place to do the same thing over again.  It happened in New Zealand, it happened in Amherst, and I am guessing that it will happen again in Torronto, which is where John thinks Mr. Rao is now.  No criticism here about that choice of leadership, but I wonder if any of his other shops share the same problems with stability that this Rao's Coffee location has had. 

Friday I had planned on visiting RiverBend Cafe in Great Barrington, MA, but I became ill Thursday evening while out in Northampton, MA.  Consequently, I will be unable to review these guys at this time, but they will remain on my to-be-visited list for a future visit.  I have another shop review brewing now that I'm back in Oklahoma thanks to shop featured on Groupon!

Happy New Year to you all: "Auld Lang Syne, my dear..."  Welcome to 2011, and we'll be seeing you soon!