The food column known as Savory Secrets has been a long time coming. It was supposed to begin a few years ago and I just never got around to it because there was no time for it. Truth is, even today there isn’t time to write it. I am glad, however, that I waited to write about food, with the exception of an article or two of the past.
One cannot write marginally intelligent food prose or claim to do so without prior food experiences from which to draw. The time spent trying new and exciting foods on which to base the food conclusions brewed in this weekly column was not a loss after all.
Coffee is a subject largely left unmentioned in most columns, with the exception of the “Best of” awards each semester. With all types of java shops surrounding campus, the recent studying epidemic and having just gotten my own fill of caffeinated beverages, let the “closest to campus” coffee reviews begin.
At the risk of receiving enough hate mail to last the entire semester, Starbucks does not make the best coffee. It is only marginal at best. Why is that? A couple of reasons: 1) the company does not know how to roast beans and often burns them; 2) it lacks decent flavoring that all coffee should have.
Starbucks’ espresso drinks are not much better than the coffee. Usually, they are not warm enough. Imagine yourself with a cold espresso drink at the beginning of class. On the random days with temperatures pushing 50 degrees, cold is nice, but when the temperature drops, a little extra heat to bring a drink up to normal espresso-brewing temperature is a welcome thing.
The taste of espresso drinks at Starbucks is not much better than the temperature, unfortunately. Watch the barista as he or she brews your espresso drink. Notice that two shots of espresso are extracted from one boiler (a silver cup with a handle) full of espresso. Thus, the taste of the overall drink suffers. The extra shot attempt may cure this shortfall, but with the low-quality espresso beans, don’t count on much from the extra shot-money spent.
Just across State Street is the Espresso Royale Coffee shop, whose coffee flavoring is better than Starbucks’. The shop tends to play a lot of independent artists’ music for a nice change of pace.
Espresso drinks at ERC are better because I suspect they use a better grade of espresso. Unfortunately, I also suspect that they brew two shots from one boiler. If planning an all-nighter, invest in an extra shot.
Steep & Brew stands out in the crowd because of the attention it pays to the coffee-roasting details. In fact, S&B has created its own roasting process by which coffee-bean scorching is significantly reduced, according to the website. The taste of the coffee is absolute proof that Steep & Brew knows good coffee flavoring is in the details of how you roast it and the farmers who grow the beans.
As good as Steep & Brew’s drinks are, the espresso drinks are top-notch. Brewing one shot per boiler with quality espresso beans lends an unseen but often tasted quality to the shop’s drinks. The single-brewed shots with an appropriate milk temperature put Steep & Brew in a class of its own. However, for the inexperienced, the caffeine rush may be too intense and dizziness may occur.
This column is not meant to explain which coffee is better or worse, a determination that is entirely subjective. It is meant, however, to prod you, the reader, into trying something different — coffee or otherwise.
Tom McGrath is a fifth-year senior majoring in journalism and mass communications, among other things. Chugging of caffeinated drinks usually occurs while this column is being written. Tom can be reached at [email protected].
