The Great, the Good, the Gruesome

For this survey I visited coffee shops between Grafton Street and the canal and one or two others chosen at random. I simply asked for “black coffee” as I suspect this is what most people do and I usually added a drop of cold milk to temper the flavour slightly. If I was served filter coffee I went back at a later time and asked for an americano for comparison purposes. Remember this survey was on take-out coffee only, so all coffee was drunk from a paper or plastic cup; and quite simply coffee always tastes better out of a decent cup or mug (thick rims slightly better for me as they push the coffee right onto the middle of the tongue and it seems to achieve better balance as a result).

Prices are given in Euro and I have marked the coffees out of 10, and ratings are totally subjective. I judged the coffee on its crema (creamy froth on the top of the coffee containing much of the aroma) and a combination of acidity (freshness in the mouth and on the finish), body (texture) and flavour. Good coffee should not taste bitter (as in lemons) or metallic (as in rusty drainpipe) and nor should it taste muddy (as in mud), flat, watery or insipid.

Butler’s Coffee
€1.60
7/10

My first recommendation has to be the Butlers Coffee/Chocolate shops (Grafton Street, Nassau Street and possibly elsewhere) as the coffee is usually good AND you get a FREE Butler’s Chocolate of your choice – a fantastic marketing ploy. My last cup of coffee from the Grafton Street branch had excellent crema, good acidity and body and a pleasant roundness in the mouth and a good clean finish. I rated it 7/10 but I reckon it deserves of an extra point or two for the free chocolate!

La Corta
€1.40
8.5/10

Next I would recommend La Corta in the Epicurean Mall on Abbey Street/Liffey Street. La Corta is beside the bagel shop and the (mostly Italian) staff seem extremely fastidious about the coffee they serve (no filter available of course) and my coffee had excellent crema with a mildly acidic, supple, full-flavoured roundness on the palate and a light acidic finish. Particularly good early in the day when your palate is still fresh. Price for this splendid stuff was €1.40, the bargain of my hunt, with the top taste rating.

Steps of Rome
€1.50
7/10

Speaking of Italians, the Steps of Rome is worth a mention here, particularly for the charming service (not to mention the wonderful pizza). My take-out cup here was rich and dark with lots of acidity and good body, and despite a hint of muddiness I scored it 7.

Café Moda
€1.90
8/10

Café Moda in Rathmines (opposite the Library) is always buzzing with people, day or night and is definitely the best coffee I have found in the south city suburbs so far. On my last visit the coffee was excellent with full rich crema, excellent acidity and good body. The barista took his time preparing and brewing it and it showed in the quality of the coffee that resulted – a little more expensive at 1.90 but well worth it.

Perk
€1.60
6.5/10

Perk on Dawson Street had charming staff and a rich, darkly acidic but refreshing cup of coffee I rated 6.5/10. Price: 1.60.

The Alliance Francaise
€1.40
7/10

The Alliance Francaise at the bottom of Kildare Street is worth dropping in to for takeaway if there is no queue (there often is). On my last visit there the coffee was round and full with good acidity and generally excellent, despite a hint of bitterness in the finish.

Coffee2Go
€1.65
7.5/10

Coffee2Go on Mespil Road at Baggot Street Bridge has a pleasing modernist feel and efficient, professional baristas. My last cup here was full flavoured and round with good body and acidity.

Café Sol
€1.70
2/10

Café Sol has a number of shops around and I visited their branch on Clare Street beside the National Gallery on three occasions recently – the first two times I had probably some of the worst coffee I have ever tasted – thin, watery, muddy and as much fun to drink as the remains of a day-old can of beer someone has dropped a cigarette butt into – they scored 1 and 2 out of 10 for these respective efforts. The third time I asked specifically for a freshly brewed americano and this was better with good roundness and pleasing acidity if a little lacking in body – more a 5 out of 10. On each occasion the coffee was handed to me within seconds of my arrival and when I questioned this I was told (on two occasions) that they had just made it ahead as they had seen a queue beginning to form. My advice is to demand a fresh cup be made in front of you – after all would we accept it if a barman offered you a pint he had “pulled earlier”?

West-Coast Coffee
€1.50- €1.65
4-6/10

West-Coast Coffee is also a chain with a number of branches and I usually use the one at the top of Westland Row beside Sweny’s Chemist (as mentioned in Ulysses). Ask for coffee and you will get filter (brew) coffee - it is usually good and on my last taste I scored it 6/10 for good acidity and a nice rounded suppleness – clearly freshly made. A recent americano in this branch had any body or acidity completely overwhelmed by a bitter, bitter finish – I suspect the machine needed cleaning; 4/10. However on a visit the day I wrote this article my americano had excellent body and a well rounded flavour with good acidity and no bitter aftertaste just an appealing freshness: 7.5/10. Great sandwiches here by the way. Price: brew; 1.50, americano; 1.65.

Insomnia
€1.85
6/10

Insomnia, another widespread chain (I visited their branch on Charlotte Way, near the Bleeding Horse plus their Ballsbridge branch), was another disappointment, as despite good acidity and some richness the coffee was rather dilute on both occasions and lacking in substance with an odd hint of smokiness. By no means the worst but at 1.85 (plus a rubbery pain au chocolate for 1.65) I did not feel I had got good value for money.

Bewleys Grafton Street
€1.40
4/10

Bewleys Grafton Street served me a regular coffee (really a double espresso using café blend) and while only costing 1.40, and despite good crema and mild acidity, it had an unpleasant bitterness on the finish. I had really hoped for better as they have been doing good work with barista training (so I am told) and this was the only café I tried that roasted its own beans on the premises.

email John and Sally | read other articles in this issue