Coffee Shop Stop #8: Reality Tuesday Cafe

Knowing I had a meeting this afternoon in Covington, I wanted to find a café to review in the area. Via Twitter and Facebook, the Reality Tuesday shop had come to my attention so I looked it up. The shop is right off of Dixie Highway, just south of Covington a little ways as you gain some elevation going up into Park Hills. I arrived right after the noon hour and there was a bit of a line since they offer quite a few food items for lunch customers.

My initial coffee connoisseur reaction was not a positive one since the café felt more like a restaurant than a coffee shop. Perhaps the environment would be a little different in the early morning or late evening hours.

Seven Hills is the coffee roaster/provider and I’ve already had a good sampling of their brew in other shops. Unfortunately, the blend that they’ve created for Reality Tuesday did not help their cause in my mind. It’s a medium roast but has an imbalance of flavor to me. Usually I can distinguish the components of a blend (by growing region at least) but this one eludes me.  They also offered an organic Dark Mexican coffee which is probably the one I should try…maybe I’ll make a trip back to the counter.

Now keep in mind, compared to the Cracker Barrel coffee I started with this morning, Seven Hills is a tremendous improvement! Seven Hills supplies hundreds of locations around Cincinnati and the Midwest with specialty coffee and other products. They promote themselves as having the best coffee and best service in the area. I encourage you to visit their cafes, try their beans, and make up your own mind.

Drip Coffee Score: 3 out of 5 stars

As I already mentioned, this café seems geared towards the sandwhich/Panini/wrap crowd more so than the espresso enthusiast. From the mix of bad cooking aromas to the sloppy café and seating area…it’s just not an appealing vibe to me. The staff have been very friendly and answered many of my questions…even replacing my drip choice without an extra charge. Since there are 20+ people sitting around enjoying their lunch, coffee, pastries, etc…it’s obvious that they’re drawing a crowd. I see large groups having lively conversation and individuals with laptops working away. A local photographer’s work is being displayed on the far wall. All in all, I’d say this must be a healthy hub of community and ‘third place’ gathering even though it may lack  the “feel” and aesthetic allure.

Hospitality Score: 3 out of 5 stars

As I ordered the cappuccino, the “barista” asked if I’d still like the grande version. Apparently, they usually serve a 16oz cap as a quad. Since I’m usually looking for a double shot in an 8 oz cap, the proportion is about right I suppose. But they did find a small porcelain mug of 8-10oz capacity so I talked them into a double cap in that.

What happened next was kind of horrifying. For an 8oz cap (which would only need 6 oz of milk), a 20 oz pitcher was steamed improperly until the foam (soap suds) crept over the edge of the pitcher. The milk must have been steamed to a temp of at least 180 because it had a scalded/scorched flavor. The barista dosed coffee which must’ve been pre-ground earlier in the day because I never heard the grinder actually turned on…just the clack-clack of the doser. Then there was a series of violent tampings which caused me to wince as I observed. She leaned on the portafilter and then tapped the side of it with the tamper…and repeated this 3 more times. That poor puck had no chance of NOT channeling! The result in the cup was a bitter overextracted stale espresso and scalded milk concoction topped with a heap of milk suds (which you can see in the image above). Wow! There really should be some laws against abusing beans in this manner. 

I don’t even need to score the espresso separately. I’ve seen enough. And although I run the risk of being perceived as harsh and uber critical, I must offer a dose of reality (pun certainly intended)…this café needs to be held accountable. If you’re going to own an espresso machine, you owe it to your shop and your employees and the coffee-consuming community to provide the necessary training which offers the possibility, at least, of producing an average espresso beverage.

Cappuccino Score: 1 out of 5 stars

Espresso Score: 1 out of 5 stars

Total Score: 8 out of 20 stars

This is not what I would call a coffee destination. The espresso machine is nearly out of sight in the back corner of the food prep area. The café provides a great meeting place and food/coffee option within the community. But it’s definitely not the kind of shop to seek out or drive more than a few minutes for if you’re looking for artistically crafted espresso beverages. If you’re driving around Covington/Park Hills/etc and need a cup o’ joe…by all means, stop in (for some drip coffee only) and then let me know what YOU think.

Dear Reality Tuesday owner/employees,

I love coffee too much not to tell the truth. You have a great location, space, and potential. Seek out the resources you need to raise the coffee culture a couple of notches and you could really be a great destination. So in the midst of this reality check, know that I mean you no harm…in fact, I’m willing to be part of the solution if you’re interested in moving forward.