Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Ladder Coffee / Vessel Coffee Roasters



Subject: Ladder Coffee 
Location visited: Monroe St, Spokane, WA (formerly Vessel Coffee Roasters)
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Since my turnaround time on posts is not exactly fast, many times things happen between me visiting a shop and me publishing my visit. Sadly, especially this year, the situation is more often that a shop has closed down and does not plan to reopen. But occasionally something cheerier happens, like every great once in a while a quality shop merges with another quality local coffee operation, creating a stronger presence for both in a fortuitous union.

This seems to be the case with Vessel Coffee Roasters and Ladder Coffee in Spokane. Some months ago, I made a visit to Vessel's sole outpost and had a most delightful experience (of which I will further share). Unfortunately, due to the hour and other circumstances, I was not able to make it to Ladder Coffee that day and sample their highly-regarded coffees, and I headed out of town that night forlorn for missing the window to visit. 

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Pressed


Subject: Pressed Books + Coffee + Gifts
Location visited: Erie, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Erie, Pennsylvania has been a town with which I have had poor coffee fortunes. Each time I have visited, I have either found poor coffee or if I found a quality prospect, it was closed. A few months back, it seemed like my poor fortune would continue while passing through town one Sunday, but just as I had begun to despair, I found Pressed. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Uptown Hearth / Azul Coffee Bar



Subject: Uptown Hearth / Azul Coffee Bar
Location visited: Columbia Falls, MT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

For gorgeous mountain majesty, no place in the USA compares to Glacier National Park. Few places bring such unique beauty in a single place and thanks to the ever-rising popularity, the area outside of Glacier improves every time I visit. 

Thursday, December 03, 2020

East End Coffee Co.


Subject: East End Coffee Co.
Location visited: Lewistown, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Living in the Philadelphia area, I grew up knowing little of what lay west beyond Lancaster. The times I did trounce across the state with family and friends, we usually took the turnpike and to my young mind, most of PA simply consisted of a handful of towns like Gettysburg, State College and Harrisburg. 

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Union Roasters


Subject: Union Roasters
Location visited: 4th St, Coeur d'Alene, ID 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Growing up, no one told me about the shocking beauty of northern Idaho. Movies and travel guides rave about Montana and Colorado, but Idaho never was mentioned in the same conversation, never mind the same sentence.   

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Canyon Coffee Co.

Subject: Canyon Coffee Co.
Location visited: New Bethlehem, PA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

At the risk of sounding obvious, I greatly delight in visiting new places. In my younger days I yearned for distant lands that required air travel, but now that I'm a little older with numerous kids (plus the yoke of COVID), I have managed to keep my explorative spirits high with some local road trips. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Clyde Coffee


Subject: Clyde Coffee
Location visited: Missoula, MT 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Navigating a frozen pass is one of the few things I dislike about the northwest mountains. Living on the east coast, we have our share of icy slopes but not many of them exist on an interstate. Just recently, I had to get from Spokane to Missoula around the beginning of March, and since every realistic route involved a major mountain crossing, I just went with the obvious road and took Lookout Pass. Thank the Lord it was mostly thawed by the time I got to it, but the experience still proved slightly harrowing.

Monday, October 19, 2020

Cogito Coffee




Subject: Cogito Coffee
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

State lines are funny things. Depending on the two states, sometimes a coffee shop has half a dozen locations within feet of a border yet not a single shop on the other side. Sure there's a lot of bureaucratic red tape to blame, but when push comes to shove, no one likes paying to cross a bridge for a cup of coffee.

Thursday, October 08, 2020

Copper Cup


Subject: Copper Cup
Locations visited: Lancaster, PA and Lititz, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have come to relish the gradual discovery of the Lancaster area. Every time I visit I find something I've managed to overlook before, such as James Buchanan's Wheatland, a historical landmark to a dismal president. While I didn't really stop at the old mansion, it did afford me the opportunity to grab some great coffee at Copper Cup.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Indaba Coffee

                                                                   

Subject: Indaba Coffee
Location visited: 518 W Riverside Ave, Spokane, WA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The last time I went through Spokane, I didn't even get a chance to leave the car. Sadly, I was fused to a schedule, the victim of my own poor planning, with only enough time for a late-night airport stop to collect my friend on our way west to Ellensburg. As I looked at the city lights in my rearview mirror, I vowed that next time I would make more time for Spokane. 

Friday, September 18, 2020

Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co



Subject: Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co
Location: Newark, DE
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

A college town without great coffee nearby is a sad educational prospect. Personally, my alma mater still lacks a great coffee option abutting campus (though there's one a short drive away), so when I visit towns harboring an institution of higher education without a good local coffee shop, I definitely feel a pang of shared sorrow for its students. 

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Cafe Red



Subject: Cafe Red
Location: Seattle, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I had never before visited Seattle in the winter, but for a trip in February it was quite beautiful, especially compared to a NJ winter. Aside from the general warmer weather, the green evergreens of the area wonderfully offset the dreary skies, but the likely silver lining to Seattle that had the most effect is the plethora of coffee options.

