Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Boxo



Subject: Boxo
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Joe Van Gogh: Nicaragua Selva Negra 5
- Larry's Coffee: Colombia Fonco Paez 5

Sleuthing out great coffee is something I really enjoy. Much like Indiana Jones thrives on risking his life to unearth forgotten or really-hard-to-find artifacts, I love seeking out great coffees from great roasters. And while much of my social circle does not share this passion, it seems I have a few kindred spirits in the folks behind the subscription coffee service Boxo.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Alchemy Coffee




Subject: Alchemy Coffee
Location: Richmond, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The density difference in quality coffeehouses between west coast cities and east coast cities still surprises me. While the gaps grow smaller, places like Portland and Seattle still boast the greater amount of great coffee establishments per square mile, with the only real exception being New York City (though you could argue that due to the irregular density and infrastructure of NYC, it really should be put it in a class of its own). Thus it's no wonder that several years ago, when Portlander Erik Spivack transplanted to Richmond, he found a woeful lack of great coffee in this Virginia city. Fortunately, his response was not to complain on social media or give snarky remarks to friends and relatives, but instead to start up Alchemy Coffee.

Friday, May 13, 2016

The Coffee Pedaler



Subject: The Coffee Pedaler
Location: New Haven, CT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's official: cycling and coffee are best buds.

Sure, no truly notarized decree has been made from either the SCAA or the International Olympic Committee, but if you know people whom take one seriously, chances are they are deeply enamored about the other. And unlike other communities that overlap with great coffee (like whittling or medieval anachronism), cycling and coffee have often combined forces for some epic tag teams. You can find coffee bars in bike shops, coffee served off the back of cycles (though to my disappointment, no one has debuted the coffee unicylce yet) and you can even find mobile coffee operations partially powered by pedal-power.

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters



Subject: Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Location: Rochester, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Driving south from Saginaw, a plethora of gems exist on the way to Detroit. One is Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria, a town with tons of tourist gold like the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder's that provide plenty of delectable eats, tourist-rich charm and German-oriented amusement. Another great spot is the city of Rochester, an area not only regarded as one of the better places to live in these United States, but also home to Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters.

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Mugged: King's Row Coffee



Subject: King's Row Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Bonbon Blend 5+

No one tastes in a vacuum. Naturally I'm not speaking of feasts within appliances, but the simple truth that flavor often is compounded by our prior meals and/or environment. This concept happens to be a founding principle to the coffees at King's Row Coffee.