REVIEWS: Elemental Coffee & Cafe Topeca

The makeshift bar... just for now!

Before my life suddenly became a whirl of activity, I paid a visit to two of the best coffee spots in Oklahoma this February: Elemental Coffee's Alley Bar (OKC, OK) and Cafe Topeca (Tulsa, OK).  I had a bit of free time in the midst of audition season to taste of the Dark Nectar of Sweetness for review purposes.

At the time of this writing, Elemental Coffee's cafe is under construction, but they wanted to still serve their coffee while the concrete dust was still flying (so to speak).  Their answer to this challenge is the Alley Bar, which is exactly as glamorous as it sounds—an alley door rolled up with a gorgeous La Marzocco stuffed inside a very "industrial" setting.  I promise that I am not picking on Elemental, because I understand they wanted to share their bounty with the rest of us... boy am I glad they do share!  NOTE: I must point out that I enjoy Elemental's beans on a regular basis, both at Crimson & Whipped Cream in Norman and in my Silvia at home, so I may be biased I am completely biased in their favor!  Sorry, no objective opinions for Elemental's roasts, but I would rather you knew my biases up front.  With that said, I will do the best that I can to represent their products as fairly as possible.

Elemental's new La Marzocco

My wife and I pulled up to the street where Elemental's Alley Bar was supposed to be and parked the car.  After walking around for a minute or so we finally spotted the chalkboard sign that pointed us to their place.  Upon arriving, Chris Holliday greeted us and I introduced myself.  Having had a previous conversation with Chris on the phone, he recognized my name and was very warm toward us.  He happened to have 2 espresso blends on hand that day: the Espresso 228 (my personal favorite) and one other that was probably the Espresso Classico.  In typical fashion, I had one shot of the 228 and one of the Classico.  My reaction to the 228 has consistently been positive.  228's berry aroma smells luscious in the cup; these fruity highlights sparkle on the tongue and pair nicely with the semi-sweet chocolate foundation they've chosen to tie the profile together.  I could see 228's full-bodied mouthfeel complimenting certain desserts (e.g. tarts or trifles), but it is wonderful when quaffed by itself. 

Classic black ACF cups holding 228

The Espresso Classico tends not to be my cup of tea (ha!), but then again I tend to steer clear of espressos that are too dark.  The Classico is pretty dark as far as espresso goes, but this fact can be a strength if you consider they intended to model the profile after Old World coffees.  The smokiness and heavy molasses-y notes add complexity to Classico's flavor profile, but I feel that this espresso is not as solid as their 228.

After a long chat with Chris and his associates, we bid them farewell, hopped back in the car, and drove to Tulsa to meet a professor for my private music lesson.  You cannot be in Tulsa without visiting a handful of places, in my humble opinion: Whole Foods Market, Nordaggio's Coffee (you rock, Tor!), ORU, and Cafe Topeca.  In fact, we dragged a friend with us to visit the joy that is Topeca—and she loved it!

Topeca's sign, prominently
displayed outside

If you have not visited Cafe Topeca before, please put it on your "bucket list" if you care anything at all for good espresso!  They now have two locations to visit, three if you count Joe Bots down the road, which is now where they hold their Thursday Night Throwdown (viz. a latte art competition) monthly.  Their original location at the Hotel Mayo located at W. 5th St. and S Cheyenne Ave., and it is the store I visit when in town.  Chip and Margarita Gaberino own this wonderful establishment and the coffee farm in El Salvador, South America.  Topeca has complete vertical control of their product, including growing, processing, roasting, and serving the coffee... or as they say more elegantly, from "Seed-to-Cup".

Topeca just got their Strada
a few days before our visit

In my experience, they usually have 2 espressos in the hoppers on any given day.  This day was no exception.  I grabbed one espresso of each kind at hand, while my wife had an americano.  On previous visits, I have had a naturally processed espresso that smelled like "Fruity Pebbles" when ground, as one of their baristas aptly described it.  Unfortunately, that particular espresso was out of season, so I was out of luck.  (If you go to Topeca and find it, do yourself a favor and get a shot of that coffee!)  Anyways, I digress.  Their Espresso blend is, interestingly, all sourced from one country (El Salvador), but consists of several varietals.  They use variations in processing and growing altitude to produce the effect of varietals sourced from other countries, thus creating complexity in the final product.

