Boise

Reviews of coffee shops and roasters in Boise, Idaho.

Red Letter Books & Cafe

Boise, Idaho,

I don’t know about you, but for some reason I have a thing for coffee shop/book store combos. I EVEN will go to a Barnes & Noble despite the Starbucks because of the atmosphere it offers. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dawson’s and Rembrandt’s as they are, but there’s something to be said about an environment rich with literature, while the air is rich with coffee.

Red Letter Books and Cafe is located by the mall on Franklin and Milwaukee. It uses a medium Full Circle fair trade coffee, which they purchase from Rembrandt’s in Eagle (Review here).

To be honest, I’ve heard a lot about Red Letter Cafe, and even drive by it quite a bit, but have never actually walked in a bought a drink. This was a first for me.
Walking in, the first thing I saw was an employee on the phone – not unusual for a book store. What was unusual was his response as soon as I put my foot on the other side of the doorway. Setting the phone on his shoulder, he turned to me and said
“Hey! Welcome!”

My first impression of this coffee shop I’ve never been to was one of feeling not only welcome, but glad I had chosen to come here today. If nothing else, this set Red Letter Books and Cafe apart in my mind right away.

Red Letter’s coffee is delicious. I got a mocha (becoming my standard grading drink) and looked around. The store is set up like a donut – books in the middle, coffee and tables on the outside. My barista was a nice girl with a bright attitude. Again, great on the customer service. After receiving my drink, I grabbed a seat at one of the tables, flipped open my laptop, and checked for internet. Free WiFi, awesome! At this point, I took my first sip of the coffee.

I opened up Firefox on my computer, and signed on to Facebook…then realized I hadn’t actually noticed the coffee. My first thought was that this wasn’t a good thing. After all, shouldn’t good coffee really stick out? Maybe. Dwelling on this thought, it hit me: not noticing anything about a sip of coffee is probably more of a plus then a minus. As a coffee snob, that which will immediately stick out to me in a cup of joe is stuff like off texture, burnt shots, rotten milk, and temperature; in summary: bad stuff. Because nothing stuck out in this sip of my mocha, I can honestly say I found nothing wrong with my coffee. It was…really good! Taking another sip, I could taste the resemblance to Rembrandt’s coffee.

The texture was smooth and clean- no disturbances to distract. It hit my palette and the medium-roast shots revealed themselves as being full in body and well pulled (kudos to my barista). As the brew rolled to the back of my mouth, the chocolate milk made its appearance and the sweet tinge made me glad I had chosen this particular drink. I’m not sure if Red Letter uses chocolate syrup with white milk or pre-mixed chocolate milk, but either way it was well steamed. The temperature was just perfect. The coffee finished similar to how it started: clean. The chocolate left an aftertaste that, upon finishing the drink, made me want to go order another.

The thing that sticks out to me most about Red Letter Books and Cafe is the customer service. The employees are genuinely nice. This alone made my entire experience with Red Letter worth it to me. I will indeed return here.

Come to Red Letter if you have a literary work to crank out, or a person to meet. It’s a perfect place to inspire conversation and stimulate the author in all of us. Also, don’t forget to get a coffee – you won’t be disappointed!

The Coffee Guy

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Bringing taste and community to Boise: Dawson’s

Boise, Idaho, , , ,

The Coffee Guy @ Dawson's DowntownThere’s three things you can do in Boise on any given weekend. 1) Go hunting for whatever’s in season. 2) Work, and wish you were doing something else. 3) Head downtown to hang out with friends and share in community. Most sane people choose option three (unless they really like venison jerky 😀 ).

BoDo is a place with much to do, even for those out-of-state. Parks, shops, music, clubs, and everything in-between. Although all of downtown has hangout locations, one rises above all the rest. If you’re a local, you know 8th street is THE place to chill. And everyone who’s anyone knows that Dawson’s Downtown is THE place to get coffee on 8th street.

Dawson's DowntownAn out-of-stater, or first time local, may feel slightly left out moments after walking into Dawson’s. It’s clear this is a regular local hangout: the baristas greeting people by name, folks standing around talking to friends they just ran in to, and a definite atmosphere of relaxation. That same out-of-stater, or first-timer, will soon lose this feeling of intimidation moments after ordering their coffee. The staff at Dawson’s greets everyone with a smile and a compliment, if only in demeanor. The coffee shop is decorated in snipits of humor, warm-colored paint, and even a mosaic featuring a cup of joe. After getting past their initial bout of insecurity, that same out-of-stater/first-timer will recognize the inherit love and joy that permeates the very walls of Dawson’s Downtown. It’s like a really sweet party that you didn’t know was going on. Now that you’re in, you can’t help but tell others about it.

