The Friday Cyclotouriste

Marin Coffee Roasters

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Marin Coffee Roasters is an ideal place for a shot of espresso. There’s sunny, outdoor sidewalk seating and it’s on a major bike path connecting San Francisco to West Marin (click here for a jpeg of a bicycle path map courtesy of the MCBC site).

I broke my month-long coffee fast here which may have skewed my perceptions, but I rank this as one of the best espressos I’ve had in Marin.

I’m a little surprised because my understanding is the owner doesn’t roast on site, but rather receives his beans from the 25lb. San Franciscan roaster at the Fairfax Roastery. Truth be told, I’m not thrilled with Fairfax’s espresso so my suspicion is that superior barista technique accounts for the difference in cup quality. Or maybe, I was just happy to taste coffee after my long layoff.

This shot was not too big, had a decent-to-very good crema, was served in an actual espresso-sized cup, had a rich and chocolatey flavor yet without being burned or scorched — very northern Italian! Here’s the breakdown:

Taste (4/5);

Crema (3.5/5);

Serving size  (4/5);

Presentation (4/5);

Eco-friendliness (4/5)

78 points plus reviewer’s correction (+2) = 80 points

NOTE: Since this coffee house is only 10 minutes from downtown Fairfax you’ll probably need to choose just one of these places to stop. Then again, here’s an idea: stop in one town on your way to classic West Marin roads and then stop in the other on your return.