Serious Coffee

It’s easy to drink serious amounts of coffee, but to be a serious coffee drinker, there are few pulling a shot of the brown liqueur who are up to the standards of a true aficionado.

That’s why a place like Ninth Street Espresso, which recently (confusingly) opened on 13th Street in the lobby of the Classic Stage Company Theatre, is triggering coffee queues for the connoisseurs.

Using the über-concentrated method of pulling a shot, triple ristretto, in which the coffee is ground very finely and tamped very tightly to produce a shorter but fuller, sweeter shot, the baristas craft cappuccinos and americanos to perfection. This method grants an irresistibly thick crema to the top of every drink.

The coffee isn’t going unnoticed. Those in another business bent on beverages are flocking to Ninth Street—wine directors, sommeliers, and the like can be spotted regularly appreciating the craft of these more-than-your-average-joe pick-me-ups.