Still learning, but good coffee…read more
New coffee place grand opening. Not too far off the beaten path and opening during the week to iron out details? Sure, let me take the trek and give them a try.
Was very early, so there was a group of 6 people all waiting on people to show up. Slightly awkward coming in with everyone bright and attentive. I ask about lattes and they tell me their flavors. I opted for their hazelnut latte and a drip coffee to go which I would pick up later when I was going to leave. Asked if they did food, they did and referred to the menu which was turned off. They fixed that quickly and I opted for their sausage egg and cheese. Also got a holy donut which they got from Maine. Wasn't sure how it would be fresh, but was intrigued.
Drip coffee, latte, and food were all delivered at the same time. Chalked it up to nerves, grabbed my bites and took a seat.
The space is large, a couple of couches but mostly chairs. Coffee bar was in the far corner by the door, had sugars but no milks. Also no station to drop off dishes. Assume someone would have to bus tables in that setup.
The hazelnut latte didn't have strong notes of either hazelnut or coffee. I mostly got milk, which is correct for a latte but was hoping that the coffee would shine a bit more. That plus the hazelnut flavor was house made so I assumed that it was just very light in flavor.
The drip coffee was very hot and a little weak. Got some fruity notes on the front, but no coffee mid and finish was watery. Fine if you drink your coffee with lots of milk and sugar, but those are not as needed since there's not a lot of bitter to counteract.
The donut is a baked donut, dense and was a little cold due to it being so early and then just coming out of the fridge. Good lemon flavor, but it's a donut that screams for coffee to lighten up the density.
The sandwich was not bad, but not great. The bun, cheese, and aoli were very good quality and treated well. They toasted the bun, melted the cheese to a gooey consistency, and the aoli was rich and had a little spice zip to it. The egg and sausage were pre-packaged, a little too small for the bun size, and the sausage was very dense and rubbery.
I informed the head barista of the coffee issues. they agreed to look into it, but didn't action anything right away. I hope they will tweak the coffee issues, and they are brand new so there's still those first day jitters to work out. Brand are from a west Hartford roaster, and they do medium and dark roasts.
As a brand new place, it's got some tweaking to do. The foundation is good, but the location is right on the cusp of the rural part of the state. They will need to dial in their offerings and get their name out there quickly to get the locals on board. Signage will be key, and social media will need to be out in full force. They can be great, and they got a good staff with the knowledge. It's a little rough around the edges currently.