Simon's Coffee, Porter Square, Cambridge, MA

Every time I visit a new city, I try and find some awesome coffee. Great coffee is my version of chocolate. When I visited Boston three years ago, I visited Simon's coffee after hearing about it on CoffeeGeek. Back then, Simon's just opened, and I saw who I presume is Simon, working hard, crafting drinks to perfection. The coffee was pretty good, but not yet perfect because the Barista was also training.

As I was sitting there, a woman walked up to me and started chatting. She was apparently the owner's wife and just talking with customers. I found out she was from LA and we chatted about great places to check out in Boston and around the country. After an hour flew by, the owner came down and joined our table. We started coffee geeking out, and to my delightful surprise, he let me behind the counter. He showed me how to pull a shot, how to steam milk for latte art, and best of all, free coffee tastings! I left caffeinated and happy as a sailor. I should have written this three years ago.

Now that I'm back in Boston, I had to give Simon another visit. The place is successfully packed with people. and the coffee excellent. The milk is perfect, a little on the light side in terms of foam, giving it a lighter feel than usual cappuccinos. The coffee itself had a very subtle bittersweet chocolate body that suited a summer drink. It's not an espresso that punchs the tounge, instead coating it with deliciousness. If you are in Cambridge, make sure to visit Simon's coffee - Still the best coffee in Boston.  

The Cafeotheque of Paris

I've always heard that Americans don't know anything about coffee, sipping on our terrible Starbucks. However, Copenhagen, Zurich, and Paris have all had terrible coffee. I was really hoping for terrific coffee on every sidewalk, when in reality Starbucks was better than most. Then I found the Cafeotheque of Paris from CoffeeGeek.

These guys really know their stuff. They roast on site in small quantities. They change which coffee they serve in their bar everyday. The barista was hands down one of the top three baristas I have ever seen. He knew his craft, serving drinks with amazing precision and skill, you could tell he cared about his coffee.

Their espresso roast was fantastic, a top 5 espresso blend by far. It was fairly mild, with a very smooth finish. I started with the cappuccino which had a thick crema on top, latte art comes standard. The milk was steamed to perfection with smooth transitions between foam and milk. The espresso had a subtle taste that accompanied the milk, yet still powerful enough to deliever an amazing cappuccino.

Three hours later I had to come back for the best macchiato. The presentation perfect, the milk subdued by the taste of the espresso. Here the espresso was the dominant taste with a very mild and smooth finish. Not sweet, not bitter, not sour, but a very simple and crisp taste. The drink, another masterpiece.

I knew I was going to get a caffeine high, but I had to get an espresso shot, something I rarely do because they are usually too bitter. Thankfully, the espresso had the thick creamy consistency and still the perfect bitter finish that you pray for. The ristretto shot was incredibly smooth and had this incredibly delicious but so hard to describe taste, that left me yearning for more. 

After all the disappointing coffee I've had in Europe, the Cafeotheque instantly shoots up into the top five coffee shops I've been to. And for pure ambiance, presentation, and coffee, it's taken over Jones coffee in Pasadena as the best in cafe experience. If you're in Paris, you must visit this cafe.

Red Berry Coffee

Ever since I started working at Adobe, I've lamented one thing: The lack of really good coffee in downtown San Jose. Thankfully, Red Berry Coffee has solved that problem.

Red Berry Coffee is different than most coffee shops in that they have great baristas, but brew imported coffee. They brew from three different roasters: Barefoot Coffee, Ritual Roasters, and Ecco coffee. The fact that they don't roast on site is just fine because all three coffee roasters are local and have fantastic espresso blends.

I ordered my usual Cappuccino paired with Ecco coffee since they were the only roaster I have yet to try. Ecco is a very subtle coffee. It's somewhat plain up front, but has an excellent bittersweet finish. I'd say one of the smoothest espressos I've ever had.

Either way, all three coffee's are top notch. If you go early enough, the pastries are brought in fresh daily, and on weekends, Red Berry makes amazing waffles. What more could I want within walking distance from Adobe. If you're craving great coffee in downtown San Jose, checkout Red Berry Coffee.

Downtown Coffee

Downtown Coffee in... Downtown Honolulu is a hidden gem. It's the size of a bedroom containing only a counter to order and a booth for one pair to sit. If you want to sit down, go outside and find a public bench. If you come here, it is purely for the excellent coffee. It's run by friendly two people. The owner told me that the coffee scene is just starting to cross the pacific and Downtown Coffee is at the forefront. They roast their own beans for drip coffee and import Intelligentsia Black Cat (arguably the best espresso blend - flame war begin!) for their espresso drinks. The minute you start talking to the guy, you know that he's hardcore into coffee. And it shows.

My usual cappuccino had a thick mustache foam with just the right proportions to have the black cat compliment, not pierce through the milk. Great milk. The problem with Black Cat is that Intelligentsia keeps changing the blend, chasing the perfect espresso. The batch I had was really nutty, a very shallow after taste that left me unsatisfied. I like coffee that lingers. But this is a variable out of Downtown Coffee's hand. Bottom line: If you are in Oahu and are looking for a great coffee, stop here.

Coffee in Hawaii - Honolulu Coffee co

How do you make a cozy coffee shop even better? Add a beach! Honolulu Coffee Co is the Starbucks in Waikiki - It's everywhere. However, they have one cafe a block away from the water, creating a perfect people watching spot. Open the four person sized windows and you get a refreshing ocean breeze. Cafe Perfected.

Too bad the coffee is another story. Almost every cafe in Waikiki serves Kona coffee: an expensive bean because it's grown in Hawaii. A normal bag of espresso costs between $10-$15 whereas Kona starts at $20. The Kona that Honolulu Coffee co serves tastes extremely light. Either the roast is that light or my tongue isn't trained enough to taste the nuances in the coffee. It's not flavorful with only a mild bittersweet aftertaste. At least its a consistently bland.

The milk, on the other hand, is a roll of the dice. Cappuccinos always have foam with the right proportions, but the milk is rarely latte art quality. Sometimes it's water thin. Others, blobish thick. After talking to the Baristas, I found out that management tries to make latte art a requirement. Some of the Baristas and the managers can do it, so perhaps the coffee too will get better with time. If you visit the Honolulu Coffee Co Cafe on KalaKaua and Kaiulani, try to get a drink from Chris or Brad where you can get the best latte art I've seen: