I had a preliminary visit to this cafe a few days ago with a friend. I ordered a cappuccino and he had a double espresso. Today I’m having the drip coffee…so that gives me enough experience with their drinks and cafe to give them my unofficial crit. 
Coffee Shop #4: Coffee Emporium–Downtown Cincinnati Location
I really had not planned on visiting this location so early in the process since I reviewed their Hyde Park location as my first stop. But I recently found myself downtown with a friend looking for a good cup of coffee so we stopped here.
As I walked into the cafe, the first thing that caught my attention was the roasterie to the left. It’s always good to find locally roasted coffee. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was tainted with too many flavored coffees on display as you make your way to the bar area. I’m NOT a fan of flavoring the bean. Feel free to add something to your coffee after you brew it…but flavoring coffee is like painting a bright gaudy color over the top of some beautiful piece of hand-made natural wood furniture. Now you know how I really feel!
Having said that, C.E. does a nice job of roasting their coffee and offering a variety of options. I could choose from Ravens Blend (a dark roast), Guatemalan, Solstice, & a Vanilla flavored decaf some’in-some’in.
Drip Coffee score: 4 out of 5 stars
The cafe itself is spacious and decked out with a nice assortment of tables, couches, soft chairs, etc. Musical ambience is very appropriate but not overpowering. The girl at the register was quite personable while the barista was that perfect combination of intense, aloof, and confident.
There’s a great “third place” vibe and I hear there are some terrific musical events which occasionally provide an even greater allure. And although I usually don’t pay much attention to the food/menu…I will be back to try the Reuben…one of my favorite sandwiches ever. And the chocolate chip cookie is well worth the buck-fifty too.
Hospitality Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
On to the espresso! I could tell by the equipment (a 3-group La Marzoco and a pair of Mazzer grinders) and by watching the barista dose into the portafilter that this would be a quality experience of espresso. Sure enough, it was perfectly extracted shot of espresso with a beautiful crema. I was so excited to taste it that I forgot to take a picture to share with you. My ONLY complaint with this espresso is that it was a little dark and smoky for my taste. I like a little better balance of sweetness and acidity than this particular roast offered.
Espresso Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Where most cafes fail, this one excelled. The cappuccino was a perfect 8oz blend of espresso and beautifully steamed/aerated milk. Using my favorite bovine lactation…Snowville Creamery…certainly added to the richness and sweetness of the capp. And not only were all the components there, the drink was aesthetically perfect with a nice heart-shaped foam cap spanning the entire surface of the porcelain cup with a dark outline of the crema surrounding it. Although the “perfect cappuccino” is a very elusive find, I have no choice but to score this beverage as pretty much there.
Capp Score: 5 out of 5 stars.
Overall Score: 18 out of a possible 20
So not only is this cafe worth a visit, it’s probably worth driving downtown from the surrounding villages and burbs of Cincinnati…which is exactly what I did.
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