The NY Times covered it. So did a bunch of blogs. How did it stack up?
I've been to Mint Plaza a couple of times. The Blue Bottle cafe there is clean, stocked with newspapers and bar stools and blacktop counter space. The first full store offering from the kiosk-loving Blue Bottle chain, it's reminiscent of a Roman cafe during rush hour, blurred by fast moving shapes of dark suits and stilletto heels – the clientèle a couple of notches up from the bike messengers, shopgirls and other assorted hipsters that frequent the Hayes Valley storefront.
I call it Blue Bottle 2.0. One-point-Oh is tucked in an alleyway, really; a side street whose bookends are the on and off ramps to the 101 Highway. There, early morning risers brave the fog and huddle under hoodies sipping dark cups of espresso. Two-point-Oh tries to imitate a coffee utopia – a transcendent combination of swagger and finesse. Large windows, glimmering against the valley sun, open out into a broad plaza. Inside, a rotating selection of pastries and sweets line against the counter, eager to pair off with the wider range of beverages.
You can find Kyoto Iced coffee here. Shade-grown Costa Rican beans square off against lattes made from Yemen patio-dried roasts. Never heard of Papau New Guinea? Never mind, as its coffee is "citrusy and milk-chocolaty". Oh, it's also the farthest traveling product from the States that you can drink.
The star, here, however is the siphoned coffee. Working against gravity, coffee grounds are filtered by water steam flowing upwards from heated goblets. The contraption to make it work – the glass baubles and heated lamps and gurgling water – transport the visitor straight to Frankenstein's laboratory. The result? A dark cup that changes in aroma and taste with each sip – from woodsy to floral to grapefruit, apparently.
For the record, I tried, especially when the owner peered at me encouragingly. I took a whiff, then sipped. So? A bitter Ethiopian blend.
As with all experiences that depends on the refined tastes of its adherents, the question of worth is never objective. Hats off to Blue Bottle for introducing coffee that pushes the boundaries of the status quo. Perhaps with practice – my taste buds can come to appreciate the minute gradations of bitterness. For now, you can find me with the huddled masses sipping espressos in the morning's fog.