Bean There

A coffee shop that makes a science of brewing

barismo3Photo: Jaime van Schyndel

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arismo may look like a coffee shop, but it isn’t the kind of place you can stop by for a quick cup of joe, and it definitely isn’t your average café. The Capitol Square brew lab is more like a geeky cocktail bar. Begun as a social group and coffee blog for java purists, Barismo was transformed into a real-life roastery that specializes in estate coffees and manual brewing methods, but is also the most meticulous labeler in town, with roast dates and blend contents clearly marked on each bag so you’ll know exactly what you’re drinking. Goldberg

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In the late 19th century, there was a coffee mill in Charlestown that until the 1930s roasted a brand called State House Coffee, on whose label was an illustration of the Massachusetts State House. It also made a coffee substitute, Old Grist Mill Entire Wheat Coffee.