#Ninth Street Espresso — Decaf Review

CiceroJoe
CiceroJoe
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

Bean: Decaf Espresso Bean
Process: Swiss Water
Complexity: 5
Drinkability: 2
Methods Sampled: In-house espresso, Chemex pour over

I have been a fan of Ninth Street Espresso since their Alphabet City location opened in NY. These guys and gals are pros, sticking to a very concise menu and an all-cash business model.

They do not offer any decaf drip in house, but they will make espresso based drinks with their decaf beans.

At least in the Midtown location, they do not have prepackaged beans to sell. However, they are happy to pack you some up on the spot from the large bags of beans they keep behind the counter. You also get a free cup of coffee when you purchase your beans.

On the complexity scale, this scores about as high as any decaf I have ever had, a solid 5.

The nose is tame enough; brown sugar, cinnamon; the notes you would associate with a classic cup of coffee.

A sip brings a shock of tart flavor of surprising sour fruit. Sour plum, perhaps. For the beer drinkers out there, it is between a saison and puckery gose. The aftertaste is lightly bitter and gritty, what I often associate with Italian espressos.

For drinkability, this feels about a 2. I am intrigued by each sip, but would stop enjoying it after my first cup.

While roasted as an espresso, I gave the Ninth Street decaf a chance as a pour over. After a few attempts to dial-in a ratio I came down to about 1g grinds to 15g water.

I felt this coffee, but the flavor was forgettable.

It was still rather bright and the acidity came through, closer to malic acid this time around.

Nutty on the nose, rich and milky on the mouth feel.

Frankly though, I think this bean deserves the afterlife of an espresso shot.

Overall, I can’t recommend the beans as a substitute for your daily brew as it burns out the taste buds. However, if you want a trip to (sour) flavor country, give the espresso a try. These beans defy the stereotype of decaf being tepid.

Later on I plan to try these in the Aeropress. Hopefully I can recreate and share the experience of the in-store espresso with friends. It will be a conversation starter.

Geoffrey Bonn: First?

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