Review - La Colombe Torrefaction (Rittenhouse)

130 S. 19th Street (Between Walnut and Sansom Street)
215.563.0860
Website, Twitter, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 7 am - 7 pm, S - S: 8 am - 7 pm
No Wi-Fi, lots of tables (though crowded), few outlets

La Colombe Torrefaction

If you ask anybody who's been in Philadelphia for an extended period of time, they'll tell you that the gold standard for coffee in Philly is La Colombe.  There have been countless reviews boldly proclaiming La Colombe as the undisputed king of coffee in the city.  In fact, many other establishments in the city also use La Colombe coffee (see, e.g., La Citadelle, Capogiro, Philly's Cafe, Sugar Philly, etc).  I've frequently visited this particular location (they have several locations in New York City and also a new location opening up in Center City), but thought I'd visit it again to make a proper review.


So I visited La Colombe this past Friday, which had absolutely gorgeous weather.  It was perhaps the perfect day to visit a café, so I must admit, I was in a very pleasant disposition even before I got there.  I usually just get regular coffee there, which is their Corsica blend - a dark roast from Central/South America.  In my opinion, it's one of the best coffees in the City of Philadelphia.  Even if you normally add tons of sugar and cream to your coffee, you'll be just fine drinking this coffee black.  On this particular visit, I decided to try their Café Americano (priced at $1.75).  For their espressos, La Colombe uses their Nizza blend, which is a medium roast from several South American countries and Ethiopia.  I actually think their Nizza blend is their best coffee, and in fact if you visit La Colombe, you'll notice a lot of people ordering Americanos.  This review seems to agree and ranks the Nizza at 90 out of 100.  I have to say, it was probably one of the best Americano's I've ever had.  My only complaint was that I think the water they added was wayyyyy too hot and was undrinkable for about 5-10 minutes.  La Colombe definitely lives up to its reputation for having one of the best, if not the best, coffee in the city.


As a café, La Colombe has a great atmosphere right next to Rittenhouse Square.  They have a beautiful decor inside and a great urban café feel.  They also have huge windows all over the café, which lets in a lot of natural light.  Perhaps because of its location, the clientele is very diverse, which makes the experience much more pleasant.  You'll find people of all ages, races, and professions (students, professionals, hipsters, artists, senior citizens, etc).


Unfortunately, what makes the café so great may also be its downside.  Because La Colombe is so great, it's super crowded.  Though they have 26 tables, it's often hard to find a table.  Even if you just want to get a coffee to go, you'll most likely have to wait a line of considerable length.  However, for such a popular café, La Colombe is somehow able to balance efficiency/speed with customer service.  You certainly won't get the same level of attention as a smaller café might give you, but these baristas are certainly not like the ones at Starbucks.    On the other hand, for how quickly the baristas work, they are quite friendly.


Moreover, while La Colombe would be a great place to read a book or chat with a friend, it's probably not that great of a place to study.  Though they have 26 tables, the tables are rather small.  They have no wi-fi, and only 2 outlets.  Furthermore, from what I can tell, the tables with outlets are ALWAYS occupied by computer squatters.  In the alternative, you can also grab a cup of coffee to go and take a stroll in Rittenhouse Park or read on one of the benches.  Especially when the weather is 65 degrees in the middle of February, there are very few things more gratifying.


Bottom line - Excellent coffee.  Great place to hang out or read but not to do any hardcore studying.  I can't wait until their new location opens this Spring. 4/5 "beans."  As always, please share your opinions about this place!