Saturday, January 03, 2009

CC: 1 Shot Coffee

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Subject:
1 Shot Coffee
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]



*Updated 2/3/11

I always find it funny how businesses can pop up unnoticed under your very nose. Just this past week, after a Sunday brunch at Bar Ferdinand with my wife, cousin and her husband (a unique and fairly sumptuous experience, though I realized that day that I really don't like poached eggs or hollandaise sauce), a quick stroll down Liberties Walk exposed a new coffeehouse called 1 Shot Coffee. Needless to say I begged my compatriots to stop, to which they so graciously agreed.

The exterior of the place is a beautiful tan brick with red and gray metal accents as well as few sharp pieces of outside furniture. Inside, it looked a little like Pee Wee's Playhouse with a touch of vintage and no talking inanimate objects (great place to hang).

The coffee actually comes from Intelligentsia out of Chicago, a renowned coffee roaster that serves a pretty mean brew. The coffee served was sadly nothing like I expected; sure it had a decent brightness, low acidity, and smooth body but it was pretty stale and overall lackluster. The espresso was pulled long, displaying a cocoa-ishly sweet pair of shots lacking a decent bite. The tea is free leaf and they also have a host of other menu options.

While it's obvious that 1 Shot is aiming for quality, it seems that they could use a bit more refining with a few basics. With such a fine location and enticing set-up, it would be sad to see them settle. Thus, if you're around the Liberties Walk in search of a fair cup of coffee, give 1 Shot coffee a shot.


Updated 3/21/10

This is an update a little overdue, as I have been meaning to put this up for well over a month now. I was able to spend a good chunk of an afternoon here as of late and had a much better experience.

The Intelly house blend this time produced a light coffee with hints of condensed milk, a bit of pepper and a pleasant smoothness. Not the most complex of coffees but still good.

The espresso this time around was a nice, short/medium Black Cat pull: tangy lemon and semisweet chocolate with hints of paprika and blackberry, all within a syrupy body and topped with decent crema.

Give 1 Shot a true shot if you have not yet.



Updated 2/3/11

While this is not a re-review (which is due because of the following news), in the past year they have switched over to Stumptown Coffee and have moved to a far more elegant facility around the corner (I know, the picture is old too). Their food menu is also considerably larger. Stay tuned for a more extensive update.

3 comments:

Coffee Messiah said...

I haven't been to Pa in many years.

Sad about places that sell and purchase good roasted coffee but can't pull a good shot from it.

We have 1 local place I've tried 4 times, giving time in between in hopes of better shots.

Sadly, and although we had a coffeehouse for 4 yrs (had an old cimbali we should have kept when we closed) I asked a few questions, gave a few hints, to no avail. Have had the coffee they use in Ft Wayne and know it can be good. Oh well, if you don't want to learn how to do it right, you don't need the business I guess ; (

Usually out here, these places come and go within a year.

If interested, if you look in our archive Nov 23 2007 you'll see a bit about our old place.

Cheers and Thanks for sharing the reviews ; )

Anonymous said...

Great review, thanks for spreading the good news to all coffee lovers. Discoveries like these make the day worthwhile in a world of bad coffee.

Melissa Baruno said...

I ask you come back into 1 Shot and give it another try. I have revamped our way of making coffee and I believe you will be pleased.