Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona. Show all posts

Monday, February 26, 2024

Infusion Coffee and Tea Crafters



Subject: Infusion Coffee and Tea Crafters
Location: Tempe, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Trying to get to an off-site coffee shop between business conference sessions is often like a leg of the Amazing Race. Half the time, the targeted cafe is just far enough away that you only have enough time to grab the coffee and get back before you are poignantly missed. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Sagebrush Coffee


Subject: Sagebrush Coffee Shop and Roastery
Location: Chandler, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It certainly is no indication of good coffee, but there's something about giant coffee shops. There are precious few in the northeast but once the region of super high rents begins to fade in the rear view mirror, the landscape starts to blossom with shops the size of houses. One recent visit to Arizona turned up a fine specimen, a gorgeous, large footprinted cafe slinging out good coffee called Sagebrush.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Yellow Brick Coffee


Subject: Yellow Brick Coffee
Location: Tucson, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While wandering through Tucson on my last trip, I found myself in a business park looking for great coffee. While this location is no longer present (see the new storefront pictured from their website above), I found myself at the (old) roastery location for Yellow Brick Coffee.

Monday, September 25, 2023

Pair Cupworks


Subject: Pair Cupworks
Location visited: Mesa, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Cafes that open for but a few hours have either mastered supply and demand, or they hold defiantly to old convention. And since few shops that have lines wrap around the block for a truncated AM rush, I would postulate that most cafes are letting prime real estate sit unused the majority of the day. 

Sunday, July 30, 2023

GrindTime Coffee



Subject: GrindTime Coffee
Location: Gilbert, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Traveling for business often means random breaks perfect for coffee shop hunting. Equipped with a car during a recent conference in Phoenix, I had an hour to kill between sessions and I headed over to a new-to-me shop called GrindTime Coffee.

Friday, June 30, 2023

Kream Coffee


Subject: Kream Coffee 
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Combining a coffee shop with another business (or visa versa) has always been a great idea, but what happens from inception to conception can make or break the notion. 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Xanadu Coffee Company


Subject: Xanadu Coffee Co.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While I have been to Phoenix a few times, I feel that I have only seen small chunks of the area. To that end, each visit I try to scope out new spots to frequent, especially those of the coffee persuasion.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Driftwood Coffee



Subject: Driftwood Coffee
Location visited: Peoria, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The more I travel, the more I have found that two things invariably happen. The first is that over time, you see more of the similarities between locations than differences. The second is opposite, that the things that you deeply desire for your home turf will stand out like crystal fountains. 

Monday, February 13, 2023

Mythical Coffee


Subject: Mythical Coffee
Location visited: Gilbert, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When visiting far off cities, barista recommendations are usually a solid source of wisdom. I usually have a short list of places to try, but getting verification or a even a surprise qualified suggestion is usually the beacon that helps further light my path unto great coffee, with only occasional mishaps. 

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Giant Coffee



Subject: Giant Coffee
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Some people dabble in coffee, but for most people, coffee is a huge part of their routine. So when I stumbled across a place called Giant Coffee in Phoenix, it resonated with me deeply.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Berdena's




Subject: Berdena's
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Of all the Arizona towns I have visited, Scottsdale struck me as one of the prettiest and walkable. I was only there for a day here and there, but each time it seemed like a great place to reside. Then on top of those selling points, add great coffee into the equation and now I'm looking at real estate.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

King Coffee




Subject: King Coffee
Location: Tempe, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

A lot of Arizona days require an indoor sanctuary, cool and shaded from the desert sun. Such was my dilemma one scorching morning in Tempe when I found myself outside the doors of a local coffeehouse near my hotel, a cozy strip mall shop called King Coffee.

Thursday, August 08, 2019

Oak Creek Espresso




Subject: Oak Creek Espresso
Location: Sedona, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Sedona continues to be one of my favorite spots in Arizona. My first visit south into the canyon from Flagstaff still gives me chills when I recall the majestic red rocks and towering pine trees.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Futuro




Subject: Futuro
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There are a few days each year where going out for coffee is more about escaping the heat than getting a cup of joe. These last few days across much of the USA has reminded many of the glory of a great air conditioner, especially when cold air is pumping throughout a great coffeehouse.

Sunday, June 09, 2019

Exo Roast Co.




Subject: Exo Roast Co.
Location: Tucson, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While I quite enjoy the eastern side of the USA, the sudden burst of heavy humidity every year around June makes me pine for drier regions. That's probably one reason I took such a quick fancy to Tucson. Even in the summer, its beautiful landscapes and agreeable climate made it a nice respite from the constant moisture that is the East Coast.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Firecreek Coffee Company




Subject: Firecreek Coffee Company
Location visited: Flagstaff, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

My first trip through Flagstaff was a whirlwind detour during my first cross-country road trip back in 2004. Sadly, my entourage had no interest in stopping and thus the city lay unexplored for 15 more years before I could return.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Provision Coffee




Subject: Provision Coffee
Location visited: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

New construction is often the realm of giant coffee chains, but every now and then a local coffee establishment creates a new space and raises the bar a notch.

Monday, April 01, 2019

Peixoto Coffee Roasters



Subject: Peixoto Coffee Roasters
Location: Chandler, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

With a strong push towards improving the profit due to the coffee farmer, there has been a number of approaches concocted to better accomplish sustainable living wages for the very folks making coffee a reality. Practices like 'Direct Trade' and 'Relationship Coffees' have (partly) given rise to roasters and importers making stronger ties with farmers and the regions from where they import, thus not only establishing better prices, but a better model for return business.

Yet of all the existing practices, family trade transcends it all.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Regroup Coffee and Bicycles



Subject: Regroup Coffee + Bicycles
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While I love a good bike ride, I have never been able to fully get into regular bicycling. Maybe it's the fickle NJ winters coupled with the lack of safe roads in my region, or maybe it's that I tend to drive a lot and when I get home I don't feel like navigating the byways any longer. But I tend to think that if I were to move to a warmer climate with a little more open road, I would lean closer to regular riding.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Presta Coffee Roasters




Subject: Presta Coffee Roasters
Location Visited: 1st Ave, Tucson, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

One thing that often drops my jaw when I traverse the west is the number of aesthetically gorgeous coffee shops. Whether it's a reclaimed wood shop in Oregon or a coffee bar exquisitely situated inside a shipping container in San Francisco, it astounds me how relatively boring the east coast is by comparison.