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Bernadette Melvin is a former employee of SF's Spinelli's, which was bought out by Tully's in 1998. When Tully's pulled out of this location in 2007, she moved in and opened with - and insisted upon - Arnold Spinelli's coffee (formerly Bonavita, now called LaCoppa). As a local to the neighborhood, the locals love her back. The shop is even run largely by her family members, and it's often packed full of MacBook-keyboard-pounding locals. Using a three-group Faema E91 Diplomat, they pull shots with a crema that can vary from a rich-looking, darker brown to a more pale, frothy, medium brown. It may be a little thin on body, but there can be more to it than smokiness. The cup has a full aroma and a robust roast taste of thyme and tobacco. There's can be a lot to like here. Unfortunately a lot seems to depend on freshness, which seems to vary from a potent cup made from beans as little as several days old to a more pedestrian espresso made from a three-weeks-old roast. It's also best when Bernie pulls the shots herself. So while good, this place doesn't live up to the hype anymore than an old Spinelli's chain café would.
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