Sit, relax, sip in Hampden

Don't get me wrong, I actually am happy to grab some quick caffeine from Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and even Rool Farms sometimes. Feel free to judge me, coffee snobs. But...when I can, I love to go to the fabulous Spro Coffee on the Avenue in Hampden.

Spro is described as a progressive coffee shop - and it kinda reminds me of the wonderful Blue Bottle in San Francisco's Ferry Building. Think slow, creative coffee. Be prepared to sit and wait. [Feed yer meter, hon.]

Spro owner Jay Caragay via Osmosis-Online: “Six different roasters, offering up to eight different coffees, all brewed by the cup, to order, in one of seven different brew methods. Quite simply, what we’re going to attempt to do is insane. But really, there is no coffee shop in the world that does what we’re attempting, which is what makes it so attractive. It’s about expressing coffee as far as we can take it. No holds barred."

Whether you like to do regular coffee, cappuccino, macchiato, french press [and the list goes on], you know you're in good hands. The warm, friendly, helpful baristas are there to guide you to the right coffee for you. They are the nicest, most UNsnobby people - and for that I'm thankful.

Since I brew French press coffee at home everyday, when I go to Spro I usually try something richer [and higher octane] like macchiato or espresso. On a visit a few weeks ago, I had two espressos and let's just say I got a lot done that day. Whoa. If you're in Charm City, give Spro a try. It costs a little more than Starbucks, but the quality of the beans and brewing choices...no comparison. They change their coffee selections often, so you can always try something new.

Thank you, Jay and company!