Customer service is an issue with this store recently, twice in the last few months we've had issues with our order, the same barista both times, he was too busy looking at his phone to pay attention, when we brought the issue to his attention, his response was that's how it's made and walked away, the second time we accidently bought decaf beans and asked to switch the unopened bag, his response was no returns and went back to his phone. read more

I already wrote much of this directly to Barismo and have not heard back. First and foremost-their coffee tastes like cough syrup. Also, customer service is horrible. Plan to be waiting at least 10 minutes for your drink and don't be surprised if they make other drinks before yours. When I asked lynn after patiently waiting why she made the drink for the man who came in after me first, she mumbled "I'm here on my own." Ok/but that still doesn't explain why the gentleman who came in and ordered after me received his drink first. She then chose to make the online order next. I was first in and last out. I won't be returning! read more

Excellent cold brew coffee. Definitely worth stopping in just for a 1.5 liter bag of cold brew. So good I don't use sweetener.

I don't know if Barisimo serves food, but their coffee game is legit. In fact, half of the storefront is set aside for processing beans. When I went, the service was very friendly and casual. The ambience is that of an independently owned coffee shop with lots of plants. They have a couple of picnic tables outside on Mass Ave for enjoying your beverages. This is a bonus for people who don't want to sit inside during the germy seasons. It's also good for people watching if you like that sort of thing (& I do!). read more

Barismo - Front - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

This is for the Barismo in Arlington. The baristas are hit and miss. Mostly miss. They hire inexperienced baristas who don't know what they are doing. read more

This was a very odd experience. I walked in and didn't see any coffee pot, so I asked if they had any coffee brewed. She said yes. I see her adding hot water to a cup and pour in some syrup. I asked if that was all they had for coffee. She said "yeah, it's brewed". Very strange. Also when she gave me the screen to finish payments she gave herself a $1 tip on a $4 instant cup of coffee. Needless to say I was annoyed, and disappointed. Am I missing something? Is Barismo like a coffee syrup brand. I am new to the neighborhood. She seemed quite put out to my confusion. Anyway. Too bad. I was hoping for a nice local cafe. Any suggestions for one in North Cambridge/Arlington? read more

I quite like the coffee here. The oat milk they use tastes high quality and the espresso has a unique muted chocolate flavor. That being said, when I went here this morning there was one girl working the entire store. I understand this might be related to the shortage of staffing in restaurants lately, but it was absurd to have only one person working on a Sunday morning in a coffee shop. She had way too much to do, switching between taking orders and making drinks as more and more people were waiting for their drinks and the Toast app kept dinging with more drink orders placed online. If this is Barismo's typical staffing practice it needs to change. read more

I've been here three times. Thought it was strange every time at the end of an order, the barista would say an amount, but the value on the prompt would be higher. Figured she was mis-speaking and saying the wrong total. I now realize she's been adding either a 1$ or 2$ tip for herself on every order. There's nothing on the credit card prompt or anything that would let you know this is happening. Been the same barista everytime so I don't know if this is regular practice for this business or if its just her. I also see that others have experienced the same thing. Criminal. read more

My wife ordered coffee there today, and while waiting sat on their park bench on Mass Ave *to nurse our hungry two-week-old baby*. Apparently the outdoor sectional was closed for the season, as indicated by a small string street across the area. But when tiny infants are screaming from hunger, you do what you can. The batista then kicked them, stressed mom and latched baby, off the bench. Thanks, neighbors! read more

Think of this place as a roastery that sort-of-kind-of is a retail business too. Their retail operation is half-hearted and inconsistent. There are no hours posted on their website! Not on home page; not on Locations page. Yelp said they closed at 4 PM, so I drove across town on a busy day only to find a sign in the window saying that they're open 9-2. Bruh. I can buy excellent coffee beans online from roasteries elsewhere in the country, so I don't need this hassle in the name of buying local. Half the time their best and most popular coffees (beans) are out of stock even though they are in stock on their website and they roast the coffee at this location. Huh? read more

Barismo - Please post your erratic hours on your website. Thanks. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

This is a place for true coffee lovers. The Tall Man and I ventured here one weekend just out of curiosity after getting a tip from some coffee-crazed New Yorkers, and got a really delicious pourover and cappuccino. Now, although Arlington is a bit far for the carless, we've found several cafes in our area that use Barismo beans and know that we can get our Barismo fix or pick up a bag of whole beans for home. Just remember that this place is not your typical Starbucks: with little seating and few offerings outside of traditional coffee drinks, it's a bit more like a European-style place to stand and down your espresso. A perk is seeing the roasting facilities not far beyond the counter. A serious place indeed! read more

Every time I go here the service is friendly. They have many choices for sugar and milk for your coffee. Due to COVID, they have adapted to more of a storefront where you walk up and order your coffee. You can also order we'd pay online to skip the wait. read more

No frills. Yes espresso. Actually, I had a macchiato and stood transfixed in this minimalist hole-in-the-wall, staring at the roasting machine that takes center stage. Its like being in a laundry mat: you stand there and watch the coffee spin around and around and around. read more

Barismo - I am a macchiato. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

Ordered a 10oz Americano, very tasty. Lone Barista was even kind even to wipe down an outside table for me after it had rained. Overall a great place to drop in for a morning break! read more

I'm originally from Boston. After spending the last three years in San Francisco and traveling to both Portland and Seattle on numerous occasions, I've had the pleasure of learning what great coffee really tastes like. Stumptown Roasters, Ritual Roasters, Four Barrels, Blue Bottle, Sightglass Coffee, Cole Coffee... I've been spoiled by the easy-access to the good stuff. Here's a tip Bostonians, Dunkin Donuts is not good. There, I said it. Barismo has FINALLY brought exceptional coffee to Boston. They geek out about it, they do pour overs and roast their beans on site. They take the time, speak with you and determine what it is you like. It's obvious they are passionate about what they do. Buy some beans and they'll explain how to make it properly at home. And... now that it cost $1.50 for a crappy cup of coffee at DD, do yourself a favor... spend a few extra quarters and try a cup. Oh, and drink it straight before adding milk. You'll be surprised by the taste and aroma. Barismo, I hope you are starting a trend in the Northeast. You can rest assured each time I come home for a visit, or if I happen to move back, I will be frequenting your establishment often! read more

Barismo - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

Subtracting one star for 2 reasons: - Retail website did not reflect that Hario hand mills were long out of stock - To a true coffee snob I'm an uncultured barbarian incapable of understanding what it would really take to award 5 stars to a place like this This is a coffee roasting operation operating out of an Arlington, MA storefront and is run by really nice smart people who care very much about excellent coffee. People come here to buy well profiled, custom coffee that was roasted within days of being placed on the shelf for sale. The store interior is all business -- it's basically a roasting operation and hardcore coffee lab with a few concessions to a walk-in retail public. It's clear as soon as you walk in that the owners are serious and passionate about what they do. You can also purchase coffee fetish equipment that is hard to find elsewhere like Hario Syphon brewing systems and the Hario hand mill that I was looking for. I'm a wanna-be espresso nerd with 2 machines available at home - a FrancisFrancis! X5 and an old-school Saeco Aroma. Until now we've been happily brewing with mail-ordered Illy pre-ground espresso in gas-sealed steel cans. The trip to Barismo was to find some locally made espresso mixes so we can see what we've been missing by not griding at home. We make single espresso shots and milk-based espresso drinks daily. Took home 2 espresso blends that had been roasted the day before -- the "Linnaean St." blend and the "Poker Face" blend. Each bag was profiled and contained custom suggestions on the label like: "Pull: 21-22 grams in a triple basket for 28 seconds at 201.5F, totaling 1.75 ounces" .. I suspect directions like that are great for commercial operations and the serious home espresso enthusiasts but for me they were a little bit depressing! -- the last time I looked for an espresso maker that could provide programmable control over the output temperature of the brewing water, the cheapest one I found was a Rancillo Silva that had been modified with an industrial PLC board and was on "sale" for $895. Yikes! The syphon and pour-over coffee fans have a much easier time with temperature control I suspect as they are not at the mercy of what comes out of a machine. I was humbled by the directions that I have no chance of actually being able to follow at home, heh but pushed on anyways. After finding a good grind setting we did some head to head single-shot espresso tests between the Illy and Barismo blends. The Barismo espresso is *fantastic* and the added ritual & smell of grinding a small batch of beans just before brewing also enhances the experience. We are sold. Don't let the directions aimed at pros or home users with $3,000 espresso machines and $600 conical burr grinders get you down -- we made great brews from much humbler gear. read more

