Madison Cappuccino Reviews – Page 2 – A Jumbled Little World

Cappuccino Review #4 – Bradbury’s

Bradbury’s

127 N Hamilton St.
Madison, WI

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

I’ve been to Bradbury’s many times before, but I decided it was time to do an official review. They are a very small shop on the corner of N Hamilton and Webster; this means that there are only a few tables and some additional stool seating along the window. That really is the only negative I can think of about the place; it can get crowded at times, especially during the Saturday farmer’s market on the nearby capitol square. The place also has a distinct ‘hipster’ vibe, though you certainly don’t feel left out if you aren’t all that ‘hip’. They also are very up front about their sustainability and fair trade practices, which I think is always a plus. There are two main categories of items on the menu: espresso drinks (where the espresso is highlighted rather than smothered by milk) and crepes.

I’ll start with the crepes and then move on to their cappuccino. Normally I don’t dwell too much on the food offerings of a coffee shop but the crepes at Bradbury’s are really excellent. They have a regurally changing menue composed of both ‘sweet’ and ‘savory’ crepes, many of them containing items from Wisconsin farms. Taryn met me there after work, so we ordered one ‘sweet’ and one ‘savory’ and shared (something I highly recommend, because an assortment of crepes is always a good thing). She ordered the neutella, banana, and choped almonds crepe; I got one with spinach, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and chedder cheese. Both were delicious in their respective ways.

On to the cappuccino. At Bradbury’s there are two cappuccino options; the 80z

Sort of sad that the little shape in the foam had to be destroyed

cappuccino is what you typically get from places like starbucks, and the ‘classic cappuccino’ is a perfect 60z. It would be great if more places did things this way! The cappuccino itself was like a little piece of art; they consistently make their cappuccinos like the one in the picture. The foam was smooth, though there were some larger bubles (not as fine grained as at Mother Fool’s). The taste was excelent; it had the perfect espresso taste with nutty hints and a good amount of creme floating up to the top. I actually use the coffee they serve (Kikapoo coffee) at home when I make espresso drinks, so I can attest to the fact that they start out with very good coffee beans. It was also incredibly smooth, without any of the bitterness that turns some people off to classic cappuccinos. So, they have REALLY good cappuccinos; it’s as simple as that. Taryn’s chai latte was also very good though not as remarkable as the cappuccino. Here are the numbers for the cappuccino (all scores out of 5):

Presentation: 5

Smoothness: 5

Strength: 5

Complexity: 4.5

Foam: 4.5

Correctness: 5

Mean 4.83/5

SD: .26

So far, this gives Bradbury’s the best cappuccinos in Madison, followed up closely by Mother Fool’s. I don’t think anyone will be able to match them, but we shall certainly see!

Cappuccino Review #3 – Ancora

Ancora Coffee Roasters

2871 University Ave.

Madison, WI 53705

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

It was a cold morning here in Madison, but Taryn and I braved the fridged air to visit the Ancora coffee shop located on University Ave. Unfortunatnly, I forgot the camera at home, so there won’t be any pictures of the place or drinks here. Ancora owns a small chain of coffee shops in the Madison area; the one on University Ave. is very small and more oriented toward commuters traveling through the isthmus. On this Sunday, it was pretty much full, but we found a couple of nice seats next to the (unlit) fireplace. Ancora’s smallest size of coffee drink is called a ‘regular’; this comes in a 12oz mug. By cappuccino standards this is enormous, more than twice as big as it should be, but is pretty typical among coffee shops that consider the latte to be the standard drink. So, I ordered a dry regular cappuccino and hoped for the best

As expected, the cappuccino had too much milk. The foam was a bit course though otherwise nice. The real shame was that I could tell the quality of the coffee was quite good, however, it was diluted with too much milk. Otherwise it was a pleasant cappuccino, though it more resembled a strong latte than anything else. Here are the numbers (all out of 5):

Presentation: 3

Smoothness: 4

Strength: 3

Complexity: 3

Foam: 3

Correctness: 3

Mean: 3.17/5

SD: 0.41

Although the cappuccino was pretty average, Taryn’s chai latte was extremely good. It was served in something similar to a water glass, and featured a head of foam that was silky and tasty. To round it off, cinnamon was sprinkled over the foam; extra points for that! It was bit sweeter than what many people may prefer (it is perhaps the opposite of the subdued chai at Mother Fool’s), but if you are into that sort of things it is tops.

So, there we have it; although I consider Ancora to be one of the better coffee shops in town, their cappuccino is only average. However, their chai is probably worth a visit.

Cappuccino Review #2 – Mother Fool’s

Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse

On the corner of Williamson St. and Ingersoll

1101 Williamson St.
Madison, WI 53703

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

Williamson St. is typically considered to be the most ‘bohemian’ area of town and is referred to mostly by the name Willy St. by the people of Madison. Mother Fool’s retains this character; its interior is well worn and airy, and on a saturday is generally populated by students and others of that sort. It is also accepts Madison Hours, the local currency of Madison, in case you have some of that in your wallet.

