Roasted: Double Trouble

By Amanda Gutierrez     4/4/12 7:00pm

Caffeine is the one substance that college students need throughout the day. Alcohol is the one substance we love to drink throughout the night. So what happens when you combine the two? Double Trouble. Located right off of the METRORail at the Houston Community College stop, Double Trouble Caffeine and Cocktails is a lounge for both coffee drinkers and alcohol drinkers. There is no need to fret if you are under 21 - you can still go in for a quick espresso drink, sit on the patio and enjoy the hip Midtown scene. This shop is quite the ?eclectic shindig.

Double Trouble was designed by owners Robin and Robin, two stylish ladies with experience in both interior design and bartending. The inside of the shop is very modern and intimate, with dim lighting, bamboo walls and dark, natural accents. Upon walking into the shop, the first thing that catches the eye is the large wall of shelved bottles. The customers, mostly local businessmen, students and hipsters, have quite the assortment of liquor to choose from.

Since I was a bit overwhelmed with all the possibilities, the bartender offered to make me an espresso mixed with some sort of alcohol so that I could get the best of both worlds. The bartender carefully crafted the drink, which had two shots of espresso, Kahlua, heavy whipping cream and an assortment of spirits that I was told was a "secret mixture." I eagerly sipped the drink (don't worry, I am legal), and it was delicious. It had the initial smooth taste of espresso, the sweet, milky hints of whipping cream and the shocking bite of alcohol. It tasted very similar to Vietnamese coffee. The coffee menu is very simple. There are only seven drinks offered, six of which are the basic espresso drinks, such as American, cappuccino and latte, in addition to pour-over coffee. Double Trouble's coffee beans are roasted locally by Greenway Coffee Roasters, which is usually a good indication of fresh, quality coffee. I wanted a simple, coffee drink, so I tried a flat white, a smaller version of a latte. What I tried did not taste like a latte at all. The espresso was very smoky but had no body and mostly tasted like milked-down burnt coffee. It left quite an unpleasant aftertaste. The flat white was, in fact, flat. Ultimately, I could not tell if the beans were poor quality or if they were overroasted. Unfortunately, this is the same espresso Double Trouble uses for all of its coffee drinks.

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For those not quite at the legal age, Double Trouble has a cozy atmosphere to hang out with friends and play a game of bingo Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on the patio. For those 21 or older, Double Trouble is a good place to go for a happy hour beer or for a late-night espresso-liquor drink.

Amanda Gutierrez is a Hanszen College junior. "Roasted" is a column that examines the coffee culture in and ?around Houston.

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