Redeye Roasters Coffee + Espresso Lounge

                   http://www.redeyeroasters.com

Redeye Roaster Coffee & Expresso Lounge is a local coffee shop located 20 miles from the city and 20 feet from the water in Bare Cove Marina at 3 Otis Street in Hingham with a charming view of Hingham Bay to add to its quaint beach town ambience. Redeye Roasters is the only artisanal roastery and café in south suburban Boston.

Redeye Roasters have 22 seats, eight tables, a sofa and a bar that surrounds their old-world San Franciscan roaster. Here they roast and brew their own coffee offering it in hot or iced along with tens of other beverages such as espresso, lattes, teas, and hot chocolate. The also offer café style foods such as muffins, croissants, homemade breakfast sandwiches, and gourmet grilled cheeses.

“We started roasting at home out of an obsession to see just how much flavor we could romance from the most carefully planted, tended and processed beans we could get our hands on. Hour after hour, over and over – years before we opened the café – we roasted and experimented with different beans until we learned everything there was to know about coffee.”

Redeye Roasters purchase their beans directly from growers through specialty coffee importers who know the farmers. These local roasters search out beans that have been handled and processed with great care, sample roasting every bean before buying– always making sure that the growers are paid a fair wage.

Along with their in-house menu Redeye Roasters offer merchandise such as apparel, coffee brewing tools like the French press, and of course bags of their ground and whole bean coffee to take home and brew yourself. 

 

“We’re not your ubiquitous coffee shop – we’d never roast that dark. We’re one of a newer wave of coffee roasters who know that lightly roasting very high quality beans is the way to produce complex, nuanced flavor.”

Kelsey Butler

Stoughton House of Brews

The Stoughton House of Brews is a neighborhood coffee house by day and then transforms into a small pub like bar at night. Since opening in 2013 the House of Brews is always packed with guests day or night. They have all different types of food from breakfast sandwiches and muffins to appetizers. One key item is that they have organic lattes.  Located at 28 Porter Street Stoughton, MA

Hours:

Monday- Friday (mornings) 

6:30am to 11:30am

Tuesday- Thursday (evenings)

5:00pm to 11:00pm

Saturday 

8am to 12pm, 6pm to 12am

Sunday

(first Sunday of the month) Acoustic Brunch

9:30am to 1:30pm

* Closed all other sundays

I personally have never been to the Acoustic Brunch but as I was in there I overheard a couple talking about how they just attended the previous one and loved it! Immediately when I walked into the you just feel comfortable. The whole atmosphere is full of couches and comfy seating. It has unique lighting and warm toned walls which makes it feel inviting.

Also they have a fireplace which just adds to the nice and relaxed feel.

One key feature that I think draws a lot of people in is the location. The location is a main factor with the Stoughton House of Brews because not only is the shop in the town center it also is right next to the train station. Having the commuter rail being so close to the House of Brews is very helpful because the morning rush when people are running to catch their trains or parking there car in the commuter rail lot which is directly next to the coffee shop they can grab a nice cup of energy to start their day.

Double Dutch Espresso, Harlem, NYC

Double Dutch Espresso doesn't only serve espresso but they also serve your ice coffee, and hot coffee but next door to them is their bar. The shop offers lunch specialties, and pastries of the day. When I had went the sandwich was a Roast Beef on wheat with some specialty sauce. Inside the atmosphere was very calming, with dim lighting, soft music playing (not like ocean waves but pianos with some other instruments), not very bright colors, more of a rustic look, but also the door was open along with the sliding window. It's located at 2194 Fredrick Douglass Blvd., New York.

                                                                                                

     Monday - Friday: 7am - 8pm

       Saturday - Sunday: 8am - 8pm

 To get to there was a short walk from my boyfriend's and as you approached you could smell the coffee. But to my surprise I did not see a huge roaster, I don't think I saw one at all. But inside there were many places to sit with a group or if you wanted to sit somewhat alone there was a bar with stools along the left side. The space was however a little tight, it was rectangular shaped but they made it work. I decided I didn't want to sit but to walk outside and enjoy the day- 67 and sunny.










