Heavenly Cup Espresso

I got it into my head that I wanted to do coffee shop reviews sooner, rather than later. If I wanted this blog to get even a little traction, I had to provide value for the time invested...which means more than pimping Folger's Black Silk. So I decided it was time to strike out, and unearth some of the lesser known gems in the caffeinated world.

So I punched in my address on Google Maps. I told it to look for coffee shops nearby. I got back, quite a few Starbucks. A ridiculous amount. There was a sprinkling of Tim Hortons, a couple Dunkin Donuts, and more Starbucks. To paraphrase the Talking Heads, these were not the gems I was looking for.

So I kept going down the list. And I found this promising name: "Heavenly Cup Espresso." I clicked on it, found out it was in uptown Westerville (just up the road in my fair village).

The website was nice. Someone put a lot of effort into it, put a lot of information out there, and I appreciate when someone does that for me. I personally found the greeting page to be a little cheesey, a little too welcoming. I read it a few times and started to feel a lil intimidated about visiting the shop. But I did go, and I'm very glad I did.

If you're not familiar with uptown Westerville, you find Heavenly Cup Espresso by pulling off I-270 onto OH-3 North and keep driving. Soon the suburban sprawl slows to a 25 mph zone, and you're in a Rockwell downtown scene. Walls of two story buildings line both sides of the street, with shops selling antiques, flowers, and even insurance flashing their wares at you from pictures windows on the ground floor. In the middle of this oasis of Mom and apple pie, we find the espresso we came for.

You enter the shop through a door cut into the corner of the building, and before you even step in the building looks cool. It used to be a hotel, and now it's part Heavenly Cup, part art gallery, and part gunshop. The space Heavenly Cup calls home is small. After you get past how small the room is, you start to realize it's hip. Heavenly Cup is a neat mix of old timey charm (the walls, floor, counter etc all look like they would fit in with the original architect's plan) and cool modern vibe (menu done up in multi-colored chalk, tables and chairs mis-matched with tile mosaic tops, the walls covered in art on loan from the next door David Meyers gallery). If you've ever been to Burlington, VT or Manitou Springs, CO and enjoyed yourself, you'll feel right at home.

You'll also like this place if you enjoy baked goods. The front of the counter is covered in cookies, bagels, biscotti, muffins, cake, and cinnamon rolls that make you forget about the coffee...almost. Their website speaks highly of the pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing...Sarah and I tried one, and it was well worth the $1.50 we spent. If that cookie is any indicator of the overall quality of Heavenly Cup's bakery, then this is a perfect place to pop in for a light breakfast or afternoon snack.

I'd never heard of the blend of coffee Heavenly Cup serves (Kaladi Brothers Coffee of Alaska) but after trying it, I can call myself a tentative fan. I didn't go for a straight espresso drink, because after I saw the selection of Torani syrups my sweet tooth wouldn't let me. However, the coffee asserted itself through the flavor, and it takes a serious blend to make itself known over Torani flavoring. And yes, the shop DOES smell like coffee.

I tried a small "frosted shortbread" latte ($3.25 for 12oz) which had vanilla and cheesecake flavors; absolutely delicious. Sarah had the "pumpkin cheesecake" latte, and after a few sips she remarked, "I could totally drink this every day." And Sarah, for the record, can't stand coffee. $4.50 will get you the 20oz large, which is good to me when you consider the quality. They offered everything on the menu in decaf, as well as hot chocolate and cider options for the non-coffee fans. They also had a selection of sugar-free options when it came to Torani drinks for those of us keeping an eye on the sugar intake.

Like I said, the space is small...but they do offer free wifi, and have three 2-person tables where you can camp out and knock out your homework or coffee blog post. When we walked in there was a tutoring session going on in one corner, with a pair of ladies catching up in the opposite corner. Both groups looked as if they'd been settled for some time when we arrived. The lady friends decided to leave after more people arrived behind Sarah and I, a sign that I took to mean regular patrons are sensitive to sharing the limited atmosphere. Maybe not the place to drag the whole posse, but perfect for a date or meeting up with a friend or two.

If you're ever in the North of Columbus, I'd definitely make a stop in to Heavenly Cup Espresso, and enjoy yourself a tasty treat in a truly neat space!

Creamer

I just want to make one thing clear up front:

I. Hate. Powder. Creamer.

And I mean, with a passion. I haven't hated anything as much as powdered creamer since LONG DIVISION. And if you knew me in the fourth and fifth grades, trying to figure that crap out, you'd understand how serious a statement this is.

I'm not sure what it is, but it totally ruins the flavor, much like artificial sweetner does. But that's another story for another day.

Powder creamer is the reason I learned to drink office coffee black with sugar. I used to volunteer at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and they provided the breakroom with powdered whitener. I skipped it, pouring in extra sugar to compensate. That was hard to get used to, but I like it well enough now. Black and sweet is how I like my coffee, just as I like...well nevermind that.

