Trimethyldioxypurism (Read: Damn Good Coffee) Abundant At New Mission Spot
Ritual Coffee, at 1026 Valencia Street in the Mission, opened just a few weeks ago and already appears to have a loyal following.
And why not? Our first thoughts as we walked in on Sunday were something along the lines of "holy mother$%^^@ crap!"
Because, man, this place is bee-yoo-ti-full. Huge space. Modern. Wood floors in front; tile in back. Understated decor. Okay, there's some weird stuffed animals on one wall for some reason. Quirky. But fresh flowers -- roses -- on the tables. Wooden tables of various sizes to accommodate various parties. A couple couches. Light volume on the alterna-rock.
Oh, and clean. Really super-duper clean. Clean enough to eat food off the floor. Not that we did.
We ordered a cup of coffee. We asked what kind it was.
"Sumatra blend," the nice guy behind the counter says. "That's all I'm gonna tell you."
"Trade secret, eh?" we responded.
"Exactly," he retorted as he poured our coffee from a French press.
Yes, boys and girls, the regular joe is all made via French press. Inefficient? Perhaps. But it means the folks behind the counter are in constant motion. It's infectious -- we're watching people who obviously love coffee sharing that love. Like it wouldn't be worth it without this extra effort, this extra detail.
And, lordy have mercy, is that some gosh-darned good coffee. There were a lot of levels in it; we can't figure out exactly how to do it justice. Something floral on the end of it; something smoky or charcoal-like on the tip -- just flavors on flavors. Is it the blend? Is it the French press? We needed another cup. And another.
So, sorry kids, we only sampled the house coffee because we just couldn't get enough. Your Trimethyldioxypurist is merely human. After three cups, we couldn't take any more caffeine. And Mrs. Trimeth decided that somehow her sister's college graduation in Taxachusetts was more important than sampling coffee with me. So, sorry, no caps nor lattes nor frou-frou stuff to report on this week.
Only slight criticism: please label the milk containers. We need to know if we're drinking whole, 2%, half and half, whatever. A minor complaint to be sure.
The atmosphere is wonderful -- the open and airy interior somehow lend themselves to creating an environment where you can comfortably pound hot coffee on a hot, beautiful day, like the one we were blessed with Sunday. Add in the free wireless Innerweb-thingee and -- wait for it -- 50 cent refills, this is on our short list for best in the city.
We love this place and will be back again -- especially because we moving to this neighborhood in a few weeks. We sincerely hope that this great atmosphere, attitude, attention to detail, and product is not just part of an initial push of the business. Should the quality be maintained, Ritual should be able to establish itself as a San Francisco favorite.