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Oh boy - how disappointing. This is probably the weakest cup of coffee I have had recently. It used to be good but it has for sure gone down hill. The coffee was not hot and tasted watered down. Skip it! read more

I Had the pompous server behind the counter lecture me on why I should not put cream or milk in my coffee when I asked for some because there was none on the counter. Waited forever for a pour-over that was weak and overpriced. I was hoping that they would go out of business during Covid. read more

Barismo has some of the best coffee in the Boston-area, period. The beans they use are so tasty (we often buy and brew at home) and the way they brew at the cafe creates a smooth coffee that retains all the underlying flavors of the bean. For me, having their brewed coffee upped my expectations for how good coffee can be. read more

Reviewed these folks in 2011 years ago, at the time was one of the best roasters I had come across,with an unreserved Five Star Review at the time they only had a 12' wide storefront on Mass Ave. with vibrant interesting beans that made for most interesting, beautifully roasted, cups of coffee. Sadly no more. My last three or four bags, (at least) of their coffees have been ordinary and predictable, The business has expanded into full service cafe and a serious & profitable Cold Brew business. More effort needs to be spent sourcing their beans, something (at one time) they took very seriously. and finding an artisan roaster. Make no mistake, it is still quite GOOD coffee, but I can get very good coffee for HALF the price at a grocery, & Great coffee from other roasters, (Intelligensia, & other small central Mass. roasters, & while I DO enjoy their Broadway cafe & find it a fun place to hang out for weekend brunch, Would hope to see these guys (who I still love) COME UP WITH A KNOCK OUT COFFEE OR TWO. & get rid of the vapid Guatemalan Esperanza for example. Had downgraded my review to 2 *s which just isn't fair, its still very, very good coffee, and at least worth an a-ok rating...Bean selection still may need some work, but I had a super well crafted cappuccino here with a friend recently, and it was Indeed Excellent. read more

We went there Tuesday morning for some coffee. Place looked kind of busy since there was only one barista working and of course he didn't want to be there. We waited almost good fifteen minutes for our coffee( its too long wait) when I went to side station to fix my coffee with sugar and cream, I was told they were out of SUGAR for past few days. Its a coffee shop and they dont have sugar. I checked my phone to see if there were any apocalypse or something in Boston area and there was clearly none. what do you call a coffee shop which has no coffee or sugar? You can hire and train your staff well if you want good business specially in local neighborhood read more

Six stars for the customer service I received, four stars for the lovely coffee, one star for the lack of artificial sweetener. Hear me out, this is important. Before going to the Fox library with my toddler, I desperately needed a cup of coffee. I knew Barisimo was close so I popped in. The guy at the register was sweet. He was very nice to me and offered me a variety of non dairy options. When I went to sweeten my coffee, I noticed there was no artificial sweetener. I asked the barista and he looked really hard for some packets. I appreciate his effort, even though he came up empty. Like countless people, I am a type 2 diabetic. I do not drink milk (sugar) or ingest baked goods with sugar. It's a tough life and sometimes my only comfort is a well poured coffee/espresso drink with a bit of sweetener. I am not alone in this struggle. When an establishment does not have artificial sweetener, or even a natural substitute like stevia, it lessens the experience. Now, a place like Barisimo is about the experience of a well made drink, so I would hope that they would understand my concern. Yes, I can carry around my own sweetener and thankfully I had a few packets in my diaper bag. However, a sign of good customer service is a business anticipating your needs to have a total satisfactory experience. read more

I simply love Barismo. Service is quick and easy. Good vibe and I love the indoor plants they have.. Great tasting coffee. read more

