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Monthly Archives: March 2017

Take Five Espresso Bar

A man walks into a coffee house…that isn’t really a coffee house. More like a coffee…alcove? That’s how best to describe Take Five Espresso Bar, located as it is in the Central Market House in York. For those who don’t know (and until Saturday I didn’t know), Central Market House is York’s equivalent of Broad Street Market. It’s a big, brick edifice right in the heart of the city that allows different food and curio vendors to set up shop inside. It’s a bustling place, full of wafting nostril-candy, just how a city market should be, but perhaps a bit moreso this Saturday due to the freakishly warm weather we were having. But despite the warmth, I, as usual, was still thinking of nothing more than a nice hot cup of coffee.

Take Five is located fairly near to the entrance of the building, tucked away next to a shop full of edible gifts. I went right to the counter and was greeted by the barista, Phyllis, who could tell that I was quite thirsty and enthusiastic to try the lineup of self-serve dispensers near the counter. I asked what the house blend was and she pointed me to the breakfast blend. Now, I’m not much a breakfast blend person in general. I like my coffee rich and powerful.

She told me that the roast was half Colombian and half French Roast, so I figured that it would be about a medium, probably a little earthy and definitely muted, bittersweet flavors. Many people aren’t aware that French roasting is a process which mutes the natural characteristics of whatever bean is used. A good thing for the lighter breakfast blends for sure. The coffee I had was a very good example of this. It was so smooth and non-acidic in fact that I could drink it happily without adding any cream or sugar! This was really one of the smoothest, nicest breakfast blends I’ve had in a while. Some cafes simply offer a weaker version of typical roasts; passing off watered-down coffee for stomach-friendly fare. These folks here actually made an effort to craft a breakfast coffee with rich flavor and low acidity. They also pulled it off. Hence me now blogging about them to the world.

If you come through York, this is a great place to get a morning cup. It’s worth going through the city traffic to get to both this cafe and the marketplace in which it has resided since 2012. In fact, one can only get a morning cup here. That’s my one caveat about this cafe: they open nice and early but they only stay open until noon or 2PM depending on the day. They are also closed Sunday and Monday. It’s really not their fault though, it’s the schedule of the market itself constraining them. So yes, if you find yourself in York on a weekday morning, this bustling yet friendly kiosk is quite the oasis of decent beans. Happy quaffing.