Strange Matter Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Strange Matter Coffee
Location: Lansing, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

A lot of capital cities have interesting histories, but not many possess one as strange as Lansing, Michigan. Originally settled by an assortment of families scammed into buying marshland in a nonexistent Biddle City, these swindled New Yorkers ended up settling a mile north of the marsh, naming their new town after their home village of Lansing. Some years later, when Michigan sought to move the state capital from Detroit, there was such furious competition by the other cities that it was thrown to little Lansing out of frustration. Today, the city has grown to house some great institutions, such as Michigan State University and a coffeehouse fittingly-named for the city, Strange Matter Coffee.

Pour Cleveland

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Pour Cleveland
Location: Cleveland, OH
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Ohio and I did not begin on the best of terms. As a child, my only memories consist of a handful of weary suburbs and local landmarks from when we visited kin. As a young man, I saw the state as but a hurdle on my continental adventures to and fro. Finally in my 30s have I come to slowly appreciate and enjoy the overlooked treasures of the Buckeye State. 

Folklore Coffee and Company

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Folklore Coffee and Company
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Dotted throughout the eastern Pennsylvania countryside exist many pleasant towns. Once places of industry, these villages exist now as centers of local culture and gathering hubs for lunch dates. Fortunately many such towns also have a rising occurrence of quality coffee, a fact that makes passing through small town PA a very pleasant journey.

Anthology Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Anthology Coffee
Location: Detroit, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Ever since I watched Home Improvement as a lad of 10, I have held a subtle curiosity of Detroit and its surrounding settlement. Over the years that interest has been fed by news of bankruptcy, redevelopment and finally, a surging of great coffee.

Mugged: Petra Roasting Co.

Subject: Petra Roasting Co.
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Ethiopia Hunkute 6+
- Kenya Githiga AA 6+
- Acme Harman 5+

Nearly every part of the world has a customary way to prepare coffee. Naturally in Istanbul, many citizens still look to a piping hot cup of Turkish coffee using a method that has been honed over the centuries. Prepared in an cezve/ibrik using finely-ground coffee, it's something all coffee drinkers should try at one point.