I want to like this place but no drip coffee, really? Often no non-dairy milk options at all? Opening and closing whenever? To top it off the customer service is comically bad. There's usually just one person behind the counter which makes it impossible to get a coffee in the AM unless you're unemployed but last time I was there there were two guys (one teen, one adult) working who literally talked shit about every person's order between blabbing endlessly and working at the world's slowest pace. Painful. Arlington needs a coffee shop! read more

This place cracks me up. They can make one cup of coffee about every five minutes, so pray there's no line. And then they might just forget your order. No food, no ice. The ice machine is on order from another coffee shop. Maybe they have it now, I don't know. So, there's three employees I guess in this rather large building and they can't make more than one cup of coffee at a time, even though technically they could just have another person pour hot water through grounds and a filter into another mug. What are the other people doing? I have no idea. This is coffee of the absurd. It's performance art. I give it four stars because it's the closest I will ever be to participating in a Portlandia sketch. Of course there's no Fred Armisen or Carrie Brownstein, but apropos of nothing one could even imagine Bill Murray slinging through the place. The bottom line is that the coffee is good and the employees are pleasant as they go through their neo-dadaist whatnot. read more

Good coffee, deeply unpleasant baristas. First time I went in, it was simply the cold, cooler-than-thou attitude: not fun, but not a deal-breaker either, since the coffee I got really was quite good. Second time was the deal-breaker. I'd just been visiting my family in Quebec, and I was feeling nostalgic as I walked into Barismo with a friend, so I asked if the barista (not the same as the first time) knew how to make an allonge (which is like a cross between an espresso and an americano and I've only ever been able to get up in Quebec). No sooner had I flashed a friendly smile and "here's a coffee thing I know about! you love coffee! maybe you'd like to know about it, too! because, you know, we all love coffee together!" vibe than I was shut down with an "Um, actually, we don't take orders; we make the coffee the way it deserves to be made." Okaaaaay. Perhaps they're just inhabiting the role of hipster-douchey coffee-wanker, and they don't actually mean their 'tude at a human level, but regardless, I can get really good coffee elsewhere, so adieu, Barismo. read more

I cannot really express in words how content I am right now. I'm drinking coffee from Antigua, a fully washed bourbon bean, with the finest composition I've had since Café la Semeuse. Today's coffee perfectly compliments my cologne I'm wearing, so I'm having a dandyish experience... I'm proud to know Jaime, the former head barista at Simon's Coffee House in Porter Sq. During his tenure, he took Simon's to the best coffee operation in town, according to many professional reviews. Another friend who helps out, works at Hi-Rise and has updated me on Barismo's progress for over a year. We always talk about our latest coffee crushes, like cold-brewed ice coffee, etc... Jaime is young, but a heavy-hitter when it comes to coffee. I thought I was educated and had my preferences set, but Barismo is flinging doors open left and right for me. He could be a Knight someday. Jaime's frequent posts under Barismo are AMAZING, check out this post for example. http://tinyurl.com/6ptvbl Don't hesitate to buy Barismo's coffees online, with the awesome white bag design, lovely pictographic/geographic label, and a thoughtful decidedly small-batch handcrafted connotation by means of the included binder clip applied to the top. It's what I'll be drinking after Thanksgiving diner. I'm sure he will answer any inquires or discussion you may have via email. read more

Rude and Pretentious Staff. This place need to seriously revamp their customer service. I believe that drinking coffee is not only about the taste itself but the whole experience of buying-drinking-and enjoying the coffee. With such an arrogant attitude, I doubt Barismo will last any longer. Please keep in mind that you are not the only coffee roaster in the world. read more

Just because they roast their own beans everyone gets all super excited about this "hidden gem" in Arlington. The beans are high quality but very, very expensive. The place doesn't take plastic, they are not open for a morning commute coffee (which is weird), and a few the staff members are pretentious and rude. I walked in once, looked around, bought a package, and walked out and the guy working the counter, who was carrying on a conversation with his hipster buddy, failed to even acknowledge my presence other than to take my money. I gave it two stars because there was a girl working the counter once who offered me a sample of a coffee that had been under served from the previous customer... And the drinks? Engh. Bottom line is that its not that special. read more

