Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Tamp and Tap



Subject: Tamp and Tap
Location: Memphis, TN
WiFi?: Yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

One of my first major road trips back when I was first in college was a whirlwind 32-hour road trip to and from Memphis. Two friends and I decided one weekend we wanted to visit some other friends going to school down yonder, so we alternated shifts and arrived lickety-split to spend one day roaming Memphis, only to turn around and head back to Philadelphia the next morning. Ironically, not having learned from the first trip, we did practically the same trip a year later, spending only one day at our west Tennessee destination.


And thus, "whirlwind" is the word I think of when I think of visiting Memphis. Usually when I visit a city, I like to take my time in heading to local hangouts and not-so-touristy gems. Yet with Memphis, my visits have been hurried runs to see Beale Street, a hotel with some ducks and a bit of local BBQ.

Fortunately, I was able to take it a little slower on a recent pass through town late one rainy afternoon. Heading west to Arkansas, I had some time to spare for a quick bite and hopefully some good coffee before I crossed over the Mississippi. Despite Memphis having a smaller coffee scene, I was able to find a potentially decent coffeehouse open on my route called Tamp and Tap. Located downtown on Gayoso, the Tamp and Tap exists as a place to grab coffee, a meal and/or a pint of ale.

The space inside is truly voluminous, dwarfing most coffeehouses with its sheer square footage. Inside the place has a ton of chic seating, various visual designs and large windows, all pulled together with a well-executed flow. The coffee haled from Eighth and Roast, a Nashville coffee roaster I had been looking to try. I ordered an espresso of their espresso blend (name not given) and a pourover of Ethiopian. The espresso, pulled short with a brown crema, issued sunflower seed, bittersweet chocolate, blood orange, cumin, vanilla, salt and raisin, making for an interesting yet tasty pull. The Ethiopia pourover belted out cherry, pound cake, croissant, birch, cream and a touch of pumpkin pie within a medium body.


Following up my coffee with a nice burger at neighboring Kooky Canuck (sadly not the Kookamonga; I was not prepared), I would classify my third stop in Memphis as a pleasing and much more relaxing experience to add to my Memphis adventures. If you're in town, give the Tamp and Tap a visit for some good coffee or a place to unwind.



These wonderful folks made this visit possible in part. Make sure to check them out!

1 comment:

  1. I've been to every larger venue in the town and this is one of the best. Their menu is small but at least they seem to do what they have on it well. They have a variety of salads and sandwiches at events in NYC, and a fresh daily soup.

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