The menu was short but still had many options to choose, and didn't exactly display what types of coffee they had, but they did serve different type of espresso shots, and different types of teas. They also had wheat-grass plants growing on the counters for different types of drinks. For my choice of what I wanted I stuck to what I know and decided to get a Iced Mocha- for $4.50, on the expensive side but was so good. And by far the best one I probably have ever had I think it's because the wake-me up that you get from the coffee, it was just something about it that made it taste so good too- more importantly it had the mocha that made it see to come completely together. 




On the website you see their menu, and also a link to the bar- that is located next door and they both host events.











-Michaela Sinkevich 4/20/15

Charles River Coffee House, Natick

The Charles River Coffee House is located 57 Eliot St in Natick MA. It is about 10 minutes from where I live, so I have occasionally been there for a coffee and food.


As it is named the Charles River Coffee House, it is conveniently located next to the Charles River. Around it are other shops, as well as a Library, Church, Museum, Park, etc.




On the outside, there are a couple of tables for people to sit at, 
which many people tend to do on a nice day.  
The picture to the right was taken a little after closing 
time (4pm on a saturday), so no one is around at this time.



There are no actual parking spots, but people park by pulling to the side of the road. Since the coffee shop is next to a set of lights, there are usually a lot of cars going by.





On the inside, it is very small and tight. The menu is written in chalk as
shown in the picture at the right. There aren't many tables to sit at, but there are usually some people sitting inside chatting together, typically a group of older guys. Many people come in and order a coffee and food to-go.


The menu consists of sandwiches, salads, soups, muffins, bagels, and lots of coffee. There are also a lot of collectables inside, some that you can see in the picture.

Uncle Jon's Java House

For my coffee shop visit, I chose Uncle Jon's Java House, located at 88 North Street, Mattapoisett, MA. This shop has been in business for over 20 years!


           

I visited on a Saturday afternoon around noon-time, so the early morning coffee rush was over. While I walked in, I saw a young couple (probably in their mid-twenties) walk out with their order, and while I was inside, a middle-aged man came in to get coffee.

                                       

This particular location is Walk-In only. There is no drive-thru, tables, or chairs. However, there is another location of Uncle Jon's Java House in Marion, which has the sit-down option.

            

Even though this location is small and only caters to Walk-Ins, I thought it was extremely inviting! On the slider window in the picture above, there are posters and advertisements for local events.

             

After my friend and I got our coffee, I interviewed the woman behind the counter, Maria, who just happens to be a BSU student as  well! She told me that the coffee shop gets their coffee from Ocean Coffee Roasters (located in RI). Maria told me that "This coffee is WAY stronger than Dunks...". I also asked her if she knew if they sold fair trade coffee and she said they do, but she is unsure what country it comes from. Maria also told me that she has worked at this location for over six years and her favorite part of her job is meeting new people and talking with them.



The nearest Dunkin' Donuts is located two minutes away.

I would definitely recommend Uncle Jon's Java House to everyone I know! The back roads to this shop is filled with beautiful scenery as well (lakes, hiking trails, farms), so you could definitely make a day trip out of it. I know I will be going back soon ( :

Coffee Milano - Middleboro, MA

For my coffee shop visit I stayed local and went to Coffee Milano in my hometown of Middleboro, Massachusetts. If you zoom into the map you'll see that there is a Honey Dew directly across the street from this little cafe, and three Dunkin Donuts within 5 minutes.
Though this small shop is less than a five minute walk from my house, I had never been inside until a few weeks ago for this project. I've now already been twice since that initial visit because I love it so much. For my first visit, I went during lunch time and immediately ordered a hot black coffee so I could get an idea of what their basic coffee tasted like. It wasn't anything great but it wasn't horrible. There are plenty of other types of coffee and flavors to try though, so if you're not looking for the highest quality coffee you should be pretty happy. Below is their drink menu (the chalkboard look always feels so homey) and you can see they've got a lot to offer and much of it is not even coffee.

