Review: La Colombe Nizza Medium Roast
(2017) With the approach of Holy Week in the Spring Classics calendar, I’m sure it goes without saying many are gearing up for a small party to watch the big cobbled contests. Basic celebratory needs involve European influenced culinary flair. There is one item that could kick the Spring Classics celebration up a notch.
In the United States, particularly the eastern seaboard, the Spring Classics day goes like this: wake up, search for a decent steephill.tv feed, begin breakfast prep, look for another steephill feed an hour later, and cook breakfast while sipping coffee. Everything that happens in the race that was cool is usually heard and not seen. The pancakes need to be flipped, but Boonen just decided to attack in the Trench. It’s almost comical.
What makes these events enjoyable from an ocean and continent away is certainly the coffee steaming in the cup next to the laptop. We’ve reported on several roasters that we love. While only one was not Pennsylvania roasted, we manage to stay as local as possible with quality products. Our selection for this year’s Holy Week keeps with the local theme.
For anyone who has been to Philadelphia and searched for a lovingly brewed cup, La Colombe is your place. Since our last review they opened up another location. That’s not bad progress for a company founded more than two decades ago. When your slogan is, “America deserves a better coffee,” you better deliver. La Colombe does just that.
Their distribution has filtered into the grocery aisle of the local supermarket. It comes in a conveniently stackable box for shoppers who enter the store shunning a cart. Once the folly has been realized that carrying multiple boxes of coffee is not easy, it’s too late.
This coffee is perfect for brewing on the Spring Classic days coming up. Since it is dead center on the robustness scale of coffee, it won’t overpower your taste buds for all 255 kilometers. It’s also not rocket power strong to cause midmorning trembling making people think you’re exploding with excitement. It’s a great sipping coffee regardless of your sip cadence.
La Colombe ships for free for orders over thirty dollars. That leaves just enough time to get the coffee sent to you in time for one or both of the cobbled races depending on how close you live to Philly. On one of the mornings when it is more important to watch riders hammer than to join the local bike shop’s ride, why not surround yourself with quality ingredients. The races keep you inside on the couch, you might as well cash in on watching other riders rattle over cobbles with a tasty cup of hot coffee.
La Colombe coffee can be found in select restaurants around the Philadelphia area. If you do not live nearby, you can place an order at lacolombe.com.
