Black Cow Coffee Company in Croton on Hudson

I think that I will have to start carrying my own ceramic mug. Black Cow doesn't have mugs. The waste involved in a paper cup with cardboard sleeve every time I get a cup of coffee is simply insane.

Nice nutty aroma on the americano. Some chocolate. Sweet, smooth, slightly acidic as it cools.

Italian Roast. Label says: "rich, balanced blend..." - no other taste notes, but no disagreement on that general assessment.

Decaf has a nutty/fruity aroma, a bit like that almond extract/cherry combo I frequently get. Becomes a little bitter/woody as it approaches room temperature.

Busy spot when I got here at 7:00 AM. Spacious interior area with covid-era spacing it seems. Coffee roaster in the corner, photography exhibit on the walls, plants along the street-facing windows.

Popular neighborhood spot and rightly so.

Ratings (1-5 cups)

Coffee:

Ambiance/Comfort:

Space/Size:

Price (3 is average):

Comments

Big Mouth Coffee Roasters

Beacon NY. First impressions. Good coffee. Bright, fragrant and flavorful. Chocolate maybe, something fruity. Lighter roast.* They don' do triple shots so I should have gotten a small instead of medium, a little watery but that's avoidable if you know they only do multiples of 2 shots. Ambiance. A little sterile somehow. Large cavernous space with utilitarian, almost Spartan furnishings. A leather sofa and chairs in one corner does little to remedy the lack of coziness and warmth. If that's what you want in a coffee shop. On the other hand there's plenty of space and few indoor patrons today - mostly grab and grow. So a good home office away from home. As I am typing a line forms and it's almost out the door, one person at the cash register also making drinks - that's tough. Maybe someone else will come in from the back to help. The line for some odd reason runs next to my table where's there's very little space instead of down the middle of the entranc...

Coffee Labs El Salvador Santa Rosa, Washed Process

First thing I note is slightly fermented fruit. Berry of some sort. Blueberry even, but I wonder if my brain is just primed for blueberry after that Ethiopian I had at Drip. Something nutty, bitter nut in the taste. No way I can tell what type, but not almond at least I know that. Hard to smell anything past the fruit, which is powerful and nice. Of course as soon as I say almond, I start to get that almond extract/cherry aroma. The power of suggestion. Taste is bright, acidic, a little bitter, some of that woody taste that is so familiar. Not getting any chocolates, caramels, or florals, unless the fruity and floral are combining in a way that I can't separate - it is aromatic. And now for the label notes: Cacao nibs, Meyer lemon, roasted hazelnuts. Roast level - 3 on a scale of 9 (light) Retasting after reading the notes. Yeah, OK, I can get the lemony - it's a cirtusy but sweet aroma, that fruit that I was struggling to name, but I would need to have a Meyer lemon on hand to...

The Map

Here's a MapQuest map of the coffeehouses I visited on my NY-FL trip, with a side journey on the way back to visit a friend in West Virginia - hence the circuitous route. Over 2500 miles round-trip including side-excursions in about 13 days, 15 coffee shops reviewed with a couple of repeat visits plus a few I didn't review. Open the link for a detailed view. Open in a private browser (incognito) if you are getting annoying ads. Some of the visits were on the down trip and some on the way back. Mostly highways I-78 in NJ and PA, I-81 in PA and Virginia, I-77 in NC and SC, and I-95 in GA. Other stops in the cities of Jacksonville and Gainesville, FL.Side trip in West Virginia along I-79, I-68, and US 119 in Morgantown. A lot of this kind of thing - cheap motels along the highway. Rain is no obstacle: First stop in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Helmet flattens my head in a goofy way: The reason for the trip - visiting my awesome son in Gainesville, FL. Gators: Beach (Jacksonville B...

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