Caffe Gasperi -- Hudson, OH

By -


This past weekend Dave and I went on a short hike in Sagamore Hills at Brandywine Falls. It was a sunny, but still chilly day, so before meeting up with his aunt and uncle for our dinner plans, we made a coffee detour. After a brief search of "coffee shops in Hudson" we decided to visit Caffe Gasperi, because I really liked the website.

On the day we went to Caffe Gasperi, we were delighted to find out that owner of Gasperi, Laura, was the barista who served us.

We arrived at Caffe Gasperi about an hour before closing, so there weren't too many baked goods left (which I like to see, that's a sign of success), but biscotti and scones were still available. 





The centerpiece of Caffe Gasperi is the Elektra Espresso machine. The Elektra at Caffe Gasperi is one of only five or six currently being used in American coffee shops. Most espresso machines are flat-fronted, but the Elektra's round design allows more than one person to work at a time.

I ordered a Salted Caramel Latte, so I got to see the Elektra at work. Although I'm a coffee lover, I'm by no means a barista. Laura gave me a little lesson on what goes into making the perfect latte. The milk is steamed to a temperature of 120-140 degrees, anything over that will burn the milk and make the espresso bitter. The perfect latte should have microfoam bubbles to help the milk properly bind to the espresso in the latte. 

  


Those who know me and my love of coffee know that sometimes I can be a little overzealous. I took a sip of my Salted Caramel Latte before taking a photo of the latte art, so Laura said I could use a photo from Caffe Gasperi's Instagram to show an example of the latte art the baristas at Caffe Gasperi have been working on -- check out their Instagram to see more, I personally love the CATpuccino posted two weeks ago. 



There are two rooms available for patrons, we chose to sit in the second room which includes a loft and several little nooks and crannies for a person to hole up to enjoy coffee and get some work done. There were several people scattered throughout the areas in this room, so I wasn't able to get photos of the entire room. The decor is a little eclectic, but in a way that really works -- from the art on the walls to the pillows on the sofa seating, a lot of attention has been paid to the details. 





Dave and I also enjoyed some vanilla and chocolate biscotti with our coffee. I personally enjoyed both, but I think Dave had a preference for the chocolate biscotti.



A Salted Caramel Latte is the perfect drink to enjoy after a chilly hike...



Laura was happy to let me take photos of everything except for the menus...and if you're a long time reader of Ohio Wanderlust, then you know that this is the second time I've been asked not to take photos of a coffee shop menu (see my Muggswigz Coffee and Tea post).

Dave and I were perplexed by this, both at Caffee Gasperi and at Muggswigz and since we're both lawyers we were also intrigued by the reason behind that no photo policy, especially since the content of the menus are often listed on the shop's website. As best I can figure out, many coffee shops, especially locally owned shops prefer to keep the design of their menu boards under wraps as best as possible. There is a lot of competition between local coffee shops and the design of the menu boards is unique to each shop and each owner has a proprietary interest in their menu board design. The more you know right? I made sure to crop the menu boards out of the frame of the photos I took at Caffe Gasperi, so if you're wondering why everything is shot from waist height, that would be the answer...

Overall, both of us were happy with Caffee Gasperi, Dave enjoyed his regular coffee, I enjoyed my Salted Caramel Latte and biscotti. The atmosphere was lovely and Laura was very friendly. She said that all of her baristas participate in a two week training to become certified and then shadow an already trained barista for a week, so you should be able to expect great service.

My rating for Caffe Gasperi:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Today's Bride Wedding Show -- Cleveland, OH

By -
Image
Right after engagement season (the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's) it's bridal show season. During the last nine months of my engagement I have not attended a single bridal show. Now suggestions for bridal show events are showing up all over my Facebook page. As a 2017 bride with most of her vendors already chosen, I wasn't inclined to check out any bridal shows during the next few months, but I was offered the opportunity to be the featured bride at my photographer's booth at the Today's Bride Bridal Show in Cleveland, which gave me the opportunity to interact with other Northeast Ohio couples, as well as explore the displays at the IX Center. This is a two day event, I was present just for the second day of the bridal show. The super cute stemless wine glass above was available for purchase with champagne, wine, or a cocktail. As you already know I'm obsessed with all things Ohio, so I needed one of the glasses. Once I was done at my photograph
Read more

Velvet Tango Room -- Cleveland, OH

By -
Image
V elvet Tango Room is in a nondescript hole-in-the wall located on the fringes of the Ohio City and Tremont neighborhoods of Cleveland. From the outside the facade of the Velvet Tango Room blends right into the dilapidated buildings that surround the venue. On Friday night, the street was quiet, the glow of downtown was behind us, but Columbus street was dark. Had we not been to the Velvet Tango Room before, the glow of the neon sign would have been the only thing to lead us to our destination. The Velvet Tango Room is not like other bars, there are numerous articles touting how exclusive and elusive entrance to the Velvet Tango Room can be. You see, there is no need to make reservations to sit in the front room; although the venue is a secret in and of itself, the secret backroom, which is accessible by key card entrance only, requires reservations in advance...sometimes weeks in advance. Some people have written that the backroom is for the socially elite -- despite the fact th
Read more

Afternoon Tea at Coquette Patisserie -- Cleveland, OH

By -
Image
Happy Mardi Gras! I wanted to get this post in before the end of February and it's fitting, because Coquette Patisserie has King Cake today.  On February 19th Dave and I attended Afternoon Tea at Coquette Patisserie -- this event required registration in advance and it sold out so if you see an Afternoon Tea pop up on Coquette Patisserie's Facebook page make sure to register yourself! Afternoon Tea is an event hosted semi-frequently at Coquette Patisserie -- a quick glance at their past Facebook events showed a December, January, and February tea. However, this is not a monthly event (yet), so if you'd like to attend one keep an eye out and then make sure to book a table. Afternoon Tea for February consisted of a prix fixe menu which included "a tea sandwich, quiche, French macaron, opera cake, cheesecake and fresh baked brioche with jam & compound butter, and a pot of tea or a french press of coffee." When we arrived we discovered tha
Read more