Quills Coffee

My Three Days at Blacksmith in Houston, TX

February 3, 2014 By Michael Leave a Comment

Forged in the Fires of Montrose

Arcade Fire front man William Butler wrote an entire album about how much he hated growing up in Houston, Texas. But if he ever stops trying to get away from the sprawl, Butler may be surprised to find a culinary renaissance is happening in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, and at its heart is Blacksmith, a cutting edge cafe helmed by David Buehrer. I spent three days at Blacksmith training for the Big Eastern Barista Competition, and I left impressed with what’s happening in the Lone Star State’s largest city. …

Win Free Coffee from the Coffee Compass

December 20, 2013 By Michael Leave a Comment

Christmas is a time for giving, and unlike your family’s white elephant gift exchange, we’re giving away something you’ll actually want. We’ve assembled a gift basket featuring the finest craft coffee Louisville has to offer- specifically Argo Sons, Sunergos, and Quills Coffee– and we’re going to ship it to the doorstep of one lucky reader (sorry, USA and Canada residents only). All you have to do to enter is click on this link, and follow the instructions. We’ll announce a winner December 30.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until then, Merry Christmas from the Coffee Compass!

Photo by Matthew Stevenson

Cafe Review: Quills Coffee New Albany, IN

September 17, 2013 By Darren 4 Comments

Nostalgia in a Cup

The coffee shop holds a nostalgic piece of my heart as the place where I first experienced many cultural aspects of the city of Louisville. Like so many college students, I discovered the cafe environ as a place of respite, a cultural mainstay where society has no real expectations. A person can simply “be” in a cafe. I appropriated many cafes as study halls, although Quills Coffee stood out as one great oasis in a concrete desert of no-loitering zones. A few blocks from my house meant it could provide me caffeine and wifi for study sessions. It also provided a location for the romantic notion of meeting someone through some inexplicable fate. One should be young and dream.

Quills Coffee and Books

That cafe where I spent so many hours was closed …

Where to Get Coffee Near Churchill Downs for Derby

April 30, 2013 By Darren 4 Comments

The Coffee Compass exists to help you navigate the world of craft coffee. It just so happens that we live in Louisville, the home of the Kentucky Derby. If you’re in town for the Run for the Roses this year, we have a trifecta of coffee shops for you to visit, all surprisingly close to Churchill Downs.

Sunergos Coffee Espresso Bar and Roastery – Woodlawn

Where the derby horses drink their espresso...

Photo: The Coffee Compass

We love Sunergos. The business made its debut back in 2004 with the opening of its Preston location near UofL and now in 2013 has three Louisville locations. Their location closest to Churchill Downs, Sunergos Woodlawn, is nestled just south of the Watterson Expressway on a small business strip between 3rd street and Southern parkway. The shop is the main roasting headquarters and showcases what Sunergos is all about:

Throughout the life of Sunergos we have enjoyed participating in a diverse community of people who regularly come together around coffee. Out of the fabric of this daily coffee community, people have emerged to join us in our work, enriching and being enriched through working together. The work of Sunergos continues to grow as each person engages their craft, from the roastery to the espresso bar. – www.sunergoscoffee.com

The shop has a paddle-group La Marzocco Linea espresso machine, two Kompaq K10 grinders boasting one blend and one single origin espresso, manual pour-overs (Chemex or V60), and has two rotating Sunergos coffees on their Fetco automated drip brewer. There is plenty of seating and depending on how far away you park for Derby events, might just be within walking distance!…

Barista Interview: John Letoto of Blacksmith Coffee, Houston, TX

February 11, 2013 By Darren 6 Comments

After we got the chance to experience what Dave Buehrer is doing in Houston, we were anxious to get down to the newest Greenway Coffee store front, Blacksmith. John Letoto, one of Louisville’s most seasoned coffee veterans and a personal friend to Michael and I, moved down to join the Blacksmith team Jan 16, 2013 – five days before the shop’s soft opening. While we were happy John moved onto Greener pastures (pun intended), we had to get a Q&A with the man that left such a powerful wake in his Louisville coffee path. With all the hype that Blacksmith has been getting, we also wanted to get the low-down on an amazing new shop from the unique perspective John provides. Without further ado:

You relocated 958 miles to work for Blacksmith. Why?

958 miles, eh? Hello, Google Mapper. Hard as it may be to believe, that’s only a quarter of the distance — give or take a large body of water and several States — I covered when I moved to Louisville back in 2003. I spent ten years and two days as a Kentuckiana resident, and, in retrospect, I think it’s pretty easy for me to see some of the bigger reasons for leaving. First, I wanted to really explore what I could do in the coffee community. I’m extremely grateful for the time I spent as a barista and roaster at Quills Coffee, and I’m proud of what we accomplished during my two years there, but in the end I felt an almost overwhelming itch to get out and explore the coffee world beyond the borders of the Midwest. Second, I wanted to …

Cafe Review: Collective Espresso in Cincinnati, OH

January 13, 2013 By Michael 3 Comments

The specialty coffee scene in Cincinnati just got a huge shot in the arm. Nestled on a quiet side street in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, Collective Espresso is a new craft coffee shop raising the bar in the Queen City. Even though Collective has only been open a month, owners Dustin Miller and David Hart are crafting espresso in Cincinnati like seasoned professionals.

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Cup Like a Champ: What Cory Andreen Can Teach Us About Coffee Cupping

September 20, 2012 By Darren 1 Comment

In the coffee world, the word “cup” is used as a verb synonymous with “taste.” To cup, or taste, coffee is to consciously interact with the subtle sensory components made manifest in the dynamic chemical process of brewing. Last Thursday evening, Prima Coffee hosted a small gathering with the current World Cup Tasters Champion (WCTC), Cory Andreen, at Quills Coffee. He communicated several great points on coffee cupping….

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