Valentine Coffee’s tasting room opened today, and we stopped by to check it out. And to have a spontaneous cortado.
A cortado, I learned, means "cut" in Spanish and is a short cappuccino without foam. It was rich and delicious.
Valentine specializes in pourovers, which means they only make one cup of coffee at a time; there are no large carafes. Every drink is custom made and customers can choose from one of 12-15 different roasts available on a daily basis.
"It’s a very hands-on approach," says co-owner Joe Gilsdorf. "Other cafes have pour overs, but we’re really focusing on them. I don’t think anyone is taking espresso as seriously as we are in this town."
The tasting room also offers a few bakery items from local bakeries, including Blue’s Egg. Rishi tea is also on the menu.
The space is simple and nice, with lots of pine and natural light. Drinks can be made to stay or to go. There are about a dozen or so seats available inside and outside seating, as well.
Prior to the tasting room, Valentine was solely a wholesaler that also served coffee at farmers markets. Check out my in-depth article about the local company here.
Valentine Tasting Room is open from 6 a.m. until they run out of customers, about 2 p.m., from Monday to Saturday.
"It’s flexible. We’re not going to kick anyone out," says Gilsdorf.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
