Drove 45 minutes to a 'third wave' coffee shop and got served lukewarm drip coffee

I saw this place on Instagram with all these latte art photos and people saying it was the best in the county. So I drove out to Oakdale last Saturday, paid $5.50 for a cup of their house drip. It was barely warm by the time I got to the table, and the barista was more focused on taking pictures of a pour-over for their story. I get that coffee is art to some people, but shouldn't the basics be good first? I just want a hot cup of coffee that doesn't taste like ash. Has anyone else had a letdown from a hyped-up coffee shop?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_bailey1d ago

That whole Instagram picture taking before serving thing" - did you say anything to the barista about the temp?

the_ryan1d ago

Funny you mention the temp thing because that's actually my biggest pet peeve with these places. They act like serving coffee at lukewarm is some kind of signature move. A friend who used to work at a shop like that told me they actually train baristas to serve drip coffee cooler because they think it brings out the flavors. But a warm cup of coffee is just a warm cup of coffee to me, not some fancy flavor experience. That whole Instagram picture taking before serving thing is real too. I watched a barista let a pour over sit for a solid two minutes while they staged the perfect photo. The guy's coffee was probably cold by the time he got it. Its like they care more about the look than the taste.