Tuesday, August 01, 2006

New coffee shop coming to Columbia Mall

Something called Porpoura Coffee House is coming to Columbia Mall on September 1. It will be in the J.C. Penney wing...any ideas in which spot?

11 comments:

GrandForksGuy said...

Or maybe the vacant Ultimate Grind store.

Wendy said...

Local sisters are opening the coffee house. One bought it and the other will be managing it.

Coffee Guy said...

I wonder if they have any coffee knowledge at all. I always get blank stares when I start asking the "experts" about their roast levels, methods, degassing periods, etc. But they can all sure rattle off their "flavors," like vanilla, Irish cream, and so forth.

This happens at all the local shops. I have to say that Ultimate Grind was some of the worst coffee I've had from a local coffee shop. Now that they are gone, I'd give that dubious distinction to Urban Stampede. I like the look of the joint, but I've never gotten a cup that was any good. It always tastes stale and lifeless, like the beans were months old.

As a coffee roaster myself, all of these things drive me mad (but that's partly due to my own snobbery).

If the new owners are reading, I'd love to talk shop, and maybe we can help each other out.

Rick said...

Continuing on the coffee discussion, I also thought Ultimate Grind was a terrible store. I think I got coffee there once and hated it, and never went back. I, too, find that the Urban coffee isn't that great. The black coffee always tastes sour and old.

Anonymous said...

If you could help out the Urban so that the atmosphere complements the coffee rather than the atmosphere apologizing for the coffee, that would be a great leap forward, Coffee Guy. I love the Urban, but their drinks are horrible across the board.

Anonymous said...

I find the coffee at locally owned shops (Coffee Co., Urban, etc.) weak. But I understand that people around here tend to like it on the pale side. Caribou strikes a nice balance.

Coffee Guy said...

I would love to help Urban (or any of the other local shops) figure out how to improve their coffee.

Caribou is about as good as you're going to get in this area (that's not saying much), although Coffee Co. is good as well. Has anyone ever had Dunn Bros.? They are an excellent small midwest chain (started in MNPLS) that focuses on freshness and actually uses and follows SCAA terminology and guidelines (roast levels, etc.), always a good sign. If you ever get a chance to visit one, give it a shot, preferably a stand-alone shop rather than a mall one, as all stand-alone shops roast on site. I think the mall kiosks might have slightly older coffee, but it's still fresher than just about anywhere else.

Anonymous said...

I heard that they will be using freshly roasted coffee from a company that follows all of the SCAA guidlines.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone tried the coffee at Porpoura yet?

Anonymous said...

I have in fact tried the coffee and it's fabulous. Great staff of people there. It's nice to see a group of people who want to make a difference in the community. Something we should all aspire to.
Let's give extend them grace during their grand opening!

Anonymous said...

Do any GF coffee shops offer live music?