Gorgeous shot of espresso,
made for me by Margarita

Unfortunately, because of the time between my visit to Topeca in Februrary and now, I have forgotten the flavor content of their espressos.  I will need to revisit (*wink wink*) in order to resample the wares!  I can tell you that I remember being positively impacted by the complexity they created with both espressos, but that their classic blend was better balanced than the other on tap that day.  My wife's americano was rich and delicious, as I remembered from the "yummy" noises she made while drinking it.  NOTE: I'm pretty sure this americano broke my wife's sugared-down-coffee habit once and for all, which shows that great coffee can make conversions of those used to the "alternative!"

On deck, we have a coffee shop south of Norman that was recommended to me by a bagger at my local grocery store.  We are planning to mount a trip to this shop in the near future, so be looking for another review post soon.  In the meantime, I may be also posting about my experience tearing down my Rancilio Silvia, which is still in the process of being refurbished.  I look forward to meeting you again on the other side of a coffee cup soon!

LOCAL TREASURES: K.C. Lynn's Chocolates, Coffees & Confections

K.C. Lynn's Storefront

Update: K.C. Lynn's has gone out of business.  They had a good run while it lasted!

We all have times in our lives when we are forced to re-evaluate what it is we want to do with our lives, where we are no longer satisfied with the direction our choices are taking us.  What is that all-important something that will consumer our daily comings and goings—that thing which will leave us feeling fulfilled and tired instead empty and exhausted?  This was the case for Ken Spence, former restaurant manager and Moore, Oklahoma native who had just broken his leg.  It took him nearly a year, from what Jeri (his wife) tells me, to finally get back to business as usual.

During the time he could not work, a nagging desire to do something different awakened in the back of his mind.  (Apparently, you think a bunch when you cannot get around much!)  In short, Ken went back to school to learn to make pastries and discovered his "love affair" for making chocolate... probably much to Jeri's liking!  The grind of the retail restaurant industry was probably wearing on him, as is the case in any service-centric industry: only the passionate survive.  The brainchild of his passion for chocolate is K.C. Lynn's Chocolates, Coffees & Confections in his hometown of Moore, and is the merger several very tasty media.  Open only since June 2010, business is just now taking off for them thanks to shrewd advertising on social networking sites (read: Groupon) and in local publications.

Chocolate everywhere!

Their store front is conveniently located next door to a florist, just in case you need to suck up to your significant other thanks to that fight you had last night.  (Location, location, location!)  The bright, girly lime-and-sky blue color palate greets you at the door and segues inside on the walls, plates, and other accessories.  It is evident that they are just starting up because some of the furnishings appear to be secondhand.  Sweets and treats on top of and inside confection cases jeer at your New Year's resolution to lose weight.  Truffles, chocolate bars, bonbons, brittle, and toffee are seemingly everywhere, and my willpower is weakening by the moment like Superman's strength is within a mile of Kryptonite!

B&B Dancing Goats espresso...

Somehow settling on just one truffle (a 70% cacao truffle), I ordered a doppio to accompany it.  Indeed the coffee is just that: an accompaniment.  Their coffee is from Batdorf & Bronson out of Olympia, WA, well known to many from that area for their Dancing Goats espresso.  Honestly, I could not get a good read on the espresso's whole profile for a few reasons.  What I could detect was a syrupy base with a nuttiness on the side, which is confirmed by Batdorf's own description.  The Batdorf was a great compliment to the dark chocolate truffle I inhaled.

Coffee menu at K.C. Lynn's

K.C. Lynn's definitely focuses primarily on their chocolate and secondly on their coffee, from all appearances.  The coffee, when I was there, was not ground to order, but ground a few hours previously.  I would like to see the coffee ground freshly quite simply to give clients the best that Batdorf can offer.  Still, a few hours age is not as "atrocious" as I have seen or experienced in some places, where coffee has been ground days(!) in advance, like your at your Aunt Berta's house.  I felt that the espresso fell flat today because of this crucial oversight.  Their single-group Rio hangs out on the back counter with a Gaggia grinder to its flank—not a bad setup for a place that serves the occasional espresso or latte.

If you ever get the hankering for something special, handmade, or indulgent, K.C. Lynn's is a good mom-and-pop's Main-St.-USA shop to experience.  Located less than a block from Moore High School at the southwest corner of E. Main St and S. Eastern Ave, it's an easy detour off of I-35 (Google Map).  I look forward to seeing how this business evolves and improves over the coming years, because I feel this shop has potential to corner the specialty sweets market in Moore if they play their cards well.

