Coffee: Dark Matter Star Lounge Coffee Bar, Chicago

This is the second cafe I visited on the most recent Chicago trip. Dark Matter caught my eyes a few months ago because I began hearing stories that these guys were making coffee with green beans aged in used whiskey barrels. Yeah, seriously and beyond the fact that I love Bourbon and Scotch, the concept had me intrigued yet every time I tried to order the beans, they were sold out online.

Overall:

I was here Saturday morning around 9AM and it was a packed house. Too cold to sit outside but they have an awesome sitting area with benches and a mural out back. The bar itself is long and seats about 18 people with a few tables scattered around. I ordered an espresso, Chai Soy Latte and a pour-over of their Barrel Aged Eden Coffee. Layout was nice but the line for coffee took a while to get through. They also had some cold brew on draft presumably on Nitrogen and they offered tea as well. Sorry to any Dark Matter lovers, I probably won’t return as you’ll see from my notes below but maybe I’ll give it a second chance next time I’m in Chicago and update this review.

Espresso:

I was fairly happy with it. It was dense but a bit too bitter for my liking. Nice crema but the espresso was served not very hot like I could have drank it immediately down the gullet which was surprising but also a bit troublesome. Not sure why it was so ‘warm’ instead of hot but still the taste was okay. 6/10

This wasn’t my drink so I only had a sip of it but it was very ‘latte’ like. Thick, lots of froth, lots of sweetness and the tea was masked by this. I liked it but didn’t love it. 6/10

I discussed this bean with the barista making it. It turns out a year or two ago, the barrel aged coffee offering was 100% barrel aged and now they’re blending virgin and barreled beans together to get a good taste. The barista said he was thankful that was the case now because he really loves this product compared to the 100% barrel aged they used to offer.

My thoughts? Hmmm, it tasted like Irish coffee or basically straight up coffee with cream and Jameson whiskey added. It was thin, a murky brown color and after 8 sips over 10 minutes, I decided I couldn’t finish the cup. 4/10…because I guess whiskey and coffee aren’t for me. I went in expecting to buy a bag to take home and am glad I ordered a cup on-site first.

I split a chocolate Croissant with the GF and despite not being baked on-site, it was slightly warmed with a good flakiness and butter quality. 8/10 but probably a shame that this was the best thing they offered.