There are now one million coffee shops in Nashville. Not really. But there are dozens! Maybe even hundreds. And while many of them offer inventive specialty drinks (read more about how those are created on page 28), a good coffee shop also takes time to master the most basic request, the drip. Like a pizzeria's margherita pizza or an ice cream shop's vanilla ice cream, a good drip coffee will show whether or not a coffeehouse really knows what it's doing. Sure, you can fancy up a drink with homemade syrup and flavored milks, but can you make a really good, consistent cup of black coffee? And is there really a difference between, say, Barista Parlor's $5 made-to-order pour-over and Starbucks' $2.50 drip?
We went to four of Nashville's popular coffee shops to investigate.
Here's how it worked: Four Scene staffers went to Barista Parlor, Starbucks, Eighth and Roast, and Crema and picked up whatever they had as drip that day (since Barista Parlor doesn't offer drip coffee, we chose the La Voz, a pour-over coffee with "nutty, pink lady apple and nutmeg" taste notes, which, the barista said, was the closest thing they had to a dark roast). Everyone gathered back at the Scene's conference room as close to the same time as humanly possible, so one coffee wasn't sitting much longer than the other.
The coffee was poured into smaller cups labeled A, B, C or D, and more than a dozen bean-juice fiends were invited to come in and taste each sample with no added cream or sugar. Only after everyone wrote down their thoughts and voted for their blind favorite did we reveal which coffee was which.
And we were shocked.
One coffee, Crema, was the obvious winner, receiving both 46 percent of the votes and the most praise from tasters. That isn't surprising. Crema has been awarded both second place and a finalist position in the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual roasting competition every year since 2012. They know their beans. Behind Crema, Eighth and Roast and Starbucks tied at 23 percent each.
That means, yup, Barista Parlor came in last.
"WHAT?!" you might've just shouted to yourself in angry disbelief. But it's true — only 8 percent of the voters liked what Barista Parlor had to offer. The entire room gasped as the results were read. "I could taste that it took too long," one person shouted.
Science has spoken — if you want to get a really great cup of coffee, head to Crema. (But don't cross Barista Parlor off your list just yet — we don't need a taste test to tell us that their Moto Biscuit with egg, cheddar and sausage is addictive.)
And now, a few comments from the tasting panel:
On Barista Parlor Golden Sound's La Voz:
"WEAK."
"Like the worst cup from my drip machine."
"Light but passable since there's a bit of flavor."
"Dishwater — blech!"
"This tastes like water out of a cup that used to have coffee in it."
On Starbucks' French Roast:
"Delicious, spicy, smooth, not acidic."
"Smoky bathwater."
"Slightly smoky — also light and a little bitter."
"A bit watery, but easy-drinking. Coffee equivalent of a session beer."
"Nope."
On Eighth and Roast's French Occupation:
"Rich mouthfeel, balanced, elegant."
"Very strong, dark. I like it."
"LEAST FAVORITE!"
"Bold — the way I like it — except I don't really like it."
"Nice balance — strong, not bitter."
On Crema's Ngila:
"Strong, but doesn't taste burned. Wine-like aftertaste."
"Delicious and non-acidic."
"Thin, not complex."
"Pretty good! I'd drink this again."
"Strong but relatively smooth. Probably my fave."