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!

TRIP LOG: Blue State Coffee (New Haven, CT)

Outside the store on Wall St.

We made our pilgrimage to Yale University in New Haven, CT today.  The blizzard made even our 'open floor plan' log cabin feel claustrophobic!  The snow-clogged road mocked us going down the mountain, but we finally arrived in New Haven at high noon.  Our first stop was Blue State Coffee, adjacent to the locally-famous Wall St. Pizza.

Upon walking into the shop, a matte-finish La Marzocco gleams in front of me upon a black granite countertop.  It commands your attention immediately upon entering, sitting atop the rounded corner of the spacious bar surface.  Cool jazz over the the muzak speakers is playing.  The down-lighting is not overbearing from the quartz halogen fixtures above, creating a relaxed ambience.  (Often, I feel that quartz halogen fixtures destroy the mood of a coffeehouse if not used judiciously.)

Kenyan Nyeri Tegu as espresso

Two espresso's were on tap today: the Espresso #9 and a single-origin Kenyan Nyeri Tegu AB.  I tried both, but I was thoroughly impressed by the Nyeri, which I tried at the suggestion of my barista, Sean.  (Might I add that Sean was not only hospitable, but also very knowledgeable about the coffee, where it was sourced, its ideal brewing conditions, and the mission of Blue State.)  I talked with him for at least an hour about everything from his experiences for the past 5 years in the Industry, his love of philosophy, and where he's worked, to name a few topics.  My wife finally had to drag me out of the store because our parking time was up!

The Espresso #9 was spicy, like cinnamon, cloves and/or black pepper on the tongue, with a milk chocolate backbone.  It was a bit of a surprise at first, actually.  It was tasty enough that I forgot to take a picture!  I was a bit disappointed by the thin mouthfeel, but it did not adversely detract from the espresso otherwise.  Sean mentioned that they had just lost their main varietal in this blend and that they were experimenting with new beans to re-create a similar flavor profile.  It is currently 80% Nicaraguan and 20% of some other varietal that I cannot remember.  (Blue State: Comment below with what the other bean is and I'll go ahead correct the information above.)  From what he told me, this blend wasn't entirely mature, but the multi-dimensionality that Sean says is its traditional hallmark is already somewhat present.

Freshly-ground Nyeri Tegu

I preferred the Kenyan over the Espresso #9.  The Nyeri was sweet; it had notes of berries and black cherry on the finish.  It was smooth tasting, with a nice mahogany color, and had a more full mouthfeel than the Espresso #9.  I liken it to Elemental's 228, if you want a comparison.  According to Sean, Nyeri has a very narrow "range of acceptability" when dialed in (i.e. it's hard to keep dialed in), much like Intelligencia's Black Cat can be finicky.  Yes, I walked out with a bag of the Kenyan, which was very reasonably priced at $14 for a 12oz. bag.  Coffee Shrub has a great review of the Nyeri Tegu on their website, which you can find by clicking here.  (n.b. I did not read their review before I wrote my tasting notes above—but having read it, I agree with their opinion.)

You may wonder why we didn't review Koffee.  We walked in the door only to be greeted by a not-too-happy, grimacing woman painting the entry way on a ladder.  She told me they were closed for renovations until January 3rd, so we were unable to give them their "15 minutes of fame."  Instead we dropped by Willoughby's Coffee.  Two words for this experience: BIG MISTAKE.  "Serious coffee" is their slogan, but it does not mean "serious espresso."  My shot was not prepared in demitasse, but rather in a small tulip-shaped mug, which looked to be at least 4oz.  This clue was my first sign that I had made a mistake.  My shot was not prepared carefully, but quite flippantly by my "barista."  It tasted, quite frankly, like charcoal—it was simply the worst shot I have had to date.  My wife's Mexican mocha was over-sugared, so as to hide the sub-par espresso shot they sneaked in.

After walking around New Haven for many hours, we closed the day when we ran out of daylight around 4:30pm.  I wish that Koffee had been open, but then again I'm not sure that I would have wanted to with the staffers I encountered.  I hope that I'm wrong about them and that I get to experience them in the future under better terms.