Comments on: Ninth…Er…Tenth Street Espresso

By: Kberg

Kberg — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:45:50 +0000

With some many shops using intelligentsia, one must question whether they lose a bit of focus on technique, ninth street seemed to be the gold and then silver standard back in 2007 as late with ken in the shop, perhaps I am learning that baristas go great and dial certain beans better than others, it seems ninth worked best with counter culture, decided to try stumpdown for a more intense flavor in a different profile, hate to say it but when you smell certain erasers, you get the sense of stumpdown, a bit more earthy less chocolately or orangy with counter culture, not a fan of fruity espresso blends, but counter culture seems to just add a hint of a note with afficionada, so naturally they decide to join inteligentsia , expected but not happy.

By: Eric Fleming

Eric Fleming — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:49:48 +0000

As a newbie coffee snob and would be coffee purveyor (we’ll be opening soon in Jersey City with a LaMarzocco FB80), I’ve been trying every roaster I can get my hands on so we can offer the best coffee and espresso in our city (can’t have just any bean through my expensive Italian friend, can we?).

Counter Culture VS STUMPTOWN…I was on the fence…I went with STUMPTOWN as they roast right here in Brooklyn, and I can drive there in under 20 minutes and chat up Ryan, the roaster there.

I will try Intelligensia, but as they don’t roast on the East Coast, it’s a much less compelling proposition for me. On a “green” note, the beans barely spend any time en route. And I can get beans the day they are roasted, if I want.

Eric Fleming
Cocoa Bakery & Bistro
http://www.cocoabakerycafe.com

By: arghyle » Blog Archive » A guided tour of NYC’s best coffee spots

arghyle » Blog Archive » A guided tour of NYC’s best coffee spots — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:01:04 +0000

[...] Ninth Street Espresso – Their cafe at 9th and C was the first coffee place in NYC that I really loved. They’ve expanded since then, but they still do a great job. [...]

By: Jade Cichy

Jade Cichy — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:45:58 +0000

As a Stumptown native I had to check out 9th Street when I was in NYC in 2007. I was not impressed, the coffee (Stumptown) was bitter and so was the barista.

But oh man I had a great cup at Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea.

By: ManSeekingCoffee

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:29:48 +0000

Interesting. I imagine it will take them some time to iron out the transition. Good to get an early report though. In the mean time, you can also check out Liz/Twitchy/confusedbee’s photostream on Flicker (http://www.flickr.com/photos/latteart/3376266467/in/photostream/) or her Intelli vs. Stumptown map (http://twitchy.org/?p=267)

By: Steven Weiss

Steven Weiss — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:40:27 +0000

I just visited 9th St. today, and indeed, they were pulling Intelligentsia shots. I asked about the espresso, assuming that it was Black Cat, but was told by the barista that it was a blend that was based on Black Cat but was tailored to the wishes of 9th street. As an espresso, I was a bit disappointed–nice sweetness up front, but I wasn’t thrilled with the slight off-putting burnt flavor in the finish that left a noticeable unpleasant aftertaste. The barista told me that he was working on dialing in his shots, but it seemed to be more of the characteristic in the coffee that I found slightly unappealing.

By: ManSeekingCoffee

ManSeekingCoffee — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:47:29 +0000

The times they are a-changin’. It seems that Ninth street has just announced a change of roasters as reported here. http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/fresh-intelligentsia/ I can’t tell from this piece if they’ll be switching to Intelligentsia fully or just for espresso although I assume the former. This switch now makes Ninth Street the first of NY’s cafes to cycle through the countries most well known macro-micro roasters, having used Counter Culture, Stumptown and Intelligentsia.

By: ManSeekingCoffee

ManSeekingCoffee — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:44:55 +0000

Well. My 3+ is hardly a “meh” but disappointment was in the air. I really do have to get back there next time to compare the present with my positive memories of the place and whether the rating goes up or down.

By: Skip

Skip — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:22:00 +0000

I also give a big “meh” to 9th Street, though I haven’t been to that location. It’s good, but not as good as you’d expect.

By: greg

greg — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:28:04 +0000

This afternoon I swung by Dynamo for a revisit and got to sample some of their espresso now that they are pulling shots of Friendo Blendo.

Let me just say this much: Four Barrel deserves time to work out the kinks. Because the experience left me with a jones for Dynamo’s previous shots of Hairbender. The crema wasn’t quite as good (it sort of sat on top rather than emulsify), but the mouthfeel was weaker and the whole flavor profile tasted like Hairbender put through a low-pass filter.

I never much thought of myself as a Hairbender groupie. But after tasting some of the turnover to Four Barrel thus far, I’m hoping some other cafés in the area can pick up the slack.