Felix Felicis

As I have alluded to in previous posts, Buenos Aires is not necessarily the best place for getting a fine cup of coffee. Yes the city is full of quaint, Parisian cafes and yes the cafes have nobly dressed waiters, and yes the environment is vintage... but is the coffee any good? In general no. For me the measure of good coffee is the amount of sugar I have to add. If sugar is necessary, the coffee is no good. If I drink the coffee straight, then it's a sign they are doing something right.

They make a killer Americano!

In most neighborhoods in the city the cafes are very traditional. They serve tostadas and medialunas for breakfast, a filet with papas for lunch, and a merienda of common tea and toast with cheese and jelly. However, in Palermo one can find a number of high quality, artesanal cafes, all within a 10 block radius. That's a heavy concentration given the size of the city and the relative lack of good-tasting coffee anywhere else.

The large picture windows offer a wonderful view onto the street

In my last post I talked about Lattente. Aside from Lattente, there are a few other cafes in the vicinity that offer trendy, new ways to drink coffee that really highlight the flavors of the beans, allowing for a more artistic, interactive experience. These include Full City Coffee, Coffee Lab, and recently opened Felix Felicis. In these local cafes you're not just drinking cafe con leche sweetened with sugar, in these cafes you get to experience the soil, the climate, and the altitude of coffee-growing regions around the world. Forget leche, lets drink coffee the real way.

Creative postcards make a
wonderful and inexpensive gift.

Recently opened Felix Felicis, located on Cabrera and Serrano, offers yet another wonderful excuse for enjoying a hot cup of artesanal coffee. The baristas are well-trained, having worked and trained in cafes such as Lattente. The location lacks decoration as of yet, but the white walls and expansive sidewalk offer great potential, and the large glass windows allow in lots of light and provide an excellent view for those who wish to sip their coffee at one of the window seats and watch the city pass by.

I went for opening day and tried an Americano which was quite good, and which had the strong, sweetly acidic flavor of the Colombian beans they use. They don't serve much in terms of food, as Felix Felicis is more about sharing quality coffee and conversation than it is about offering as much as possible for the clientele, and in a neighborhood of expats, students and tourists, this often makes for a winning combination.

Cheers,

Kyle

A view from the entrance!