The Cookie Jar Pastry Shop

 The Cookie Jar Pastry Shop

554 Shore Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME, 04107

207-799-0671

Cookie Jar Pastry Shop (cookiejarbakers.com)

Coffee By Design – Craft-Roasted Coffee From Portland, Maine

        

Tuesday	6 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday	6 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday	6 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday	6 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday	6 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday	7 AM - 2:30 PM
Monday	Closed

This coffee shop was recommended by my friend Anya, who we (my roommate, Allison, and I) were visiting in Maine to celebrate her birthday. She knew of them for their pastries, specifically donuts, and apparently their specialty cakes (menu linked here) but because of this (and what I've been told about good food establishments vs. good coffee establishments), I didn't expect to review this shop. However, upon entering, I noticed The Cookie Jar actually served an abundance of brewed coffees.

Their array of blends all originated from one company, named Coffee by Design, or CBD for short. They company, owned by Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear, was established in 1994 in Portland, Maine. Both Mary and Alan lived in Seattle for some time, where they both found their love for coffee. They pride themselves on their coffee’s “traceability,” meaning that each blend can be traced back to the farmer or farmers it came from. Their list of farm partners is linked here, organized by region. More about Coffee by Design overall is linked here.  

Overall, the atmosphere was very inviting. The shop was quaint as they offered seating areas and the lack of hustle-and-bustle often paired with a drive-through window made the environment strikingly calm. We arrived at around 10 in the morning, which may explain how empty it was. Each customer had the privilege of receiving an individual welcome by at least one of the employees, as the door was in the direct line of sight of the cashier and also the women preparing donuts. There was only one other customer in the shop with us, an older man, maybe late 50s, and he got his order to go. 

As I ordered my small hot coffee, I made sure to ask the cashier which coffee blend she recommended. She was an older woman, in fact they were all older women, and I wondered if one of them was the owner, but I didn't think to ask. She told me that their house blend, The Cookie Jar Blend (curated specifically for The Cookie Jar Pastry Shop), was a sweeter coffee that I may enjoy. I took her word for it. The flavor profile and roast description are pictured below. 

This coffee was considered a light roast in comparison to their other offerings. They kindly offered self-serve cream and sugar; but I drank it black in order to analyze the flavor a little better. The coffee tasted stronger than what we typically have in class, as I’m sure it was roasted a little darker than what we’re used to and was very bitter. It was very acidic, and I didn't get the "nutty" flavor that was described on the label. I tried to research The Cookie Jar Blend on CBD's website and the closest blend I could find was their Coffeehouse Blend. Both have the same flavor profile and region of origin; however, the roast level is unique to each, with The Cookie Jar Blend on the lighter side. 

I also ordered a cinnamon roll to test for myself Professor Hayes’ theory about good eats and good coffee; it definitely proves true. Allison's red velvet donut definitely was the best out of our three. 

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