Monday, August 31, 2020

Doubles Cafe and Bar




Subject: Doubles Cafe and Bar (formerly Colony Club)
Location: Washington DC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I can usually count on at least one trip to DC a year, and each year I try to give a new coffee shop a chance. This past visit I went out of my way to sample a place called the Colony Club. Named for the owners grandparents' flower shop called Colony Flowers, it was a popular and beautiful cafe that had both spacious back patio seating and a cozy interior.

Monday, August 17, 2020

Amity Coffee Co.



Subject: Amity Coffee Co.
Location: Penn Yan, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

For the three long years my wife and I spent in Syracuse, we tried to make the most of our geography and visit all of the nifty towns in the area. Looking back, we failed quite deplorably, as we only went for the crowd favorites like Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Now I look at the map of New York and see so many intriguing spots we've had to make up since we moved south.

Friday, August 07, 2020

Montago Coffee


Subject: Montago Coffee
Location: Helena, MT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

State capitals and their administrative complexes usually aren't much to look at, but sometimes excellent gems sit next to their concrete walls.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Denim Coffee



Subject: Denim Coffee
Location: Carlisle, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The older I get, the more I enjoy the journey versus the destination. That could largely result from the fact that my endpoints don't vary as much as they use to, and now detours have become the only concrete way I see new scenery, not to mention new coffee.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Public Espresso




Subject: Public Espresso
Location Visited: Downtown Buffalo, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The first time I went through Buffalo, it was cold, dreary and I could not find a good cup of coffee. The last time I was in Buffalo, it was sunny, mild and I found numerous coffee stops. One of my favorites as of late is a place called Public Espresso.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Hivolt



Subject: Hivolt
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Getting a quality meal and a good cup of coffee at the same time used to be a rare occurrence. Fortunately the days have grown brighter and coffee is no longer an afterthought. Specifically in the past decade, things have greatly improved in the food world so that brunch spots and fine dinner establishments now purvey quality coffee from excellent roasters instead of capsuled espresso or cooked coffee from an urn long overdue for a cleaning.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Overwinter Coffee



Subject: Overwinter Coffee
Location: Buffalo, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Buffalo failed to make a solid impression when I first visited back in 2007. Maybe it was because I expected a better Anchor Bar experience, or the fact that I visited in winter may have had a role to play, but the real disappointment really lay rooted in the lackluster coffee adventures that turned up few good cups of coffee.

Friday, June 12, 2020

French Truck Coffee



Subject: French Truck Coffee
Location Visited: Magazine St, New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When I use the word "french" in relation to coffee, my mind tends to wander to older times. When I think of french roasts, I think of bitter, charcoal-heavy brews that gained traction in the nineteenth century when over-roasted coffee hid the defects of the low quality beans. When I hear of french-style coffee, my mind zips to thoughts of chicory and cafe au laits, drinks made popular four score ago in the French Market of NOLA that, while appetizing in their own way, don't usually call to mind high-quality coffee.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Mojo Coffee Roasters



Subject: Mojo Coffee Roasters
Location Visited: Freret St, New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Some of my favorite memories have happened on evening coffee dates. Sadly, over the years such opportunities have dwindled for many reasons (kids, quarantine and coffee shops with early hours to name a few), but when I can find a good coffee shop open late, I scribble down eminent plans to visit.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Treeline Coffee Roasters



Subject: Treeline Coffee Roasters
Location: Bozeman, MT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There are a few states that hold a special place in my heart, and the hardest one to physically get to has been Montana. After a decade of foiled attempts, I finally found myself back in Bozeman just a few months ago. North of Yellowstone and full of old memories, I was delighted to find so many good coffee options, some from yore but many new to me.

Friday, May 15, 2020

Second Wind Coffee



Subject: Second Wind Coffee
Location: Johnstown, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Driving south out of the Adirondacks truly jolts you back to reality. One minute there abounds mountain majesty as far as the eye can travel, and the next it's nothing but rolling farmland and less majestic vistas (though it is still pretty of course by Jersey standards).

Thursday, May 07, 2020

Cherry Coffee Roasters



Subject: Cherry Coffee Roasters
Location Visited: Magazine St, New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The sun was hot and the streets were buzzing with activity as I made the most of my free time in New Orleans. Finding myself walking around Magazine Street, I wove in and out of the many businesses lining both sides, ranging from boutiques to fantastic eateries. Looking for a good cup of coffee, I set my sights on a location of Cherry Coffee Roasters, a local shop and roaster that had been gaining reputation for quality coffee. Since their second outpost proved convenient to my geography (their primary location is on Laurel), it made for a welcome treat to my morning adventure.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Evans Brothers Coffee



Subject: Evans Brothers Coffee
Location Visited: Coeur d'Alene, ID
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

My first trip through Idaho's northern landscape found jaw-dropping vistas and alluring small towns, especially the fair city of Coeur d'Alene. Situated on a huge lake, the city of Coeur d'Alene stared at me from the highway as I passed through, but sadly I had to refuse its siren call due to a tight time table that had no room for detours. Nonetheless, that day I determined that the next time I was in the area, I would give myself plenty of time to look around Coeur d'Alene.

