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| - NOTE: Flying Machine is now called Flying Machine Avionics and is located at 202 S 1st St. Champaign, IL 61820.
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TL;DR - This place is a worthy successor to Flying Machine and in my opinion, a contender for the best coffee joint in CU.
I haven't been in Champaign-Urbana in a good while, so I wandered into CafeCo looking for Flying Machine, and was definitely disappointed to find that they had moved to a new location. Flying Machine used to be my coffee house of choice and you can read my way too detailed review over on their page. However, since I was about to fall over from caffeine deficiency, I wasn't about to walk out of a cafe and drive on over to the other side of town without trying something in house first.
As a coffee lover (but not a connoisseur by any stretch of the word), I struck up a conversation with the guy behind the bar asking what is what at this new joint. He absolutely insists that I try an Americano and the nitro cold brew. The Americano is good. Really good. It doesn't blow my mind but it definitely isn't over roasted or under extracted and it has a mellow and earthy flavor that deviates from the super acidic/citrus wave that permeates every new popup-hipster-coffee-shop.
But the nitro...
Let me set this up for you. I tried nitro several years ago in a hipster coffee joint in St. Louis, way before the nitro craze that is going on right now. You could say that I am pretty flippin' hipster (not like actually, but I tried it before it was cool so you get the idea). I hated it. It tasted like a gimmick. Why make a smooth cold brew "smoother" by infusing it with nitrogen? Like the stuff that makes up 78% of the air we breathe? What's the point? Then I tried nitro in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, D.C., and every time, same deal, no dice, this is some uber-hipster nonsense.
But the nitro...
This CafeCo nitro is the nectar of the gods. I finally understand what my tongue could not comprehend for all of these years, that this is the way that all cold brew - NAY, ALL COFFEE - is made to be consumed. I only have one regret; I only drank one and I probably won't be able to have another one for quite some time.
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Atmosphere: 5/5 - I used to love Flying Machine/Pizza M for the spacious minimalist interior and the beautiful natural lighting. Still spacious, still minimalist, still beautifully lit, but now add the contrast of the black furniture and accent around the establishment and if anything, the new decor enhances the ambiance.
Service: 5/5 - Used to love the Flying Machine staff. They always knew their stuff and were always super friendly. They were occasionally a little slow, but only because you can tell that they take time to put the finishing touches on every cup they serve.
Value: 5/5 - I'll always shell out for good coffee, but this is good coffee that also doesn't break the bank. The nitro draft I had was very fairly priced, and relative to other nitro's I've tried, actually a quite a bit undervalued.
Food: 10/10 - I also had a P.L.T (prosciutto, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich. Simple and delicious. Best part is that they do not skimp on the prosciutto. Honestly, I'd give the "food" category another 10 points because they do food and coffee extremely well but 10/10 will have to do.
Overall: 24/25 - If this place doesn't become a staple in the ever growing CU coffee scene, I will be shocked. It's a great place to get work done, a phenomenal place for coffee, and not a bad place to get a quick bite. Minus one point for ruining other coffee for me for a while.
All in all, absolutely would experience nitro-nirvana again.
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