Boy.. Did I forget how much I missed Paris, France!!
It is so easy to get around, I love the architecture, it is clean, more and more people are speaking english, its so diverse, people are becoming warm, the history is rich, walking around is so fun, and the food and drink are fantastic.
Besides doing the typical tourist things; my sister and I started our day at Cafe Lomi, a roaster in the North East side. I loved the more local location and chill vibe. When we walked in I was greeted, put my things down, and went to the counter, but quickly found out that table service is how they operated. I really dug the European-style table service intertwined with a third-wave coffee menu and approach.
The barista and waitress spoke english and we ordered espresso, filter (chemex), a croissant, and toast with home-made marmalade. Right off the bat, I can tell you that the pastry and food made by another girl behind the counter were exquisite!
The espresso was solid with some balance, a little complexity, bitter finish, and heavier body. I believe they served me their espresso blend and while the pull seemed to be restretto, I want to say they probably grind course since the shot wasn't over-extracted at all. As for the chemex we got of their Kenya Thunguri AA, It was one of the better coffees I have had in a while! It had the elegance and delicacy of the tea like flavors found in a fully washed Ethiopians, miraculous finish, and silky body. Just so damn good, it made me happy!
The next day we started our day on the south side of the city at Coutume Cafe, an absolutely gorgeous place my sister had actually showed me a picture of a few years before. We got there an hour before they opened and although they had a door open we were not allowed to wait inside. We were cool with it and walked through a nearby park for a little. On our way to and from the park I was enthralled by the barista as she sang so beautifully while she dialed in. I could hear the sounds of love that went into the singing and dialing in, and I could feel the joy she had doing both things.
Again, we found this establishment to prefer table service and I just love getting a real menu and being waited on while my sister and I started a nice conversation. We ordered a micro-lot espresso, cortado, filter, hot chai, croissant, and a sandwich, The staff all spoke impeccable english, which is always a plus.
The cortado was excellently executed and very tasty. The filter coffee was brought out and explained to be a natural Ethiopian coffee roasted in-house. The filter was solid, but I felt as though it was a little under extracted, again leading me to believe that third-wave cafes in Paris grind on the course side. That being said, I would rather get a slightly under extracted cup as opposed to an over extracted cup any day. A simple finer grind, using more coffee, or using less water may have helped them there. However the filter still had fruity-ness, origin characteristic, really clean, and totally enjoyable. The espresso could have been a bit more balanced, but it was after all a micro-lot shot and not a blend; so what do you expect? I appreciated the espresso's complexity, medium body, and clean finish.
