Fill out our Daily Orange reader survey to make our paper better


Coffee Day Guide 2018

Your ultimate guide for specialty coffee blends, origins in Syracuse

Dan Lyon | Staff Photographer

Recess Coffee has been roasting since 2007, using sustainably sourced and fairly traded beans.

Central New York is known for many things — salt, the Erie Canal, infamous winters and the Carrier Dome — but in the last decade, Syracuse has become a growing hub of local coffee roasters and cafes.

Some of the most established roasts in the area include Recess Coffee, Cafe Kubal and, more recently, Salt City Coffee. Each location offers a range of blends and origins — origins being coffee beans that come from a single region and blends meaning beans that come from more than one area. Tere Martini, headquarters manager at Recess Coffee, said there’s a huge demand for specialty coffee in Syracuse.

“I’ve heard more than a handful of people say that Syracuse is like a ‘mini-Portland,’” Martini said.

Since International Coffee Day is Saturday, here’s a breakdown of how to indulge and celebrate.

CAFE KUBAL

With beginnings dating back to 2004, Cafe Kubal was born out of a trip its owner, Matt Godard, took to Guatemala, when inspiration struck. The coffee company now has six locations: the Upstate Golisano, Eastwood, Downtown, Creekwalk Commons, Marriott Syracuse and the SU Cafe on University Avenue.



While Kubal does offer blends occasionally, they mainly sell origin coffee beans, said Betsy Bell, manager at Cafe Kubal on University Avenue. She said that, because they have so many long-term regulars, they like to keep customers happy.

Brazil – Mogiana Origin

Roast: Light to medium

Notes: Milk chocolate and peanut

Recommendation: The Brazil origin is one of Bell’s personal favorites because of its “peanut notes.” She also said Kubal uses Brazilian beans for their regular pour overs, espresso and decaf beans.

Ethiopia – Aricha Origin

Roast: Light

Notes: Blueberry and apricot

Recommendation: Bell recommends drinking this origin over ice since it’s “super fruity,” and great on its own. People will have it over ice even during the winter months, she said.

Guatemala – Isabel Origin

Roast: Light to medium

Notes: Dark chocolate and raspberry

Recommendation: Bell recommends this origin as a pour over — which is the staff’s favorite way to have it. She said the origin was Kubal owner Matt Godard’s favorite for a long time, but now he switches between the Ethiopian and others.

Sumatra – Mandheling Origin

Roast: Dark

Notes: Molasses and earth

Recommendation: Bell said this origin is one of their most popular and is a signature bean at Kubal. When they tried to swap out the bean for another similar flavor, Bell said people “freaked out.”

If you’re new to coffee and all it has to offer, Cafe Kubal has a cheat sheet on their website called the “Home Brewing Guide.” Each location is also available for Grubhub.

RECESS COFFEE

Recess Coffee started out at its Harvard Place location back in 2007, and in the same building, the owners were running the business, baking and roasting. But today, with two locations and a roastery in East Syracuse, the coffee company is focused on expanding their customer base.

Their four main blends and origins start at $17 a bag and are now available in six local Wegmans. Graham Reynolds, head roaster at Recess, said he experiments with different origins and blends each day. Here’s what Recess is offering right now.

Austin’s Blend

Roast: Dark

Notes: Roasted nut, chocolate and a fruity finish

Recommendation: Because it’s such a dark roast, Reynolds said he recommends using this blend in a French press — the brewing method produces strong flavors so the two would complement each other.

Ethiopian Origin

Roast: Light

Notes: Floral, graham cracker, lemon start and vanilla-caramel

Recommendation: Reynolds “highly” recommends the pour over method for the Ethiopian origin. He said the pour over method is one of the most authentic ways of brewing coffee, and that it will highlight the floral notes “really well.”

Sumatran Origin

Roast: Medium

Notes: Cinnamon, berry and earthy chocolate

Recommendation: While Reynolds said some may find this origin “out there,” it’s a great fit for the AeroPress or your regular automatic-drip coffee pot at home.  

Westcott Blend

Roast: Medium

Notes: Floral vanilla, sugared almond flavor and lemon

Recommendation: Reynolds recommends this blend using the pour over or AeroPress method. He said the latter method helps equalize the different notes and flavors.

In honor of the holiday, Recess Coffee is offering a $1 discount off of any hot coffee or $5 off your second bag of coffee when you buy two. Not into coffee? The cafe offers plenty of house-made snacks including bagel sandwiches, wraps and baked goods.

SALT CITY COFFEE

One of Syracuse’s most recent coffee editions, Salt City Coffee, opened in the spring of 2017. The cafe opened on the city’s Westside in a 19th century home and offers the usual coffee shop amenities. Their 12-ounce coffee bags start at $11 and sizes up to five pounds are available as well, with a variety of roasting options for each blend and origin.

Barista and roaster at Salt City Ryan Krzykowski said they’re considering adding an Ethiopian dark roast for the fall season, but right now here’s what is available.

Costa Rica Origin

Roast: Light, medium and dark

Notes: Honey and toffee

Recommendation: Krzykowski said this origin is offered year-round, but he has a few customers that use this as their “go to.” He said it’s pretty solid as a cold brew, but personally Krzykowski prefers it as a medium roast.

Ethiopia – Yirgacheffe

Roast: Light, medium and dark

Notes: Cocoa, lime and buttermilk

Recommendation: Krzykowski said if you’re looking to serve it hot, he usually uses pour over, but a stronger option would be with a French press.

Rwanda Origin

Roast: Light, medium and dark

Notes: Sweet floral and grapefruit

Recommendation: The darker roast of this origin will do best as a cold brew because the chocolate notes will be highlighted more, Krzykowski said.

Syracuse Blend

Roast: Medium

Notes: Bread-y, chocolate-y taste

Recommendation: Krzykowski said the owner, Aaron Metthe, developed the Syracuse blend after a series of trial and error. He said if it’s a customer’s first time in the coffee shop, he’ll recommend this blend as a good stepping stone to understand what’s offered.

Salt City Coffee also offers breakfast and lunch, featuring house-made bagels, acai bowls and a pesto grilled cheese, among others.





Top Stories