Friday, April 17, 2020

Arrow Cafe



Subject: Arrow Cafe
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Riding a street car down N Rampart Street stands as one of my favorite memories of New Orleans. The car was relatively empty and the day was not yet a few hours old, but the car was a nice relief from the already stifling air of the city and the route had few passengers. Sadly the ride was not long, and the destination was the French Quarter, as my wife and I had a nice morning of sight-seeing and walking the old streets planned out. It was then as we made our way down N Rampart St that we first passed Arrow Cafe.

Thursday, April 09, 2020

The Shop



Subject: The Shop
Location: Binghamton, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Back when I lived in Syracuse, I used to go back and forth from Philly all the time, passing quite often through the city of Binghamton, New York. Circa 2008, the area held few places to stop for good coffee, so rarely did I visit the city of Binghamton during my travels.

Wednesday, April 01, 2020

Coffee Science



Subject: Coffee Science
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The more one radiates out from the French Quarter, the more facets New Orleans presents. Sure the bulk of tourism is right near the Quarter but there's a lot of gems off the beaten path that are worth seeking out. If coffee is high on that gem list, then one of them is Coffee Science.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Kru Coffee




Subject: Kru Coffee
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While Saratoga springs is known best for its horses, the area also possesses a beautiful history and lovely town. I recall my first visit over a decade ago while driving through the area and ever since have desired to make a detour when traveling nearby.

Monday, March 09, 2020

Le Marché by NP




Subject: Le Marché by NP Flagship Boutique and Coffee Bar
Location: Whitefish, MT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Multifaceted coffee operations definitely jump out to me most vividly. There are a host of things that go well with coffee, yet many times coffee shops seem to follow the same template.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

HEY! Cafe / HEY Coffee Co



Subject: HEY Coffee Co / Hey! Cafe 
Location visited: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Were I to pick the most colorful city I have visited, it would likely be New Orleans. Full of vibrantly painted houses and Mardi Gras parades, NOLA sports a wide variety of palettes.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Steamworks Coffee





Subject: Steamworks Coffee
Location: Lockport, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

If one spends any time in Upstate New York, the Erie Canal must come up at some point. When I lived in Syracuse, there were markers and signs everywhere, showing where the waterway once played so prominent a role in the city life. Sadly (or fortunately depending on your opinion) the canal has largely been covered over in places like Syracuse, but for folks looking to see what used to be, there are still a few towns that have kept their canal heritage and charm, and if you had to pick just one to visit, I would suggest none other than Lockport.

Sunday, February 09, 2020

Highwheeler Coffee




Subject: Highwheeler Coffee
Location: Fort Plain, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Back when I lived in Upstate New York, trips on I-90 were all too frequent. Usually I had places to go and there were few good coffee stops in the passing towns, so I would often bypass the many historical villages for the sake of expediency. But as of late, the coffee scene of New York has been improving and thankfully given me more reason to stop and explore the hidden gems off the NY State Thruway.

Monday, February 03, 2020

The Elysian Bar




Subject: The Elysian Bar, at Hotel Peter & Paul
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When I was looking for a good hotel in New Orleans for my wife and I to celebrate our ten year anniversary, it definitely proved difficult to narrow down my options. Half of my associates warned me to avoid the French Quarter, while the other half advised that the best spots aren't far from Bourbon Street. In the end, I went with a gut instinct as well as a great deal on one spot that seemed to attract a lot of interesting attention: the Hotel Peter and Paul.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Tipico Coffee



Subject: Tipico Coffee
Location: Buffalo, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Twelve years ago, my first impression of Buffalo was a resounding "bleh." Maybe it was because I visited in late winter and the chilly winds coming off Lake Erie made the trip less enjoyable, or maybe it was because my first taste of authentic buffalo wings was not nearly as euphoric as I had hoped (to this day, I have still not had amazing wings within Buffalo). But whatever it was, it was compounded by the fact that my first trip to Buffalo definitely lacked amazing coffee finds, and overall proved a sorry prospect for good brews.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Storied Coffee



Subject: Storied Coffee
Location: Scotia, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The region around Albany is full of hidden gems. Whether you seek outdoor adventure, city amenities or stuff to do with the family, places in the Capital Region like Schenectady have a plethora of options.

Thursday, January 09, 2020

Mammoth Espresso



Subject: Mammoth Espresso
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

In my humble opinion, the best-case office location is next to a great lunch counter and abutting a coffee shop of quality. Throughout my entire life, this has never been my lot but everytime I stumble upon a good downtown cafe, I often think of how lucky surrounding workers are to be so close.