Paramo Coffee

View to the Promenade

If you’re like me, the words Sightglass and Stumptown get you salivating like Pavlov’s dog! Then you need to know about Paramo Coffee. This shop has a FANTASTIC pedigree.  Involved in the bean side of things is Gabe, the buyer and roaster who perfected his skills at these places (my two personal favorites). On the retail side of things is one of the gentlemen who founded Modern Coffee over in the Tribune Building in Oakland.  (If you haven't been there I highly recommend it for it’s truly modern concept, but that's a review for another day.)  Paramo Coffee Company is a relatively new (6 months) East Bay roaster who does a wonderful, well-thought-out job with its beans.   The coffee shop is even newer (only a few weeks), filling a coffee dead-zone in this particular section of the FiDi, their philosophy is that really good coffee should be accessible without the (often lampooned) attitude.  Located in Embarcadero 4, it's in a great location to accomplish this by serving tourists and locals alike. It is easily accessible from the Ferry Building and the Bart Embarcadero station.  

The Storefront:

Got Paramo?

It's a small space, in one side, order coffee and/or pastry, out the other, with plenty of seating out in the covered Promenade.  The space is clean and modern, yet inviting. Service was very friendly and everyone was happy to chat about coffee or anything else you might want. And they didn't kick me out when I accidentally muted their sound system. :-) The only issue I encountered were technical issues they were having with their POS system.  They had problems over a few days with their new system (which have since been resolved) ringing people up but they overcame the minor hiccups with grace and pleasantness.

The Coffee:

On my first visit I got my usual test cup when checking out a new shop, a small cappuccino (standard double ristretto).  The roast was a delicious nutty, warm pull, not the typical bright, citrusy feel.  It reminded me of Ninja Star Coffee out of Sebastopol (Yet another review for another day, so much coffee, so little time?), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have since discovered that the milk ratio can change the taste notes. A regular cappuccino is a cup of warm, nutty comfort. Add an extra double-pull and the complexities come out, warm, bright strength.  Their drip roasts are where they shine, and outshine over-hyped shops such as Blue Bottle.  Sold in smaller batch, half-pound bags, they let you know where the beans come from and when they were roasted.  Ask for a sample of the brew of the day and you'll get a generous taste.   

The Food:

They don't have a lot of food offerings, but what they do have will more than satisfy a craving. They get their baked goods from Wholesome and Starter bakeries and had tempting offerings on display from golden scones, flaky croissants, and decadent muffins.  They also had cronuts that looked like light, fluffy little clouds of carby goodness.

Blurry picture of my cappuccino
made by the man

Coffee Geekery:

Yesterday I stopped by for a lunch time cappuccino, getting my preferred small, quad cap. Gabe was there calling pulling the shots and introduced himself. He and everyone at Paramo are nice people who have a passion for coffee from start to finish.

Now that you know, Go get your Paramo on!

6/7 stars, worth going out of your way for.  

Espressamente

Kidney-shaped Coffee Art

Espressamente is Illy's retail shop, franchised in about 200 shops around the world. I think there are about 9 or 10 in the US. There's 1 in SF at 123 Battery St. and opened about a year and a half ago, blowing much of its own fanfare. Illy is considered the grand Dame of Italian espresso roasts and really, if you check them out at all, they are quite impressive. They have a 'University' training center where baristas are trained in the Illy way.

But this Espressamente has slid down the bean hill, fast.

My visit was a sad, frustrating experience. There were two people behind the counter, a barista and the order taker. And while pleasant and professional, they both seemed... Inexperienced and ill prepared for the amount of people coming through, which was not a lot by any means in a busy downtown. It was as though they hadn't been properly trained to handle things.  They seemed to be trying though.  I even got cappuccino art.  A kidney shape that depressed me even more.

Espresso Cup Chandelier

The space was slick and shiny. There's a pretty cool espresso cup chandelier. They offer coffee, juices, baked goods and lunch items.

Generally, I expect my cup to start warm and 'caramely' and move into a fruity, acidic finish. (I call it sour). But it was flat and dull the entire cup. No personality, no depth. It didn't really taste scorched so much as tamped incorrectly.

The shop had an overall depressing, stagnant feel to it. I'm pretty sure I won't be back.

3 of 7 stars: Meh! Go to Starbucks or Peets instead.