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This location had to be revisited, because the initial results were so surprising. Like any other Specialty's, they use the same equipment and beans: Intelligentsia, but produced in a lame paper cup by super-automatic machines and "baristas" who really make sandwiches and push buttons. Despite this, they (on first try) produced the best super-automatic espresso I've ever had. It came with a medium-brown, moderately thick, even crema, a substantial body as an appropriately short shot, and a pungent, herbal punch of thyme and some cloves. Can they do this consistently? Unfortunately, no. Repeat visits produced espresso with a thinner-bodied, pale white crema and a pungent flavor that inherited too much ashiness. Starbucks and all their vast resources have been unsuccessfully trying to systematically pull off the great, consistent, super-automated for years. Too bad this location's initial success was merely an irreproducible fluke, as the espresso is typically average here now.
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