New joint for coffee snobs

Chuck Tanowitz, who admits he's a coffee snob, marvels at a new Newtonville coffee bar that not only has an espresso machine that is the only one of its kind in the Boston area (brought in from Seattle), it uses only coffee from the George Howell Coffee Co., a name that will be familiar to old-time coffee aficionados who remember the days before Starbucks, when the Coffee Connection made life worthwhile.

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beans, beans, they're good for your heart -

By BellZ (not verified) | Sun, 03/23/2008 - 7:00pm

My over-the-top fave is Velouria in JP. Never a creamier, steamier latte have had I.

Seems I must take a swing out to Newtonville now and give it a shot! (Or maybe a double.)

Other places to get Howell's Coffee

By OneMansOpinion | Sun, 03/23/2008 - 10:29pm

I believe the sandwich shops downtown called Pressed serve Howell's coffee - at a reasonable price.

As for the place in newtonville, I give it a rather blase 'meh' - no to sound pompus, but I've been to Italy, and the cappucino there is NOTHING like the soapy foamed over acidic crap that most American chains pedal. The place in Newtonville is really nothing special to write home about and isn't really worth the money. You are much better off buying a bialetti stovetop pot, and imported Italian coffee and you'll end up quite happy without the trek.

Granted, I have had some good coffee / cappuncino lattes, but never at a place like Starbucks. To each there own, but that isn't cappuncino, it's $3 foamed milk.

Clear Flour, too

By BarmyFotheringa... | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 12:45am

You can buy bagged Terroir beans at Clear Flour, and they also sell to-go cups of brewed until around 2 in the afternoon.

Clear Flour

By Allstonian | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:21am

Actually, while Clear Flour sells Terroir beans (as does Whole Foods), their brewed coffee is Equal Exchange.

True Grounds in Ball Square

By SwirlyGrrl | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 7:44am

Howell's coffee at reat prices, and free wifi, too!

I miss the Silk Pajamas blend that only the Someday seemed to carry. Not much on the "mild" coffees, but that one was the cat's pajamas!

Reply to "OneMansOpinion"

By anon (not verified) | Wed, 05/28/2008 - 12:17am

I had a double shot ristretto and a medium latte at Taste- DELICIOUS! I've traveled throughout Italy and also traveled to some of the finest coffee bars throughout the US, and this cute little cafe in Newtonville is as good as any. I don't know what kind of "soapy foamed over acidic crap" you had OneMansOpinion, but it certainly wasn't there. Maybe you accidentally stumbled into Starbucks...

I give it 2-thumbs up!

Being a coffee snob is an

By Anonymous (not verified) | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 9:42am

Being a coffee snob is an expensive habit.

Coffee snobbery on the cheap

By Gareth | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:15am

If you roast your own beans, you can pay far less, and have much fresher coffee. Green coffee beans ship well, store well, and will save you a few bucks a pound over the stale roasted beans at the store.

This morning I enjoyed a Grade One old-growth Lake Toba Sumatran Mandheling Typica, which I bought for 5.10 a pound and roasted yesterday.

How do you roast them?

By adamg | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:16am

How do you roast them?

How else?

By Gareth | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:20am

With a coffee roaster.

Not IMHO

By SwirlyGrrl | Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:35am

I probably spend less overall on really good coffee because I tend to drink less of it, and tend to grind/brew it myself at home.

Dunks isn't really all that cheap, it just comes in large quantities. Why should I go there or to one of the "on the run" places or even the halfway decent McCoffee when I can get a soupbowl sized mug of Terroir at True Grounds for about $2?

I know people who take a similar tack with cigarettes: they buy fewer of the expensive ones that they really like.

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