Crimson Cup Coffee House (Facebook / @CrimsonCup / Instagram: @crimsoncup)
2468 Northwest Blvd. (map it!)
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
(614) 641-7020
Open Mon-Fri, 6a-9p; Sat, 6a-8p; Sun, 7a-8p
Accepts cash & debit/credit
Visited: Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
I’m happy to have more Crimson Cup in my life! I like using their beans for home brewing and I’m a regular at their Clintonville shop. You can find their beans on sale or being brewed all over town, but they only have two retail outlets of their own. The newest one – Upper Arlington – takes the place of an old Peet’s Coffee at Lane and Northwest. (Side note: I love that these old Peet’s locations are being snatched up by local shops, like this one or the one downtown that’s now a One Line Coffee. Now, if someone can make use of the old Clintonville one…)
They’ve done very well by this space. It has a small patio out front, the interior is bright and beautiful, with plenty of wood, tile, and brick accents.
One of the new features at the shop is a brew bar.
The Clintonville shop has one, too, but the Upper Arlington location features a Modbar expresso machine (built into the counter) and three of their cold brew coffees on nitro tap. Currently they feature their Ethiopian Sidamo, a seasonal flavor, and a hopped version. All good. I’m especially partial to the Sidamo.
If you’ve never tried cold brew coffee on nitro tap, you must. It’s one of my favorite summer (okay, year-round) treats. It’s packs a caffeine punch, so you don’t need much. The coffee is pushed through the tap with nitrogen; the nitro bubbles are much smaller than carbon dioxide, so rather than being bubbly and fizzy it’s smooth and creamy. The nitrogen ascends to the top to create a small layer of foam. The resulting drink really highlights the coffee’s flavor profile, and it’s devoid of bitterness.
For the studiers and the readers, there are plenty of tables and comfy chairs.
A small display in the center features Crimson Cup beans, tea, and coffee brewing equipment.
Like I said, I’m happy for Crimson Cup! And it’s not just because they advertise with me (oh, disclaimer, by the way). I genuinely think they produce some quality roasts, and with coffee specialist Brandon Bir (read about my visit with him) and their team, they create some excellent specialty coffee drinks, and I’m glad they have another shop to showcase them in a new part of town.