My friend bought me a 12 oz bag of the Soma espresso blend as a gift to celebrate my finishing my master's thesis. Hurray. We have been coffee buddies for a number of years and I have shared my love of Heirloom Coffee in Medford. This Soma blend is supposed to be the best of the best and pretty expensive, $14/12oz. The bag was great. It had a roasted date and a recommended resting period after the roast. The date was April 7 and today is the 14th. the recommended resting was 7-11 days. I was actually pretty excited, but I was a little wary because I was under the impression that better coffee requires a shorter resting period like 3 days. Anyway, the smell of the beans was OK, not great, but not bad. The roast was a little lighter than I was accustomed to with an espresso blend. There was no visible oiliness to the beans and they appeared light brown in color. Similar to some Lavazza beans that I have seen. I ground the coffee in my standard electric grinder and I was surprised because there were very light brown powder pieces mixed in with the darker coffee grounds. I haven't seen this before, but I suspect that some of the beans may have had some of the fruit of the coffee still attached to the bean at roasting. Who knows? Maybe it's just lighter color bean parts? Anyway, after adjusting the grind slightly (this is very common for new blends that I had tried-you have to grind for the beans and they are ALL different!) I pulled a double espresso. The crema was present but a little thinner than typical, not as creamy. They probably are using 100% Arabica and are not including the higher crema Robusta that a lot of folks are using nowadays. The coffee was not as strong as typical and the flavor was not so good. There is a sourness that I didn't like similar to a Sumatra Blue Batak or Lintong, but not as full or good tasting. There was a kind of woodiness that tried to be nutty, but missed its mark. I was expecting a sweetness to the coffee, but mostly it was just not good. I tried making about 6 doubles to get the grind and the packing right, but it just didn't work. I ended up dumping the rest of the beans in my compost. I was really disappointed. Considering that both Heirloom Coffee and Mystic Coffee in Medford are around I fortunately will not have to repeat my Barismo experience. read more

If you really care about the amount of thoughtfulness and effort put into every ounce of coffee you put into your body, you need to hit this place up. This place treats coffee like a perfect science and the research and skill they put into the craft of roasting and brewing is obvious when you get your cup. If you like Dwell time you will dig Barismo. I am pretty sure they get their pastries from there. Ps. Do not come here if you are in a rush and want to get in and out. When I say they are serious about coffee, I am not kidding. They treat every pour-over and siphoned order like an injured baby bald eagle. read more

Barismo served me the best cup of coffee I've ever had. Extreme care is put into roasting the beans, pulling every shot of espresso, and pouring every pourover, and the result really is better for all that attention to detail. You can't help but raise an eyebrow at all the extra time it takes to dial in the temperature just right, or pour at a certain rate, or calibrate a grinder just so, but it's absolutely not bullshit: the end result is sublime. Of course, coffee this great doesn't come without compromise and if you go in unfamiliar with Barismo's particular style of coffee service, you're in for some surprises. As others have noted, it's a coffee geek standing bar and nothing more -- this is not a place to hang out with your laptop rocking the Wi-Fi or grab a sandwich with a friend. All they serve is pourover, syphon, espresso, and lattes, with a tiny display of pastries and cookies occasionally on offer. There's no mocha, no Frappucino, no whipped cream. Drinks take a while to arrive and there's no seating. Cups are small, probably 12 ounces maximum. I think that Barismo would benefit from a friendlier attitude towards the uninitiated -- if go in looking for something like the usual wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am trip to Starbucks, and you're pretty likely to encounter a bit of snark. Not entirely unwarranted -- this isn't really the place for that, but I think the extremely skilled baristas at Barismo would benefit from aspiring to offer service to Dunkies-drinkers analogous to the service Drink offers for cocktail newbies. I realize those last two paragraphs sound pretty negative, but you'll note this is still a 5-star review. After all, for the delicious-coffee-initiated and the patient, Barismo pours a cup of deep, rich, and amazing caffeinated bliss like nowhere else. read more

It tastes my favorite coffee. But I don't want to sit here . It has its own simple and unique atmosphere, but it's not enough ... So I always just ordered to go coffee. Especially, I like Cappuccino. I miss Cappuccino today. read more

