Sky Blue Coffee: Clouded Over

Sky Blue Cafe
700 Fatherland St
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 770-7097

www.skybluecoffee.com

A rule of thumb that I go by is that if the furnishings of a coffee place is a bunch of old tables and chairs that appear purchased at a thrift store or yard sales, the experience is just as shabby.  It's just a sign that they're not trying.

I will give this to them: their coffee is good.  One sip and you'll know it's Drew's Brews Coffee, and it's just too hard to screw up.  What goes against them is that is that several good coffee places also offer Drew's Brews, also.

Now to be fair, in the last year, ownership has changed hands: under the old régime, the food left much to be desired.  It wasn't horrible, but the same dishes were much lower in quality than at, say, Bongo Java in the Belmont area.  I haven't had any of their food since the new ownership, but in lieu of that, I can only judge by the coffee and the environment, and neither differentiate themselves in any positive way.

One thing that they've got going for them is that they are the premier place for coffee in the general vicinity of LP Field, and some of the hip shops and offices in East Nashville.  The next best places are either across the bridge (which can be a headache, or deep in East Nashville on the strip of coffee places around McGavock Pike.  So, the upshot is if you need a reliably good cup of coffee in off I-24 in East Nashville, Sky Blue is a good place for it, but try to keep your eyes half-closed, because there's nothing good to look at unless you bring a laptop.

The Perch is the Best

The Perch

117 Franklin Rd
Brentwood, TN 37027
(615) 661-9008

Almost all that be said is "Wow!"

Just wow.  It's not too often that you're just blown away by a cup of coffee but the Perch does just that.


Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer a mild brew.  This not only has a mild flavor, but it is the smoothest coffee I've ever had.  I'm used to the usual group of local brews, but Perch uses Leopard Forest Beans, which claims the "sustainable" and "shade-grown," which is supposed to make some people feel less guilty about destroying rain forests, or wages for people in far-off countries, but I have my own life to consider.  Nonetheless, this was an excellent brew.


They also offer crepes, and the one I ordered was very good, too.  But the other major benefit to the store is the staff.  I ran into three different employees during my short time there, and all of them really made me feel at home.  The young man who took my order was extremely friendly and informative; the girl making my crepe was about as sweet as anyone I've ever met.  And the manager-type person who came by later on was quiet but greeted me and made me feel welcome, too.


I love this place now, and I am deeply upset that this is fifteen miles away from where I live, because I would love to go there on a weekly basis.  Nonetheless, if you're in the Old Hickory Blvd. (south side) area Brentwood, this is an awesome place to go.  Great coffee, great service, tasty crepes.

Starbucks Cafe Via: Great but Expensive

Not many moons ago, Starbucks started marketing their own line of Instant Coffee, called Via. It is not sold in cannister, plastic jars, or small tubs, like most others are, but in small sealed packets, much like the sugar-free drink packets you drop into bottle of water.

Now, I found a way to get a free sample via the mail (pun intended), so I ordered it, and waited. I was at the grocery store not longer after, and checked it out: my eyes nearly popped out of my head: it came to about a dollar a packet. One dollar for a cup of coffee. Out-freaking-rageous.

Now, I'll go to a coffeeshop, and spend $2 for a brew, $3.50 for a espresso-based drink, or up to five dollars for a frappe of one kind or another, but I will not spend $1 for a drink I have to make myself under any circumstances. If I am going to have coffee that's a little pricier, I want it to be the highest quality, and no instant can ever do that.

That being said, I will say that it is the best instant coffee I have ever had. No question about it. When the sample came in the mail, I boiled some water, dumped it in, stirred, and tried it. I also let my wife sample it. We agreed that it is definitely the best instant coffee we've ever had. You can even taste the Starbucks roast coming through.

Now, it is still not worth the cost in my eyes. First, I am not a Starbucks aficionado. Starbucks is very bitter and more expensive than necessary. Second, it's not as good as several of the local roasters and coffeeshops. If I can support a Crema, a Billy Goat Coffee, or a Bongo Java, I would prefer to whenever I can. Third, there are so many things you can do at home to make an easy and tasty simple cup of joe.

If you're a Starbucks fan, and you're willing to put up the premium for the best instant coffee around, then Via is a good choice. I just won't be buying it myself.

Crema Keeps Getting Better

CREMA
15 Hermitage Ave.
Nashville, Tennessee 37210
(615) 255-8311
www.crema-coffee.com

The first time I visited Crema, I found the place to be extremely pretentious, a little expensive, and the coffee too different to impress me. The place came off as a retooled machine shop or auto mechanic.

The truth remained, however, that Nashville loves Crema. So, as time went by, I could not avoid it, especially considering it's location convenient to downtown. As I kept coming, the more and more I liked it.

To begin with, their different process of making coffee really is impressive. They borrow the name "crema" from the natural foam on top of an espresso drink. Usually, this is an extremely thin layer, and is easily ignored. However, the good folks at the Crema store use an entirely different espresso press which allows more air to pass through, this allows for a larger "head" (AKA a larger crema). This is not milk froth in a cappuccino, this is a froth made of the coffee itself. And it is a neat feature.

More recently, Crema has moved their iced coffee from regular brewed over iced to the milder and more refreshing cold brew method.

Now, I stand by my remarks that Crema is extremely pretentious. I realize now that this is not the fault of the staff, who are usually helpful, and sometimes extremely friendly: it's caused by the young hip crowd. Walking in and seeing ten Apple laptops scattered throughout the building is common. But the snobs are easily ignored, and the wifi is excellent.

Next time you're tooling around downtown, and you need that quick perk, Crema is an excellent choice.