Two unexpected coffee finds near Rittenhouse Square

Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar has always been one of the underdogs of the local coffee shop scene, an easily overlooked but friendly 20th Street storefront just south of Market Street's corporate bustle, where so much more handcraft happens than you'd ever expect. All the scone, muffin and rugelach baking is done in-house. There's even a chocolatier who makes colorful the little truffles stuffed with a stiff dose of bourbon caramel. Now, co-owner Michael Caro has his own roaster in the store, too, albeit a tiny Korean wonder (the first in the United States) that allows him to roast 1.5-pound batches that can be customized according to customers' preferences.  Caro has been experimenting with beans from around the globe, but I was especially happy with a bag of Honduran Nueva Esperanza beans, which showed a full range of flavors -- dark cocoa, dried fruit, citrus peel, and a grind of peppery spice -- without too many bitter or sour notes.

-- Craig LaBan

Honduran Nueva Esperanza beans, Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar, 15 S. 20th St., 215-496-9033; nookbakeryandcoffee.com

Mi Cumbia Organica is not your usual destination for specialty foods. In fact, it bills itself as an "organic nail spa" that also specializes in Brazilian bikini waxing. Owner Karina Restrepo, however, has also gathered a small but notable collection of products from her native Colombia, including one of the best coffees I've tasted in a while. The "wild forest" beans imported by Brooklyn-based roaster, Devoción, are cultivated by former guerilla soldiers at high altitude in the state of Tolima. Once roasted to a medium-brown hue, they are incredibly fragrant -- like a box of fresh brownie mix when you take a whiff inside the bag. Brewed and in your cup, it tastes like a smooth beam of berries, caramel, and cocoa. These beans aren't cheap. But they're worth it -- whether you've come to also get your nails done or not.

-- C.L.

Devoción wild forest coffee from Tolima Colombia, $18 a 12 oz. bag, Mi Cumbia Organica, 328 S. 17th St., 215-735-7980; micumbia.co.