Brûlerie Barbès is located in the 18th arrondissement, in the area that is popularly known as “Little Africa.” My partner and I ventured into this neighborhood in December to have lunch at the Creole restaurant Au Paradis Tropical and to explore the concept store Little Africa Village. I took the opportunity to purchase a bag of roasted whole-bean coffee from this coffee roaster, which has been in this location since 1979.
The proprietor, Neylla, was quite helpful and gave detailed information about the coffees in which I was interested. I told her that I wanted a coffee with notes of chocolate. She named four single-origin varieties with that characteristic, from which I selected a 250-gram bag of Pérou Grand Cru.
Neylla also suggested that I try Sidamo beans from Ethiopia. She told me that this coffee does not immediately express chocolate notes. But she said that if I made a cup of Sidamo espresso, covered it, left in the refrigerator overnight and tasted it the following morning, I would find the chocolate notes that I was seeking.
She graciously gave me a sample of these beans so that I could perform the experiment.
It turns out that she was right—I brewed a cup of Sidamo espresso in the evening, placed it in the refrigerator, and tasted it in the morning. It did express notes of chocolate, even if the brew was a bit sour.
As for the Pérou Grand Cru, it, too, expressed notes of chocolate (without having to be put into the refrigerator), but I found it rather tart with an acidity like grapefruit.
Brûlerie Barbès does not offer an “espresso of the day” to taste on site, but they do offer a wide range of roasted coffee beans with expert help on hand to aid customers in making a selection.
If I lived in this neighborhood, I would come here regularly for fresh-roasted coffee beans.
Brûlerie Barbès
14, rue des Poissonniers
75018 Paris
