Blue Bottle has kind of a reputation, one where it's up to the individual to decide if the positive makes up for negative: Excellent coffee and hipster barista snobbery. We braced ourselves for the latter as we made our way to the Brooklyn location, yet, in the end, found ourselves a bit baffled. I mean, Williamsburg is supposed to be the Mecca of hipsterdom and all, yet compared to the Northwest -- and we're including Spokane here -- we didn't see much of that at all. Is this what the Northwest has come to, even here in Spokane? A society that makes Williamsburg look both friendly and normal?
But I digress.
Our friendly, and not snobby at all barista really did know his stuff, and we can certainly see why Blue Bottle has a reputation for making good coffee. Trying a macchiato and a cappuccino, we found them made to order, one just dry enough, and the other letting the milk shine nicely through, without being too wet. The shots were well pulled, and the beans obviously fresh.
Not much more to say about that, really. Blue Bottle made two great cups of coffee, the quality being good enough to make it a destination, be it in Williamsburg or San Francisco.
As for the Brooklyn spot, it's a good place to hang for a bit. They have a good selection of chocolate bars -- produced literally around the corner -- that go well with the coffee, and the interiors are pleasant.
Granted, the disappointment of Williamsburg not being exactly what you expected it to be might sting, but a good cup of coffee will heal those wounds.