Stumptown

After spending a few hours skimming nonprofit texts in the SIBL, I made my first pilgrimage to the famed Stumptown/Ace Hotel lobby. For those of you who don't know, Stumptown is a small coffee shop acclaimed for its quality coffee. It is a storefront to the Ace Hotel. There's not much room in Stumptown, so, from what I gather, it's expected that you'll wander through the back door to the hotel lobby and nurse your drink of choice there.

First, the coffee. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but I have my preferences. Stumptown's coffee wasn't incredibly strong, but it was full-bodied. It had a slight acidic undertone, but it didn't linger in my mouth past the overtones. You don't want coffee that has a "flavor gap." It tastes like coffee as soon as you drink it, but the aftertaste tastes like watery bitterness. You want an aftertaste that still tastes like coffee.

I had my coffee black for the sake of evaluation, but it should be good with a touch of milk and sugar. Oh, shop itself was very cute: white walls and wood accents. The baristas were skinny hipsters. One of their fellow hipsters cut in front of me and the clerk served him first. I guess waiting in line and customer service are just too mainstream.

Through a back door in the coffee shop is the Ace Hotel lobby. The high ceiling lights were dim and complemented by tall glass canisters with candles inside of them. The room was mainly black and white, with dark furniture, but the dim light kept the contrast from creating a stark atmosphere. The furniture featured dark upholstered couches and chairs with dark wood finishes and vintage tables, complete with orange rust stains. I don't understand why people do homework here since the architecture leads to slight echoes and loud conversations, but its certainly a nice place to hang out.

http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/locations/nyc-ace