Pros: The best espresso-based drinks I have ever had. I never thought a latte could have a depth of flavor until I went here. Try it! Cons: Even in an empty store, it takes a looooong time for the owners to realize that you've walked in and would like to order something. I've come here maybe 10 times and most of those times I give up and have to signal someone down. Other times, some customer is idly chatting up the barista as if it's a neighborhood bar - the owners ought to interrupt them to keep things moving. I realize this place focuses on roasting, but if they're going to serve drinks, they ought to get the customer service right too. With that said, they're really very friendly, cool young MIT entrepreneurs who would love to explain how to brew incredible coffee. read more

No, this is NOT a cafe. There's like one seat in the whole place; you don't go there to lounge around, or to dash in and pump yourself full of caffeine. You go there to savor and wank about coffee. I've been a fan of Barismo's beans for a long time and finally visited. Service was slow, even though there were only a few customers there, but the particular syphon brew I got was amaaaaaazing. Spent about half an hour just sipping / talking / reading about their different microlots. read more

I love Barismo because these people obsess over coffee. They obsess at a level normally reserved for large institutions with entire departments devoted to keeping flavors consistent, places with nationwide distribution, places like Anheuser-Busch or McDonalds. But Barismo doesn't strive to produce a uniform product with mass distribution and universal appeal. Barismo chooses to focus that obsession into coaxing the most amazing flavors and aromas out of a wide variety of beans. There are two reasons to go to Barismo. The first, and the reason I miss it so dearly now that I've moved away, is if you appreciate obsession, think you know a thing or two about coffee roasting and brewing, and want to explore what these guys bring to the table. Let me tell you, they bring a lot. The second reason to go to Barismo is to taste some of the best coffee I've experienced in my life. read more

Delicious coffee in a super serious, bordering-on-pretentious cafe. But I didn't have any problems with that. When you walk in, the roasting machinery is really what you see first. Most of the cafe space is dedicated to that, with a small counter and a little table in the cafe area. I had a cup of pour-over coffee, black, along with a lavender macaron from their sister cafe Dwelltime. Even though I was recovering from a cold, the coffee was the best cup I had had in a long while, and it paired perfectly with the delicious macaron. I was waiting for my car to be serviced at a nearby auto shop, so I hung out there for a while. It was pretty pleasant and hearing these two guys talk to other customers, they are super into what they're doing. Bought a bag of the same coffee I tried... can't wait to have it at home! read more

Coffee was delicious. They have milk alternatives which I love (but I guess who doesn't these days). Not much of a food selection, so don't come hungry. They blueberry scone I had was delicious and I would definitely order it again. read more

I came here yesterday for the first time. I've never made it over to Barismo before because it's just a stand-up coffee bar and I'm one of those students who wants to sit and study for a bit. But, geeze, I'll stand up and do my readings here any day. I just got a latte; my main squeeze (the cortado) wasn't on the menu, though I suspect they'd make me one as I saw a few gibraltar glasses hanging around behind the bar. It is probably wrong to judge a barista based on latte art, but... well, maybe it isn't wrong. It was the prettiest and most precise bit of latte art I've gotten in the greater Boston area and, similarly, it was the best latte. Best, yep. Yesterday was super grey, the sky was low and oppressive, but the latte left me feeling swell. I live in Wellesley, but I will not hesitate to make the drive to Barismo when I need a really, really good drink. It does magical things for the psyche!! I was honestly surprised by the (low!) prices. I had a three shot latte for $3.50. (2.75 for the latte .75 for the extra shot) Call me crazy but I think that's fantastic considering the quality difference between Barismo and, say, Diesel. There is no comparison. Bonus: the street parking out front is unmetered. As if I needed another reason... read more

Go find out what an espresso is supposed to taste like. Espresso is one of those things that can't be perfect every pull, and they are one of the only places I've encountered that embraces that fact. If it doesn't look right, they throw it out. If you don't like yours, just tell them and they'll make you another one. Their beans are also my favorite of any roaster I've tried (we're talking hundreds), and I go through a bag of espresso and a general purpose bag a week. read more