New Harvest Coffee & Spirits
It was a dark night, and the streets of Providence Rhode Island wore a menacing cloak of deep mystery like an H. P. Lovecraftian portal to a foreboding cosmic dimension. A lone figure walked into a bar in the heart of the city. The name of the bar was New Harvest Coffee & Spirits…
Okay, so that won’t be the beginning of any novel anytime soon, but it is where our story begins today. New Harvest is located in the Arcade building which has the distinction of being the first enclosed mall in all of the United States.
New Harvest is one of my favorite coffee shops to travel to in the evening because not only is the atmosphere excellent, but it is also a bar. If you are over 21, this brings you some great additional options for work or on a date. Not a late night coffee drinker? How about some red wine while you work? I usually stop drinking coffee after 3pm, so I’m going to be wired tonight. That’s fine though. This was a coffee adventure that was well worth it.
The Coffee 401 Verdict
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Iced Coffee - 8.5/108.5/10
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Atmosphere - 9/109/10
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Place to meet a friend - 9/109/10
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Place for a coffee date - 10/1010/10
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Place for a work session - 7.5/107.5/10
Summary
- The coffee they were using today was a single origin Ethiopian bean. It was very good, but there was a slight burned aftertaste that I didn’t like quite as much as my favorite coffee brews.
- The atmosphere is great! It’s a small place, but it’s cozy and modern. The cool factor is high here, like this bar could have been featured in Dwell magazine.
- New Harvest would be a very cool place to meet a friend.
- This is the ultimate place for a coffee date. It’s intimate, and the vibe is right. Plus if the date is going well you can always switch to wine, beer or a cocktail. Perfect.
- This isn’t a bad place to do work either. The only issues are the lights are low and if you aren’t doing work on a laptop, it might put a strain on your eyes. Also the chairs are a bit uncomfortable for a multi-hour work session. But they do have wifi and outlets, and they have alcoholic coffee beverages. If you need to work late, this is a great spot.
New Harvest Coffee & Spirits is all around one of the best coffee shops in Providence. It doesn’t hurt that it is also a bar and they got the nighttime city vibe right. For evening work, this would be towards the top of a short list of places to go. Also, I think it is one of the best places to meet for a coffee date. There is no free dedicated parking so that could be a bit of a drawback depending on how busy Providence is when you go.
One side note, I’ve been here several times, but I have never been during the day. They are open all day, so it is an option, but with no windows to the outside, it isn’t as appealing a proposition. Either way. Let me know your experiences in the comments section, and if you haven’t been, trust me, you need to add this to your coffee shop adventure list. Right now. (We all have coffee shop adventure lists right?)
