The New Orleans Chronicles: Coffea Coffeehouse & Gallery

It was the afternoon of my first day of work in New Orleans.  That morning, the crew and I had completely gutted a small shotgun-style house.  That is hard work, I’ll have you know.  We were tired, dirty, and hot.  That was the only hot day I was able to enjoy in Louisiana, as the rest of the week was rainy and in the 40’s.  In any case, on our way back to the church where we were staying, we saw a coffeehouse called Coffea, not too far of a walk away.  After cleaning ourselves up a bit, we walked down the street and went into the artsy-looking shop.

Upon walking in, the atmosphere was what hit me first.  There was original artwork by local artists on the walls.  Some were small pieces, some fairly good-sized, and some half the size of the wall.  The seating in the shop was funky and mismatched and gave off a nice feel of comfortable wear.  There were a good half-dozen locals sitting around, some talking, and some on laptops, but all seemed surprised to see the group of people who had just entered the shop.  I guess I failed to mention it before, but we were staying in the 9^th Ward, one of the areas hardest hit by Katrina.  You can still see the waterlines on the houses and it has the very eerie feel of a ghost town.  I guess any outsiders would be a surprise.

Regardless, it was time to order, so I stayed true to form and had a large iced coffee.  It was only a buck fifty!  That is a huge plus.  The woman who tended to the coffee bar was slow, but that was to be expected.  She was the only one working, and kept her too-cool-for-school demeanor throughout our visit.  Lots of times that would turn me off to a place like this, but in this instance, I felt that it added to the experience.  There was a fine selection of fresh pastries, and all-in-all, my experience was good.  My colleagues, however, were not thrilled with the hot coffee.  The stuff that wasn’t cut with chicory (a local favorite) tasted burnt and had off flavors.  I’m glad I stuck to the iced stuff.

Overall, though I would pass on the coffee and chicory blend, I would recommend stopping by Coffea Coffeehouse and Gallery.  They were a great independent shop with very nice prices and a funky atmosphere.  They are at 3218 Dauphine at Piety.