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Amherst Coffee
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Paid
16 reviews for Amherst Coffee
Some go to coffee houses to sit and lounge around. I understand this passion. I love working at a coffee shop. But, this coffee shop isn't about the lounging. It's about the coffee, more specifically a espresso shot....
On a busy rainy Sunday I wondered to Amherst Coffee with a girl that I was visiting. "I've been here before." I said with a strange sense of familiarity. I had visited Amherst before, but I did not remember it, nor did I walk away with the knowledge that I now have generated. I wasn't expecting what I was about to run into, but, I knew I needed to go. As I walked in and looked at the espresso machine, I knew I was about to get a shot that would knock my socks off. I looked up at the board, under the words "espresso" it said, "triple ristretto." I have heard of a quad ristretto, but not a triple. This intensified my curiosity.
The small ceramic glass was handed to me. I could see the thickness of this shot and my mouth watered with anticipation. It was filled to the brim but it was still thick the way the Italians would have liked it to be poured. I smelled the sweet smell of carefully roasted coffee, blended to perfection. I knew that careful care and consideration went into this shot of coffee; from the blend of beans, delicate grinder and espresso machine, to the barista who was pouring my shot, I knew it would be heaven. With the first sip, I could taste the complexity of the coffee. At first my mouth filled with a fruity dessert flavor like caramelized peaches. Then it finished with a maple syrup after taste. "What an appropriate flavor for this part of the country," I thought to myself...
Go to this coffee shop go for the love of coffee or whiskey. Engulf yourself in the care and craft of coffee. If you go for this purpose, I can guarantee you, you will be more then pleased with what you find. Don't go if you don't get coffee. This is not about frapachinos or crap coffee, it's about the art form of coffee.
H
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
The coffee, espresso and tea selection is quality. A major bonus is that they are open late and serve beer and wine.
However, I have a list of things that bother me. First thing is that there is no free wireless; You can get onto the Amherst public network but the connection is often unreliable. Second is that one of the requirements for being a barista there is that you must have a stick up your ass. I can think of maybe one or two baristas there that actually seem friendly. The third thing is that the place just seems to try too hard to cultivate a classy and mature atmosphere: fake candles, jazz only (except on rare occasions), too dark, etc.
The place is good to grab a coffee or drink or to do work there on the rare occasion, but I wouldn't frequent the place.
Excellent cup of dark roast coffee to start the morning.
Pros: Good coffee, clean, absence of wannabe hippies.
Cons: Unfriendly staff, watered down martinis, bad music.
I have been there on more than one occasion, and the service each time has been terrible. How much effort does it take to be receptive, cheerful and welcoming? It is called 'service' industry for a reason.
I don't think the skill of pouring down milk in a fancy way into coffee can make up for a sneering pretentiousness reeking of renaissance age Florence. Knowing the names of obscure wines or scotch whiskeys found on the menu card does not make you the most intelligent person, either.
This place tries too hard, and it fails because of it. Granted you will be surprised by their drinks menu since it has vowed to not serve any drinks found in any of the bars in town. And yes that includes Chivas Regal whiskey. But then, you will be bored to hear Miles Davis' Kind of Blue being played incessantly every time you go there.
And that's what other reviewers have said about good jazz. Yes it is good, but it is presented in a blanket of we-are-the-stalwarts-of-art-and-we-can't-play-anyt hing-else-since-we-don't-know-and we-know-you-don't-know-either.
Besides these gripes, you have the typical coffee house crowd, fraught with Apple Macs and curious eyes more focused on other people than the work they're supposed to be doing.
So, if you want to wait 15 minutes to get a coffee or a drink and engage in existentialism discussions with empty headed people, do go there.
Or, if you want to really make the most of it, get their good coffee to go, and visit the Amherst library right across the road, where you can learn more stuff without being a neo-snob.
A haiku:
Macbooks everywhere.
the best latte in ever.
Oh, how I love thee.
I love you from afar, Amherst Coffee, and I'll surely be back for more deliciousness.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (2)
Great selection of loose-leaf teas, comfy chairs (though most of them are bar-stool height, so grab an extra one to put up your feet) and funky decor might just make up for lack of free wi-fi.
If you are a terrible human being you will love this place.
This place somehow makes all the rest of the bourgie Amherst establishments seem almost working class in comparison. Where I'm from we have a name for places that run out of iced coffee - the enemy.
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
Amherst Coffee is like the more mature, refined, hip sibling to most other cafes in town. If it was a Friday night, you'd only go to the other cafe's with the desperate hope that Amherst Coffee might want to hang out later or perhaps laugh at your jokes and make you feel like a big kid.
SIGH..sooo dreamy.
People thought this was:
- Funny (1)
say what you will about these guys, they do what they do really well.
their espresso drinks are up there with some of the best i have ever had, and consistently so. i almost never order tea or drip coffee, but on the occasions when i have they have been great as well.
i have never gone in the evening to try out the booze, but their bottle selection is really top notch, akin to what the moan and dove or the dirty truth do for beer.
i am not into snooty and despite what some people say i have never found these guys to be so. it's not the warmest or friendliest place i have ever been, but service is polite and professional, which i prefer to the begrudging service i sometimes get at rao's or the black sheep.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Good coffee, nice atmosphere. A lot quieter than Rao's, although sometimes it's hard to get a seat. A good place to read pretentious novels, or people-watch.
I was also a bit overwhelmed with their tea selection, only because I'm more of a coffee junkie.
Elegant old brick
King hell scotch and bourbon tastes
Black clad Eurotrash.
This is also a bourgie coffee place. But their coffee and teas are sooo good. The area itself is a little small, but the atmosphere is nice. They also serve alcohol as well but the wines and mixed drinks are very expensive (think about a $9 Cosmo). Along with pastries, they serve small appetizers as well like bread and olives.
In the summer time, an iced oolong tea really hits the spot. They have Jazz on certain nights as well with local artists.
Amherst Coffee is a bit somber in atmosphere, but the coffee is great. Good jazz music.
They charge for their own wireless Internet connection (maybe to keep the high school kids out?) but you can pick up the Town of Amherst's free wifi signal.
Best place for coffee in Amherst.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I have to disagree with previous reviews. I've heard many good things about this place and passed by it a few times, however the one time I went to get a coffee from them I was really disappointed. I agree the coffee itself is really good quality however, service, price, staff, and everything else in between is horrible. I spent at least 15 minutes waiting for my drinks - and I was the only person in line!!! I mean come on! I used to be a barista at Starbucks, and I do have respect for all the coffee industry employees, but seriously I don't need to wait 15 minutes to get a cup of coffee that a machine makes in several seconds! I do not like drinking my coffee cold, and in fact the espresso shots go bad after only after under a minute time, so you should get it to your customer before that time!
Plus, even though the mastery of pouring the milk in an artsy form is seriously a gift and my praise to that person, but making bad tasting mocha(s) for those prices is a crime.
I would not recommend this place to anyone.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
I'm so glad this place opened. The coffee is way better than Rao's and I don't have to elbow around young people pretending to be homeless artists.
People thought this was:
- Funny (2)
Good espresso. I've been here four times now, and espresso is all I've gotten. Tasts like Seattle espresso, not so much in terms of quality but in terms of flavor characteristics. Interior is one large room with an espresso counter and a wine & bourbon bar. A local beer guru highly recommends this spot for it bourbon & scotch.
