Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Coffee Box


Subject: The Coffee Box
Location: Plainfield, NJ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The thick suburbs of northeast New Jersey possess countless places that peddle coffee, but surprisingly offer few shops where the coffee is worth the stop. Fortunately for many North Jersey-ites, great coffee has become more readily available each month, with new spots slowly emerging in the lands surrounding New York City.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Talking Irons Coffee Saloon


Subject: Talking Irons Coffee Saloon
Location: Pearce, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While most excellent coffeehouses reside in cities and heavily-populated regions, occasionally there exists outstanding coffee a little off the beaten path. I found myself in one such instance as I was driving through Arizona, from the storied Tombstone streets to the old mining boomtown of Pearce. Heading northeast, my journey began typically enough on a rural road through the desert, until I found myself being directed by Google Maps onto a road called Ghost Town Trail through Dead Mexican Canyon. After making the turn I soon realized the word "trail" was not just a linguistic flourish, as the empty dirt road seemed better fit for a wagon (or at least a four-wheel drive truck) than my tiny sedan. Nonetheless, I persisted for a solid half hour, watching torrential storms a mile to the right and every mile or so, a road sign warning that the trail floods heavily in rain.

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Rustic Cup




Subject: Rustic Cup
Location: East Prospect, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The more I drive around the country, the more I appreciate small towns. While cities still cradle a chunk of my heart, there's nothing like a tree-lined boulevard, easy parking or finding a great coffee shop on a country road. 

Friday, July 20, 2018

Herman's Coffee



Subject: Herman's Coffee
Location: Philadelphia, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

As many entrepreneurs have now proven, auto garages make excellent coffeehouses. Maybe it's the rough-and-tumble aesthetic or maybe it's because people like large garage doors, but either way I've seen cafes successfully set-up shop across the country in similar concrete shells, each one offering a great community hub, especially in the summer.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Malvern Buttery




Subject: Malvern Buttery
Location: Malvern, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Since taking up beekeeping as a hobby, I have found that I do not mind driving around with swarms of bees in my car. Granted said bees are in contained boxes called "packages" so the danger of injury is limited to the box opening somehow, but nonetheless there is still something invigorating about high-risk insect chauffeuring.