We had a sit down with La Colombe at while back, and they were kind enough to send us a huge number of samples.
La Colombe (1 of 1)
These are just a few of them. La Colombe is a Philly based operation that has been around since 1994. They predate what is typically considered the "third-wave" of coffee and their model is different.
In terms of coffee, La Colombe has a two-tiered system. On the bottom they have their wildly popular blends, most of which have ethical accreditation. On the top, they have their answer to the Stumptowns, Intellegensias and Counter Cultures: The Workshop Series. These coffees focus on the origins of the coffees to a greater degree, and like the blends, have ethical accreditations (organic, fair trade, shade-grown etc). While the blends tend to be roasted quite darkly, these single-origins focus more on the lighter-side of La Colombe. They even have a robusto single-origin (sacrilege, I know). Finally, they sent us "Coffee Caramel" which is kind of like if coffee and nutella had a love-child with the most dangerous qualities of both. And like nutela, I've been eating it with a spoon in quantities far too great for my health. And like coffee, if you do that at 8pm you'll be up all night.
If you have a chance, I recommend checking out their cafe on Lafayette. The ambiance is great and the baristas well trained.
-Adam
