Get your global fix at Adda Coffee & Tea House
Along the disputed border between East Liberty and Shadyside, a little coffee shop stands as a deliberate challenge to the typical view of coffee as simply a commodity, a refueling pit stop in between the important tasks of the day.
If the smell and taste of a particular drink can evoke a sense of place, then Adda Coffee & Tea House is sort of like a leisurely boat trip around the world.
In August, for obvious reasons, there were Brazilian decorations everywhere — from Carnival masks and flags to empty burlap sacks of Brazilian coffee on the walls. Fresh, savory beef and vegetable empanadas ($4) were served for a light meal; to drink, a caipirinha ($2.45).
“It's like the national cocktail of Brazil,” says Adda's manager, Drew Von Arx. “Limes, seltzer water-tonic water. The alcohol is made from sugarcane. I just kind of played around and made a nonalcoholic version, with a little bit of lemon and sugar concentrate. It's a really refreshing summer drink.”
Of course, the Olympics are over, so Adda is moving on to a new place: Cuba.
“We take that featured place in the world and try to make at least one drink to celebrate local flavors, traditions,” says Von Arx. “Claudia (Moyano) from Umami in Lawrenceville is making us empanadas. She did them for Brazil and is changing them up to incorporate more Cuban flavors. We're working on a mojito iced coffee — iced coffee with mint and sugar.”
This international theme isn't an accident — it's central to the owner's concept for Adda.
“Our owner (Sukanta Nag) is actually from Bangladesh, came to the States for college, fell in love with the city. As an aspiring restarauteur, he wanted to give something back to the community. This is his first venture.”
The name of the shop, Adda, is “a Bengali word loosely translated to ‘exchanging conversation between peers or friends,' ” explains Von Arx. “It's also a noun, as in the place to have those conversations.”
Other Adda “destinations” have included Japan and New England.
On the second and fourth weekends of each month, they host a “High Tea” in the British fashion, with savories and sweets and all-you-can-drink tea.
Adda gets its drinks from Verve Coffee from Santa Cruz, Calif., and Rishi Tea from Milwaukee.
Realizing that a lot of people in the so-called “gig economy” do a lot of their work at coffee shops, Adda enables customers to “reserve” a table online, so they'll have a guaranteed spot.
“Part of the vision of this whole place is to help give aspiring entrepreneurs or innovators a place that's not necessarily an office,” Von Arx says. “You can get work done, be with clients, do what you need to do.”
Adda Coffee & Tea House, 200 S. Highland Ave., Shady side, is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Details: 412-404-8403
Michael Machosky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at machosky@tribweb.com or 412-320-7901.
