Stumptown

Holy deliciousness! As expected, NYC raised the bar in mocha latte land. My gracious host and beautiful friend Molly tried some mochas with me and helped me snag the following pictures. We first tried Stumptown Coffee Roasters on 18 W 29th Street and you need to try this place too 🙂 Here’s why:

Taste: 8

This mocha was quite bitter. Yes. It was almost like I was tasting slightly sweetened baking chocolate. I watched with awe as the person making my coffee poured some powdered cocoa in the mug, pour espresso on top, and then add the steamed milk. I mostly tasted the extremely bitter cocoa powder, and I think I would have liked this mocha better if I could taste equal parts chocolate, espresso, and milk. Either way, this mocha instantly woke me up and warmed me up.

Appearance: 9

How perfect is this mocha?! I so love the rich color of the chocolate contrasted with the crisp white of the steamed milk. The photos speak for themselves. I am not a huge fan of the mugs – the light brown color and the shape take away from the perfectness of the mocha. Perhaps using BIG mugs with either a deeper or lighter color will be up to par with the mocha.

Store Ambiance: 7

This store was pretty busy for coffee at 5:00pm on a Saturday. Customers appeared to grab their coffees/mochas and stand with them by the window bar. I do not remember seeing any tables… Either way, I liked the calmness I felt in Stumptown. It felt like the kind of sleepy place I would have studied in had I gone to school in NYC. If the mochas do not wake you up, then head right through the door and into the Ace Hotel – the two are connected! Heaven. Has anyone ever stayed here —> http://www.acehotel.com/newyork  It would have been nice to have friendlier coffee makers, a bit more decorations, and perhaps a small table for me customers to rest my their tired shopping legs. All in all this was a great pick!

                                                                                    

        ME enjoying my mocha!