Top U.S. coffee 'bars' include La Colombe, Ritual Coffee Roasters

by Sarah Gilbert, Posted Feb 11th 2006 @ 8:22PM

the coffee bar at my local joint I went to graduate school in Philadelphia, and lived only a few blocks from the famed La Colombe Torrefaction. I was a student, it was far too hip for me - but I did stop in once or twice for a croissant and what Food & Wine Magazine calls their "silky cappuccino," naming the caffeinated hotspot the top U.S. coffee "bar."

So coffee is served at bars, not shops, now? The magazine also picks Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco, Ninth Street Espresso in the East Village, New York; Aloha Island in Beverly Hills and Ruta Maya in Austin. Naturally I think they're ignoring some legendary spots here in Portland (hello, aren't we coffeeville?), like Stumptown Coffee and Ristretto Roasters.

As I've only quaffed java at one of their top five spots, though, I can hardly be a judge. What do you all think: are they missing anyplace else that's truly paradise in a French Press?

Filed Under: Magazines, Raves & Reviews, Lists, Drink Recipes, Coffee Shops
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-11-2006 @9:37PM Dan said... I'm from Philly and I was just wondering what school you went to for graduate studies that was so close to La Colombe. Thanks.
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2-14-2006 @1:44PM Greg Sherwin said... As for French press, you'll find many of the higher-end espresso bars are sticklers for the best production of French press coffee. Places like SF's Ritual Roasters and Caf?rganica don't even use a true French press - opting instead to steep the grounds in a large tub and filter them out through alternate means.

Some other names I thought of that should have been considered for the list: Zoka and Vivace in Seattle, Intelligentsia in Chicago, and Blue Bottle in Oakland are obvious choices.

The Food & Wine Magazine people are getting better with their coffee savviness, though, which is a nice development.
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