Dawson's Downtown 2So what about the coffee? Dawson’s uses a medium roast espresso blend for everything you order. They also feature many different types of house blends, changing them day-to-day. Their 12oz espresso coffees come with two shots, 16oz with three, and 20oz with three or four (depending on your addiction level).
The espresso drinks are smooth and have a constant, very flavorful taste. I personally recommend their breve with your choice of syrup; its creamy taste combined with the smooth shots is an incredible flavor and texture combination to behold. It’s clear the baristas have a feel for how to do coffee, and their humor and passion only add to that expertise.
Dawson’s is slightly pricey- $3.10 for a 16oz latte. That being said, the price is well worth the taste and experience, and no where near the fortune it takes to get the same drink at brand-name coffee houses. If I were you, I’d cough up the change- you won’t be disappointed.

I really love Dawson’s Downtown! Their great customer service, the awesome people, atmosphere of joy, and fabulous coffee, combined with the free wi-fi makes me give it a four thumbs up.

The story of Dawson Taylor, as told from the founders (from http://DawsonTaylor.com)

On October of 1995, we began Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters in response to the need for a local roaster of exceptional quality coffees. Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters is named after our son, Dawson Taylor Ledgard.

We operate with this goal in mind: To provide the highest quality coffees available. With our experience and passion for coffee, we offer unparalleled customer support and service.

Every day, we roast beans of the highest quality from the finest coffee-producing regions and estates of the world. Freshness is of paramount concern when roasting such specialty grades of coffee. Therefore, we custom roast in small batches as individual orders dictate.

We use a traditional European-style drum roaster. This hands-on method ensures that our coffee can be roasted to perfection. We take great pride in the art of consistently roasting every order that will bear our name.

More than 15 years of experience in the specialty coffee marketplace, coupled with our pledge for integrity, offer a unique opportunity for partnership. We trust that you will be completely satisfied should you select Dawson Taylor as your coffee roaster.

– Dave and Cindy Ledgard

Dawson’s has several locations around the Treasure Valley. For the full effect, head to 8th street.

What’s your experience with Dawson’s?

The Coffee Guy

A personal note to the first-timer:
Just so you know, Dawson’s is famous for being hardcore about supporting local coffee. NEVER discuss The Great Satan (Starbucks) in their presence. The picture below speaks for itself.

Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Starbucks
Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Starbucks

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Moxie Java: a love/hate story

Boise, Idaho, , , ,

The Coffee Guy @ Moxie JavaSo, here I am at the Moxie Java Bistro off Chinden. I’ve come here with a “duel” purpose in mind: first off, to get some homework done. Second, and probably far more interesting, to do a review of one of Boise’s oldest original coffee shops.

Moxie Java’s website boasts:

“Moxie Java® has been a fixture on the Idaho coffee scene for a long time. We are consistently rated the top coffee and beverage company, beating out more established and well-known brands.”

moxie javaGood, point Moxie. But ratings put aside, what does the coffee really taste like?
To put it short, crap. The coffee tastes like crap.
That being said, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t say why, and give a complete review of my experiences with Moxie Java.

Moxie brews White Cloud Coffee, a local roaster located just down the road from the Bistro/HQ. Many years ago I did a fund raiser which consisted of selling bags of White Cloud Coffee door-to-door. Many doors were closed in my face as people said “Oh. White Cloud Coffee. I think I’ll pass today.” I didn’t understand then, but I get it now. White Cloud Coffee’s roast is…sub-par. When it comes to taste, it really is rather boring. Whereas at Starbucks you get a darker taste, and at Dutch Bros you’ll receive a sweet shot, Moxie (White Cloud) boasts neither.

In fact, many fellow “coffee snobs” would say you get the opposite effect with Moxie’s coffee. I’ve talked to some that refuse to purchase it under any circumstances.

I’m not quite so radical. Moxie’s coffee holds no appeal to me, however I’ll get it if that’s what it takes for me to grab a seat (and free internet) in one of their many locations around the Treasure Valley. Ergo, my visit today.

The environment in the Moxie Java Bistro is genuinely nice. The baristas are nice, the customers are nice, the couches are nice. It has a fire place that’s on when it gets cold, providing a warm, homey feel. The Bistro is very much coffee themed, even to the point of various drinks inscribed on the walls.
I really do like the Bistro and the environment it provides. And the free internet. *hint, hint Starbucks.*

So why go to Moxie? If you’re not a HxC coffee extraordinaire you probably won’t notice a difference in the coffee. If you’re into fine brews, you probably will. Either way, you can appreciate the meeting-friendly, homework-friendly, people-friendly environment Moxie Java has to offer.

The Coffee Guy

What do you think of Moxie?

EDIT

A reliable source has informed me that Moxie Java Bistro does not use White Cloud Coffee as their roast provider. They roast their own coffee out of the attached wharehouse, and have created a “Moxie Java International” which the Chinden Headquarters runs. That being said, the coffee is still a very weak roast. A “different” roast to be sure, different in that it tastes bad.

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