Best espresso in Boston?

[jackbang]

I was wondering if anyone could make some recommendations for the best cafes with the best baristas in Boston or Cambridge. It's not Seattle or San Fran, but it's where I live.

I've found Diesel in Somerville to be good, but am sure I could do better. (When I can't get my fix at home of course.)

[KittJ]

I've found Diesel in Somerville to be good, but am sure I could do better.

The quest for something "special" in the Boston area seems like some Authurian tale about those searching for the holy grail. (Only the Brits could begin with the assumption that it would of course be somewhere conveniently near-by in their part of England, sigh.) Bases on my own search of the archives on Coffeegeek and trying various recommended shops for the last decade in Boston, Diesel's has the best reputation in Boston ... and that ain't saying a whole lot beyond "Wow, it sure is a low bar."

However, if you go out the door of Diesel's, cross the street to Starbucks (no, you don't have to stop in), turn right and walk to the far side of the first corner, you will see an a coffee shop with a cutesy name like "No clouds in the sky" or some-such. About half the Baristas in there are hold-overs from prior management who tried to build a high performance team. There's a thin, 30 something guy with dreadlocks that can nail a good shot if you ask him to. But, possibly as a result of their choice of espresso blend, both Diesel and the cutesy place lack the consistency that you find at a shop such as Intelligentsia (where most of the staff are national competition contender quality and where the shop uses a very reliable and forgiving blend. )

I think you may achieve a better shot "randomly" in Boston, but not reliably. I had a chance to pull half a dozen shots with the 2005 US champion today during a break in the judge training program (NOTE: she pulled, I shared them with her and we critiqued them as she tried to push the sweetness in the shots by playing with grind and tamp ... we passed each back and forth as we sampled and scored them ... I was trying to "get on the same page she was on from a criticism and scoring perspective). None of the shots I had at diesel or cutesy was ever near the shots Phoung deemed "OK ... it illustrates the point, but still not perfect." Competition shots are scored 0 -6. I haven't found a better than a three in Boston. KittJ

[jackbang]

I'm pretty sure you're talking about the Someday Cafe. I find the good shots there few and far between. Diesel is consistent, though you do have to get to know the baristas and plan accordingly. ("That guy's pulling.? Oh. OK. Nevermind.")

I guess I'll just have to keep saving up for a trip to Seattle.

[coffee_monkey]

Please check out Simon's at 1736 Mass ave in Cambridge.

I originally hesitate to post this since I am a good friend w/ the lead barista/manager, Jaime V. They use exclusively Terroir's coffee (drip and espresso) and usually have 3 espresso "on tap" (currently there are 4 espresso - terroir's northern, southern, decaf, and a guest espresso). They have had an espresso tasting event and will have more in the coming month. The espresso is of very high standard and even Peter L. of Terroir said one of the best tasting shot of Northern was pulled by Jaime at the shop.

Jaime is currently away for USBC and will be be competing today. I will definitely look for him once he returns for great shots and good conversation.

[MrMonkey]

Please check out Simon's at 1736 Mass ave in Cambridge.

They use exclusively Terroir's coffee (drip and espresso) and usually have 3 espresso "on tap" (currently there are 4 espresso - terroir's northern, southern, decaf, and a guest espresso).

Wow!!! I don't think I've ever been in a shop that would offer more than one espresso "on tap". Always thought it would be a great idea for a shop to offer more than one. But, then I started thinking about the logistics of such an offereing. Each coffee would require it's own grinder/grind setting as well as possibly temperature setting. And, these would need to be maintained throughout the day. It just seemed like an overwhelming task.

Any idea how thay manage all this at Simon's?

[coffee_monkey]

Wow!!! I don't think I've ever been in a shop that would offer more than one espresso "on tap". Always thought it would be a great idea for a shop to offer more than one. But, then I started thinking about the logistics of such an offereing. Each coffee would require it's own grinder/grind setting as well as possibly temperature setting. And, these would need to be maintained throughout the day. It just seemed like an overwhelming task.

Any idea how thay manage all this at Simon's?

They currently have 3 grinders and are getting a 4th one. The 4 group LM is also set differently per side (2x2 groups). Also, by really knowing the machine, you can somewhat "work" the machine a little bit. The espresso selected also falls within a temperature range that they were able to some overlap (that is why Southern was chosen to be the "house" espresso for its wider brewing range). In fact, Jaime sometimes pull the shots at different temperature to bring out different tastes in the beans...

[jackbang]

I'm so glad you suggested it - I'll check it out. I was at Diesel today and watched the barista let a shot dribble out over about 60 seconds and then served it right up and I said, you know what... I'll just have a cookie.

[PaniniGuy]

Jamie has a blog at http://barismo.org where he talks about his quest for perfection.

Nice kid - met him briefly in Charlotte. Obsessed... working with Terroir in a commercial environment must be maddening at times. He seems to experiement with variables as much as anyone we've seen.

[sleeplessjake]

I too would give Simon's a thumbs up. Had a nice double there with Terroir's 'Southern' style espresso recently. Best of all, you can buy many of the Terroir coffees there at the same prices listed on the Terroir website - and skip the ~ $5 shipping fee. Check the back of the bags for the roast date, tho.

1369 Cafe (Inman Sq. and Central Sq. Locations) can be hit or miss - they use Kahve Espresso Roma from espressoexpress.net, a local Boston coffee distributor. I tend to buy beans there a lot because A) it's in my neighborhood and B) again, it's cheaper than the website. 1369 is more laid back for hanging out than Diesel, and I think that they do really well with milk-based drinks with their espresso blend.

-Jake