Location Reviewed: Tempe, in Nexa Apartments
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
It takes a lot of hard work to get legitimate national repute for excellent coffee. While there are tons of criteria that set great roasters apart from good roasters, I would cite two factors as most important: an adherence to consistent quality and an adaptable ingenuity that rolls and develops where opportunity allows. Having a good eye for design also helps (people do like books with nice covers).
One fine example for me is Press Coffee Roasters. Long before I had walked out into the blazing Arizona sun I had heard their praises sung and due to so much credible press of Press, I had even ordered it from the east coast on a few occasions, each time proving as good or better than the last. Thus when I finally had an opportunity to visit the valley, I made sure to earmark one of their many locations for a visit.
I ended up settling on an early AM stop in Tempe to meet up with some friends prior to a long day of work. I found the location set in the bottom floor of a large apartment building, complete with giant windows and a spacious patio. Inside, the space is sleek and well-designed, with lots of nice furnishings and a plethora of excellent equipment.
As for coffee, I ordered up an espresso of a single origin Colombia and a pourover of an Ethiopian. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, smacked of lemon, chocolate, ginger, whipped cream, sourdough, dandelion greens and a little caraway seed, making for a bright and multi-faceted infusion. The pourover proved even more animated, exuding notes of strawberry, caramel, spinach, lemonade, chocolate milk and blackberry within a light body.
After lingering for an hour, I had to bid adieu to Press. Fortunately, I was able to hit another location within Palette Collective, proving again excellent in regards to service and quality. Needless to say, if you're anywhere around the greater Phoenix area, make a definite stop at Press Coffee Roasters for some bombastic coffee.
These wonderful folks made this visit possible in part. Make sure to check them out!
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