And really, that's a lie. I don't like black coffee as a general rule, with or without sugar. I'm a half and half guy. My grocery list almost always includes Kroger half and half, in the plastic bottle please. In a smallish bottle so it won't go bad before I can use it all, since I don't drink quite so much coffee these days.

I must be getting old.

Anyway, I'm kinda rambling (and I blame the second cup I'm currently drinking).

I'm currently out of half and half, and I deliberately ran out because I went camping a few weeks back with Joe. While I do own a camp kettle with a percolator, I find it to actually be tastier to bring Clasico instant coffee. I also bought some International Delight vanilla creamer. I chose this stuff because a) you don't need to add sugar it's so sweet b) it's too thick to freeze and c) it won't go bad. And I mean, ever.

While it tastes good, my mouth is used to a dairy creamer. It feels like I'm picking up every last chemical in this stuff. It's sweet, but it's got an artificial sweetner flavor to it. And that last point up there, about it never going bad? That kinda scares me. Things that don't go bad prolly shouldn't be in my body. Who knows when I'll be able to flush it out of my system?

So ultimately, my standard choice is half and half. If I want something more tasty and rich, I go with heavy whipping cream. That'd prolly kill me faster than International Delight, but I think it'd be almost worth the trip...no Splenda taste.

So what goes in YOUR coffee for whitening, hm?

OH-161 Dunkin Donuts

If you live on the North-North West side of Columbus, and you have a Dunkin Donuts jones, your best bet is probably the location on OH-161, not far from Cleveland Ave.

Not the best neighborhood, I'll grant you, but far from the worst. You can find a Friendlies nearby, as well as the Olive Garden. And really, I've driven into FAR worse areas just for a good cup of Dunkin, so chill out.

There's no drive thru here, and the lot is small. In fact, the store itself is pretty small. That's compounded by the fact it's a joint DD-Baskin Robins location, albeit an older one. There are a few tables, but this isn't the place to bring your book club or church group. Your date, maybe. If the tables aren't taken up by the older folks already.

So, assuming you can get parking and make your way inside (not always the easiest during a rush period, but not impossible either) what will you find? Some friendly staff, for starters. I've yet to meet anyone here I didn't like.

And the coffee...always tastes like Dunkin's. You know what I mean, if you come from the Northeast of the country especially. Some franchises just don't get it right. For whatever reason, the coffee is off sometimes at some locations. I haven't had that experience here at the 161 store. It's ALWAYS been good.

The donuts as well! And the bagels. Their baked goods get an A+ rating from me. I've been in at 11pm on a weeknight, I've been in 430pm on a weekday afternoon, I've been in 9am on Sunday. Always fresh tasting, always a full selection. I'm in awe.

The only downside (aside from a lack of drive thru) I could see is if you're from another part of the country and like the flatbread sandwiches and personal pizzas. They haven't hit the Columbus market yet, and the 161 store is no exception. So get yourself a bagel or muffin and be content, for those things kick ass and will be here soon.

Home Brew

And I don't mean beer. Although, while we're (sorta) on the subject, I want to mention some of the best beer I've ever tried is my father's home brew.

Now that we've got that out of the way, the subject of this post is actually about what kind of coffee I make at home.

I'm a fan of darker roasts. Not the Starbucks style, "Burnt until all you taste is carbon" dark, but dark as is "We've roasted these bad boys until they've surrendered all their flavor." Light roasts are a lil too subtle for me, and as a rule they aren't my favorite.

Not too long ago, I was drinking the 100% Columbian variety from Folger's Coffee House Series. It was dark, it was flavorful. I liked it. Then, one day, my girlfriend was at the store buying coffee for me, and called to say, "Hey, they have this dark roast stuff called Black Silk that's cheaper. Want that?"

And lordy, what a great suggestion it was. It's not only a darker roast than the Columbian, but it's got a much more bold flavor. It really reaches out and smacks me in the face from the first sip to the last, and man what a delicious smell...

In short, I'd go out and try some of this stuff. It's really worth a taste, if you like dark roasts.

McDonalds McCafe

Not long ago, I was heading into an early shift at the pizza place I deliver for. It was inconvenient for me to stop anywhere but...McDonalds.

Now, when I first heard that McDonalds was coming out with espresso products, I scoffed. This McCafe nonsense was going to be just another half-assed attempt to draw in Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts customers.

I discovered, while sipping on a hot mocha, that while it was definitely an attempt to get a cut of the coffee house market...it was NOT half assed. The mocha was easily as good as anything I'd gotten at Starbucks. At least, since Starbucks went automatic.

While the two and a half buck price tag is a lil higher than what I usually go to Micky D's for (I mean, c'mon...$1 double cheesebuger, $1 fry, and a dollar Sundae makes a GREAT lunch) it's infinitely cheaper, and faster, than getting the same product from Starbucks.

And for the record, I've also tried their lattes (and if you like their flavored iced coffees, you'll like the flavored lattes) so I know it's not just mocha syrup covering bad coffee. It's not GREAT coffee...but it's very solid, especially for the price.