Friday, June 30, 2006

CC: Ocean City Coffee Company


What's a Coffee Commentary?


Subject:
Ocean City Coffee Company
Location visited: Ocean City, NJ (Boardwalk)
Free WiFi ? : don't think so
Rating: 4+ [see key]


Long ago (like 2-3 years ago), I came across OCCC. Being in the beginnings of the serious development of my coffee palate, I was fascinated by the fact that this place had a huge roaster in the front of the store. But sadly, on that day long ago, the coffee tasted horrible and I put it in the "needn't return to" category.

Fast forward to yesterday, when I was down OC with the fam and the girlfriend. A long day it had been thus far, full of beach fun, cold ocean, and a partly cloudy sky. A cup of coffee or espresso always sits well after such days. So in the absence of many choices, I decided to try OCCC again. The place was hopping with shoobes (beach tourists) and locals alike along with a flurry of movement behind the counter. The environment of the place was very grab-and-go, probably very appropriate for the bustle of the boardwalk.

Anyways, I tried the coffee and to my surprise (*gasp*) it tasted pretty dang good. Reeling, I tried another blend to find it also tasty (they have about 8 different brews that you can have, around 5 of them flavored (*gag*)). The coffee is roasted in-house and I has surprisingly improved in the past 2-3 years.

The espresso wasn't half bad either. I had an americano, which flowed very smoothly through my weary veins. The espresso was also roasted there. Regrettably, I didn't get to try any of the tea or chai.

It seems that there only downfall was their baristas. Some knew what they were doings. Others, well, not so much (one almost filled up my americano with hot tap water!!). About half of them looked a little green and could use a little more time in the roaster (haha, roasting puns).

Anyways, be encouraged vacationers and beach-dwellers; there is now a good place to get coffee on the boards of OC.


*Update 6/12/07
Added a pic from a recent visit. A year later from the original post, they're still good but still need some improvement...

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