There was not a lot of information about the coffee available. All I could find out easily was that it said it was arabica and Colombian. Because it was lunch time, I also ordered a turkey sandwich with my coffee. It took me a good twenty minutes to decide on this though because there were so many options. Check out this sandwich menu:

I was completely overwhelmed. There was also a huge salad menu as well:

There is also a full page breakfast menu. I don't know how I ended up with a turkey sandwich but it was a good one! The general atmosphere of the place was great too. As soon as I walked in I was greeted and the workers were extremely friendly and gave me a menu to sit down with until I figured out what I wanted. There were plenty of seats of different kinds: couches, regular tables, and high top tables. The whole shop is bright and open yet cozy. I love this doorway from one side of the dining room to the counter area:

There was also a bar-type table facing the window but there were a few older men sitting there who seemed like regulars.In fact, as I sat looking at the menu I noticed a lot of people coming through who seemed like regulars. The workers seemed to recognize customers and their orders immediately. I've been going to the same Dunkin Donuts ordering a medium iced regular every day for 2+ years and still get the wrong coffee half the time. The only reason Dunkin Donuts is my regular is because of its convenience and drive thru, but I think I may need to add Coffee Milano to my morning routine. Even though Coffee Milano was very busy, it still seemed laid back and peaceful, like a place you could sit and read or do homework. Overall, I think Coffee Milano is a great little shop. It does not necessarily have the best coffee in the world but I would say it is still better than most coffee chains in the area. It is really the food and atmosphere that gives this shop its edge, and it is that edge that keeps Coffee Milano going even across the street from a coffee chain.

The Green Bean

For my coffee shop visit, I decided to go not too far from my hometown (Freetown, Ma) to experience "The Green Been" (New Bedford) for the first time.. From a perspective that has grown up hearing of the wrongs things that have happened to New Bedford over the past 30 years, it was rather impressive to see that there are a many businesses thriving to give a new appeal to the city. As for the restaurant itself, The Green Bean instantly appeals to the "non-corporate american coffee drinkers" with a sign that many should take the time to

Inside the restaurant, there was a very diverse crowd of people. Many college students from BCC (same block) stopped in and out, there were many what seemed to be "regulars" gathered in the restaurant, as well as police officer. The overall experience is very laid back and enjoyable, and the staff was friendly. The menu itself offers a balance of options suitable to both vegetarians and meat lovers. With a variety of omelettes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, smoothies, and baked goods it seemed suitable to a variety of appetites. However, as pleased as i was with the food as well as the atmosphere, i found the coffee to be the best.
The Coffee and Tea trade was by far the best portion of the business. I was surprised at first when i heard that the coffee brewed at Green Bean was purchased from Coastal Roasters, a business that I visit often and had no idea the two had any affiliation. I appreciated the mutual interest between the two local businesses had in supplying the public with coffee of a higher value, both to the consumer and producer. After researching Coastal Roasters coffee a little further, I found out that there house blend was a mix of beans from both Africa and Latin America. The house blend coffee does meet societies current trend of Eco-friendliness, being both fair trade organic and equal exchange, (to the eyes of someone who is currently realizing the problems in the whole trade of coffee, there is much more to be done). My friend whom i was with ordered a vanilla latte, which was very strong and tasteful as well. The shop also offered the customers a wide-variety of what seemed interesting tea's flavors, however that is all i can say due to my individual devoutness of coffee.

For my first experience at Green Been, it was hard to find dissatisfaction. Well multiple visits (sure to come) can give a more edged perspective, I would highly recommend one whom is appreciative of higher quality to make the unorthodox stop to New Bedford, home of the Green Been.