As it’s mid-June and pouring rain, perhaps you aren’t
looking for a delicious iced beverage at this exact moment, but if you were,
I’d point you in the direction of Dame’s Coffee Espresso Bar. Dame’s opened in
Jersey City about two years ago and quickly established itself by having some
of the best coffee around with Counter Culture beans and baristas who take
their time to make sure you’re getting a quality beverage. Dame’s offers all
the standards you find at an independent coffee house – lattes, americanos,
etc. and on this particular day, I went for an iced mocha.
They pretty much only come in one size (stick of butter as obviously the best reference) which I estimate to
be the equivalent of a medium at most places which is a decent size, but goes
quickly, at least for me. There’s a
strong espresso flavor working with the chocolate, not hiding it behind it. The
chocolate is dark, rich and semi-sweet at best which I love. One thing I didn’t
love was the ring of chocolate that settled on the bottom that no amount of
stirring would help.
Even taking that into account, this drink is much more
complex and heavier in flavor than a mocha you’d get at Starbucks or another
major chain...but it’s also more expensive than even those pricey options – my drink
was over $5 and that seems to be pretty standard for most of their specialty
beverages with drip coffee starting at $2.50.
All in All:
As high quality as
this coffee is and as much as I love it, the price tag makes it something
I would consider once in a while versus making it my weekend coffee spot. Dame’s also
sells some pastries from various bakeries as well as a couple other specialty
seasonal beverages (currently fresh squeezed lemonade!) which helps keeps
things interesting, but I’m the first to say the cost doesn't justify frequent
visits to check everything out, no matter how much I might want to.
