And now there are two!

Mmm...Having spent a bit of time behind the bar pulling espresso shots and the like, I can tell you that I was gladdened to see another coffee shop in Denton. Even luckier, it is downtown and within walking distance!

Though Jupiter House is a well-established and well-trafficked cafe downtown, the new cafe, Hydrant, will be a nice compliment. Hydrant has a PID'd La Marzocco Linea 2-group which is probably a bit of an advantage over Jupiter House's well-aged Linea 4-group (an old Starbuck's machine). Both Jupiter House and Hydrant have good quality whole bean coffee supplied by small-batch roasters. Cuvee Coffee of Houston is offered by Jupiter House is a generally roasted a bit lighter than Coffee Eiland's coffee. Cuvee's espresso often presenting fruitier notes, while Coffee Eiland's espresso is fuller-bodied with a dark chocolate finish. Because I've had them both under controlled circumstances I can say done right both are good. What I cannot say is that you will find the right environment at either one of these cafes. In all my years as a patron and informed observer I have never experienced a decent shot of espresso at Jupiter House. Jupiter has been an outstanding success regardless. It is too soon to tell if Hydrant will be the same.

I am hopeful that having two coffee shops vying for the customer's dollar will be good for the coffee scene in Denton, however, and that one day I will be able to reliably predict a good espresso when walking up to the counter at either one of these shops. Let the games begin!