21st Street Coffee And Tea - Pittsburgh

Visiting Pittsburgh, was brought here by local friends. I like this shop! The interior is warm and inviting. I didn't take advantage of the upstairs work space, but it looked awesome. The coffee was great. I'm surprised by some of the other negative reviews of the coffee. Maybe Pittsburgh just isn't a coffee town, I don't know. But, my latte was awesome, and it was exactly what I wanted.

It is pretentious and a little snooty, but it's all about the coffee and a non Starbucks experience. The coffee here is made slow, one order at time, dripping slowly through a filter into a glass carafe, the coffee is then aerated to bring out the flavors. The cup of Colombian was one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. You could taste all the flavors and nuances from the bean. The down side it was a four dollar cup of coffee, but you get what you pay for a great tasting cup and not a frappie, upside down cappuccino skinny latte with a double pump of who knows what topped off with whipped cream.

On my first visit a year or so ago I innocently asked where the cream and sugar was. They told me that they could provide some, but strongly suggested that I try it without first. Well, I did, and that was the moment I realized that I only defaulted to cream and sugar because I had never had a genuinely great cup of coffee before. Whether their attitudes are experienced as pretentiousness or genuine care depends on how open you are willing to be!

Very good coffee from around the world served uniquely- go somewhere else if you want a quick cup. Internet was a little slow

I am not a big coffee drinker, I like to go to coffee shops to hang out with my husband or friends so need the milky, sweet drinks but this is not the place for that. They do not have any flavors, but even so I am giving this 4 stars because the mocha is fantastic and the place is cute and cozy, very retro.