I had already heard very good things about the cappuccinos at this place before I tested it. I was also hopeful when I saw that their menu listed a cappuccino as 1/3

I couldn't resist taking a sip before the picture...

espresso, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 foam. So, I ordered a small cappuccino and I indeed got a classic cappuccino of about 50z. Perfect! The foam was pleasant and of a perfect proportion. I could also tell that the espresso was of high quality (they use Alterra coffee out of Milwaukee, WI); it came through the milk with a robust flavor but was not overly bitter. It also had a nice hint of berries. Put simply, this was one of the best cappuccinos that I have ever had. I’m sure a more refined taster could have gripes with this drink, but I simply cannot. Here are the numbers (all scores out of 5):

Presentation: 4

Smoothness: 5

Strength: 5

Complexity: 4

Foam: 5

Correctness: 5

Mean 4.67/5

SD: .52

Taryn ordered the chai latte; this is rather different from a standard chai latte that you typically find in coffee shops. Instead of a premanufactured mix

The Chai latte; notice the teabags steeping in the milk.

being combined with steamed milk, Mother Fool’s gives you chai tea bags steeping in steamed milk. This produces a more subtle drink that is definently worth a try.

I’m a little reluctant to say that Mother Fool’s is the best coffee shop on the east side, given the fact that I have not yet been to Escape Java Joint (which is just down the street), but I’m sure it is pretty close. I would certainly go out of my way to have another cappuccino here.

Cappuccino Review #1 – Starbucks

Starbucks on the capitol square

starbucks-outsidesmall — Across the street from the state capitol; many suits are found inside.

1 E Main St # 101
Madison, WI 53703

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here

It was a beautiful day in Madison today (topping out at 54deg F, which is amazing for Madison in February), so I met Taryn downtown after work and decided to start my series of cappuccino reviews with Starbucks. You may love or hate the place, but you can’t deny that Starbucks has forever changed the the coffee shop businesses. It is often times argued that they come into towns and attempt to drive out locally owned businesses. However, in my experience (I am from suburban Wisconsin) Starbucks has only increased the quality of local shops that could get away with substandard espresso drinks before the competition. Starbucks does set a certain (though perhaps low) bar of quality.

I went to the Starbucks on the capitol square because I had not actually ever been in there, though there are many of them around town. For all my reviews, I’ll rate shops by 6 criteria; I explain them fully in a previous post. I’ll list my final ratings at the end, but here is my non-numeric impression of the Starbucks cappuccino.

I ordered a ‘short’ cappuccino, the mystery size that does not appear on their menu. In my experience a ‘tall’ (12 oz) cappuccino is little more than a latte; you get the same 1 shot of espresso but with way too much milk. However, the ‘short’ is still 8 0z (which is about 3 oz too large), but I’ll take what I can get. I was pleased when I got the drink though; previously at Starbucks I’ve only gotten cappuccinos to go. The drink certainly looked like it might be a pleasant surprise.

It is a pretty (though large) cappuccino.

One good sign, as can be seen in the picture, is the ‘espressoized’ milk peeking through the foam; this usually means that you will at least be able to taste the coffee over the milk. However, it is a tad too big (by about 2 or 3 oz) so I sort of expected a rather weak cappuccino.

And flimsiness is exactly what I got. Although the foam was quite silking, sweet and good, the rest of the drink was weak and unremarkable. The espresso that I did taste was just ok, a tad bitter and without much complexity beyond the stereotypical espresso flavor. So overall, this was a serviceable cappuccino; I might get it again if I found myself in a Starbucks (though I’m not sure I would do so in Madison given my other options), but otherwise I wouldn’t come here again. However, I have to say that their toffee almond bars are really good; I might be back just for that! In other news, Taryn’s Chai latte was also “ok”, a bit weak and average. Here are the numbers for the cappuccino; all scores are out of 5 possible points:

Smoothness: 2

Presentation: 4

Strength: 3

Complexity: 2

Foam: 4

Correctness: 3

Mean score: 3 /5

SD: 0.89

Cappuccino Run

How a coffee shop makes its cappuccinos says a lot. One can drown bad coffee in sweet milk, but when a cappuccino is made properly it shows off (or exposes) both the quality of the bean as well as the skill of the barista. I’m not trying to be a snooty douche, but cappuccinos really are tasty and also seem to brighten my day (though that is probably just the effect of a copious amount of caffeine….).

There are many coffee shops in Madison, though I typically only frequent a few; so, I think it might be fun to have an excuse to visit some of the others. For this reason, I’m going to start reviewing the cappuccinos made in every Madison coffee shop. I won’t venture into the suburbs (anything outside of downtown and the ‘near’ sides) because I don’t like it there. A Cappuccino ‘crawl’ has been done before in Madison by an espresso snob (the kind that compares everything to how it is in Italy) but he did not comment extensively on shops individually. So, perhaps I’ll be contributing something to useless human knowledge of the internet.

Here is the list, derived from the Annual Manual:

Ancora

Barriques Coffee Trader

Bradury’s

Electric Earth Cafe

Escape Java Joint and Gallery

Espresso Royale

Fair Trade

Froth House

In the Company of Theives

I’m going to try to be as scientific as possible but I’m not sure how easy that will be for such a subjective activity. I’ll rate them on the following criteria:

Smoothness: Bitter cups will get a low score.

Presentation: How the cappuccino looks.

Strength: A sufficiently robust cup will get a high score, a milky one will earn a low score.

Complexity: If the cup seems to have hints of several flavors it scores highly.

Foam: How smooth and sweet the foam is.

Correctness: How much the cappuccino matches the typical specifications of a 5oz drink of 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 foam.

This may take a while…..