Claddagh Coffee

In an effort to fill in a lack of reviews for local coffeehouses, Cody and I have started branching out from our home brewing. Today we checked out Claddagh Coffee in St. Paul.

The interior is welcoming. Sunlight warms hardwood floors from the large floor to ceiling windows that line the sidewalk. The refurbished space exposes the original brick walls. There are plenty of tables from which to study or people watch, and a large room in the basement is open for meeting space or additional study space. The barista’s bar is not very large but the menu more than makes up for it. The traditional specialty espresso drinks and pour over dot the menu, but a slew of add-ins exist including, but not limited to: pineapple, honey, cayenne, carmel, coconut, hazelnut, and blood orange. The best part of Claddagh is the rotating featured roasters. The pour over and espresso offerings today were roasted by either Dogwood (a Minneapolis Roaster) or Anodyne (a Wisconsin roaster).

Before reviewing the coffee, we should note that we have visited Claddagh a few times and always enjoyed the flavor of the coffe and the espresso. But, nfortunately, today our latte fell short. A well crafted latte should be warm but cool enough to drink immediately. Today, though, I burnt my tongue. Again, we should mention that his is a mark on the barista, not the coffeehouse.

The latte featured Anodyne’s Mind Tonic espresso blend. Cody and I could pick out nut and floral notes. In addition, Cody picked up on some citrus notes for an overall smooth, well-roasted espresso. The paring with milk was quite good. However, the milk drowned out more of the espresso than I would have preferred (I try to stick to Cortados to avoid his problem).

Overall, if the experience today were to determine a return visit I would pass. Due to our previous visits though, I would highly recommend everyone to check this place out. The space is incredible, and the baristas typically brew well-crafted coffee. It is also a great place to sample what local and midwestern roasters have to offer. Perhaps in the future we’ll write another post about Claddagh as a balance to this one.

Enjoy.
-CJ