I recently traveled to New Orleans with my family and had the pleasant experience visiting two coffee houses. The first, I would like to share with you now. Nestled in the side of the Ace Hotel, is the newly opened Stumptown Coffee. Fond memories of my first and only Stumptown experience caused some anticipation when I heard the New Orleans location had just opened. It was 5 years ago when I visited the East Pine Street Stumptown location in Seattle. Since then, they have been purchased by Peet’s Coffee in a move that shocked the third wave coffee industry. Stumptown is recognized as a leader of hand-crafted coffee drinks. Honestly, I had never seen a bottled cold-brew coffee until I walked into Stumptown back in Seattle.
Cold Brew on tap @ Stumptown New Orleans “Bar-Like” feel
So, when I visited the New Orleans Stumptown, I was impressed with the beautiful “bar” like counter. Not seeing the typical coffee brewing equipment lined up at the counter, I didn’t quite get it at first. Then it clicked. It appears that the warmer climate of New Orleans offers the perfect opportunity to focus on their hand crafted cold-brew coffees. There was a unique “Tap” that serves the cold-brew coffee called the “Mod Bar”. Looking at the menu board confirmed the New Orleans Stumptown is serious about their cold brew coffee. There was very little emphasis on their single serve coffees. I could appreciate this decision even more because it was 86 muggy degrees outside.
I really enjoy unique small lot single origin coffees. As I was looking over the selection on the shelf, I noticed the Indonesia Bies Penantan. Ah hah, just what I was hoping for. I purchased a bag with a roast date about 4 days old. Looking at the map, this coffee region is just north and slightly west of Sumatra. That should provide a few clues what to expect when drinking this coffee. Honestly, whoever cupped this coffee was able to find tasting notes I couldn’t. It is a nice coffee that has a medium body with a nice earthy taste which is typical of Sumatran coffees. But the cup goes beyond that. There were interesting hints of nutmeg, pumpkin, and some floral notes make this an interesting coffee. A subtle, tart acidity was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the complexity which made this an interesting cup roasted to bring out maximum flavor without over-roasting. I think this coffee reminds me more of a nice Colombian than a Sumatran coffee. While it does have the Sumatran complex and earthy flavors, it also has the nice acidity that you might find in some Central American coffees. Thumbs up to Stumptown New Orleans for a fine coffee experience. If you are ever in New Orleans, stop by the Stumptown location and check it out!
