Chicory Chick
By Marcie Dickson
Jan 19, 2010 - 12:00 AM
Royal Blend is just one of many charming coffee shops around the city.
If it’s not the coffee capital of the world, New Orleans is definitely the coffee capital of the South. With so much to do here, it can be refreshing just to hide out at one of the many coffee shops scattered around the city, such as Rue de la Course on Carrollton Avenue or Café Rose Nicaud on Frenchmen. Each place is unique and provides various doses of caffeine, entertainment and space for solitude.
On Sunday afternoons, I like to ride my bike down Camp Street to the Still Perkin’ coffee shop on the corner of Prytania Street and Washington Avenue. Although Still Perkin’ doesn’t exactly have the counterculture vibe of shops in the Marigny and Bywater, there’s something eerily majestic about reading on the patio beneath mammoth oak trees, with the iconic Commander’s Palace sign within view and Lafayette Cemetery across the street.
Another haunt is the Royal Blend coffee shop on Royal Street in the Quarter. It’s such a hidden gem. Every time I go it’s empty, so I sit in the back at the same rickety table that boasts a nice view of the center courtyard and the raffish people who come and go. I’ve spent hours at a time in Royal Blend, taking care to sip serious drinks and read serious literature. It’s the type of place where I’d never order my usual “tall soy two-pump marble mocha macchiato.” And for the same reason, I always feel compelled to read The Portable Faulkner or pick up from where I left off in A Confederacy of Dunces.
I don’t feel as obliged to show similar deference at local chains such as Community Coffee, Puccino’s and PJ’s. But even so, patronizing the local franchises doesn’t feel as conformist as it does when I’m forced into Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts.
Café du Monde might take the cake as the quintessential New Orleans “coffee experience,” but there are plenty of other shops to garner the same –– if not better –– fix. There’s a New Orleans Coffee Festival on the first Saturday in October. And somewhere there’s a book about New Orleans’ love affair with coffee –– I’ve yet to find it though. Maybe it hasn’t been written.
In order to indulge in my fascination, I plan to visit almost all of the 75-plus coffee bars around the city. To date I’ve frequented La Divina Gelateria, Oak St Café, Café Luna, Fair Grinds Coffeehouse, Fuel, Riccobono, Magazine and Marigny Perks, The Bean Gallery, Village Coffee, Mojo, Covenant Café, Nola Beans, Angelo Brocato’s, Café Fleur de Lis, as well as the above-mentioned shops. I’ve yet to make it to the Neutral Ground, which I’ve been told is quite historic and charming and supposedly the oldest coffee shop in New Orleans.
It makes sense that coffee is steeped deeply in the culture here. New Orleans has always been the No. 1 coffee port in the country and one of the few places that truly relishes chicory root as an additive.
I don’t exactly yearn for chicory every time I set up shop. But when given the opportunity, I often choose chicory blends over all others. And though the bitterness of each sip makes me wonder why I continue to drink it, I’m quickly reminded that while sitting at Still Perkin’ or the Rue or wherever, it’s the one time I try to conform … not in a conventional way … but to the New Orleans way. And what’s not desirable about that?
Email
Print
Feed
Reader Comments:
Just spent time at Still Perkin and you are right--great view. Even Community Coffee House on Magazine is comforting to me. So much better than a Starbucks. I am addicted to chicory to the point I almost don't want coffee without it anymore. I look forward to trying a lot of the places you mentioned as well. Love your blog!
I was surprised and thrilled to find Community Coffee in my local grocery store in Coconut Grove, Florida. Love the New Orleans Blend with Chicory!
Pick up a lb. of Union Coffee(in the green bag)with chicory. Can be found at Breaux Mart, it'll knock your socks off. Try it with evaporated milk for a taste of heaven.
mojo has a fabulous french roast.
I discovered Royal Blend years ago and even though I live in Dallas, I order my coffee (whole beans please)from there. I called right after Katrina and didn't get an answer and it made me sad but I checked their other store and they were having problems finding employees, like everyone else. But they are back and my trips to N'Awlins are not complete until I sit in their courtyard and soak up the atmosphere.
I like the espresso at Angelo Broccato's, but I have to say that I prefer La Divina - both their espresso and the gelato. Heresy, I know.
Growing up in New Orleans and drinking coffee with chicory since I was very young, I've never been able to drink it without milk and sugar. A few months ago, when trying to find the best sweetener, someone suggested 100% pure maple syrup. I tried one tablespoon of it in a cup of black, French Market coffee with chicory and it was amazing. I didn't even have to add any creamer or milk. Yet it was not overly sweet and it definitely did not add a maple taste to the coffee. I don't think you'll find pure maple syrup in a coffee shop, so it's definitely a home based version, but I would recommend giving it a try. It seems to work well ONLY with coffee and chicory.
I agree, La Divina has the BEST espresso in the city!
Wow - so many coffee shops I was not aware of! I'll have to try them. I'm addicted to cafe au lait! Great post.
Cafe Luna was my favorite spot to enjoy after volunteering at my children's school uptown. Miss NO terribly.