HIPSTER – According to Urban Dictionary; a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. Though Wicker Park, Chicago is on the list as the second largest “hipster” population in this great nation, if you venture just north to Logan Square you will find a plentiful hipster lifestyle population. Maybe they are a little less in your face about it, but there are plenty of them walking around the streets in the wee hours on a Saturday morning.
Let me start by being very honest and open here, this might make me more hipster in your eyes than my-own, but I don’t like when labels are places on those that go against the cultural norm. I do to some extent consider myself a hipster; I fit the age group, I value good conversations with those that think individually and can factually justify the way they feel, indie-rock happens to by my current Pandora station, in my free time, if not drinking coffee, you will find me exploring the Chicago art and cultural fairs and studios or nose deep in a good book.
Currently in the middle of “Career of Evil” by Robert Galbraith, or J.K. Rowling for those who don’t know.
So I have a few hipster tendencies. I am not ashamed! BUT Gaslight Coffee Roasters is hipster heaven.
The interior was rustic with an open storage feel. The space had a simplistic feel to it, though the accent touches they had were phenomenal. A miniature deer head mounted on the wall, looking back I don’t think that could have been a real deer head, too small. One wall cover in a textile wall paper, the rest exposed brick and the rest floor to ceiling windows. The cafe was extremely open and was squeezed into a corner unit on a six way intersection two blocks from the L stop. Take about prime real estate!
Besides the space and the location the shop continually gets better; the menu is very straight forward but they offer pour over coffee where you have the option of selecting the coffee beans! <3
How AMAZING is that!
You literally get to “build” your own coffee drink, pour over takes a little longer than your typical fresh dripped coffee so have patience.
Just to clear the air for everyone, drip coffee is no different that what we all drink daily from our coffee pot, don’t let these coffee shops fool you. A coffee pot just automates the process so you’re not stuck standing there pouring the water over the coffee grounds yourself. Pour over coffee is more personalized, takes roughly the same amount of time, 2-4 minutes to brew an individual cup of coffee. It has been described as one of the most effective ways to brew a cup of coffee, you and grind the beans finely to produce a lighter cup of coffee or leave the beans more choppy for a stronger cup of coffee. The finer the grind the faster the water will filter through, the faster you get your cup of coffee but the weaker it is. The chunkier the grind is, the longer it takes the water to filter through, ultimately producing a stronger cup of coffee.
When I saw this on the menu I thought it was the coolest thing ever! A personal cup of coffee brewed to order just for me! WIN! Now, the downfall looking back and now knowing what i know about pour over coffee, of course any coffee shop is not going to want to keep you waiting much longer than 5 minutes for your coffee. So the beans were ground finely producing a weaker cup of coffee, which for me I like my coffee very strong.
On the flip side, I got to select my coffee bean; fun still. I picked the Ethiopian bean – which was a low acidic bean with hints of grape, raisin and cocoa. Daniel picked the Peru bean – which was any chocolate lovers dream, very dark with strong hints of cocoa. Both were great bean choices, we just like our coffee stronger so next time we make the trip to hipster heaven I would probably request they not grind the beans so finely.
Gaslight Coffee Roaster in Logan Square is certainly a hidden gem, the coffee is wonderful, the people are beyond friendly and the ambiance of the whole cafe is the best. These coffee baristas will not disappoint; roasting the coffee fresh every morning, there is no better way to start the day.
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