Sunday, June 30, 2024

Elm Coffee Roasters


Subject: Elm Coffee Roasters
Location: Seattle, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Seattle remains one of my favorite cities to wander. Whether it's the heart of the city or one of the nearby suburbs, the city is full of little curious nooks and unique small businesses to explore. 

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Buzzsaw Coffee


Subject: Buzzsaw Coffee
Location: Williamsport, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

If you look at life in America one hundred years ago, one thing that really stands out is the industrial landscape. Factories and mills used to populate the landscape, much like our current strip malls. But now, it seems that only the ruins and bones of these past edifices remain. 

Friday, May 31, 2024

Realfine Coffee


Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Realfine Coffee
Location visited: 35th Ave, West Seattle, WA
WiFi?: sure
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Nothing compares to the feeling of getting back to a place you missed. This feeling proved to be a profound experience in returning to Seattle recently. Back in 2019, I had last been in Seattle right before the COVID lock downs, and now that much of that was behind, I was jubilant to return to one of my favorite cities. 

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Black Fox Coffee



Subject: Black Fox Coffee
Location visited:  550 Madison Ave, Manhattan, NY
WiFi?: not sure actually
Rating: 6+ [see key]

For all of the traffic nightmares I have getting into New York City, I genuinely love the cafes that the city fosters. There are postage stamps espresso bars, old print-shops-now-coffee-shops and sometimes coffeehouses so pretty and idyllic, their existence defies belief.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Decibel Coffee Works



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

As someone who grew up within the grip of the New Jersey winter, the concept of a coffeehouse with only outside seating is a foreign concept. I have seen a few places make the concept work over the years, but one of the best iterations I witnessed exists in Tucson at Decibel Coffee Works.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Camellia Coffee House


Subject: Camellia Coffee House 
Location: Lansdowne, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

These days there seems to be more and more coffee shops opening, but not a lot of good ones. A lot of shops are quick to open heavy on aesthetics yet low on the quality of their coffee. Fortunately, there's still great shops to find, as I some time ago found the delightful oasis of Camellia. 

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Minch Coffee


Subject: Minch Coffee
Location: Clermont, FL
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Everyone loves the idea of interacting with animals, even if only in certain ways. Cat cafes definitely seem like a great idea for the subset of humanity that enjoys hanging out in a closed environment with cats. I always had a hard time reconciling the concept until I visited Minch Coffee and the Orlando Cat Cafe

Sunday, March 24, 2024

The Kitchen Table Cafe


Subject: The Kitchen Table Cafe
Location: Callicoon, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The land along the northeast edge of Pennsylvania that borders New York is both a pretty and curious area. Dotted with many quaint towns, I found the region to be an odd mix of bucolic scenery juxtaposed with herds of day-trippers (mostly) from the surrounding metropolitan centers. 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Boonton Coffee


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

There are lots of towns in New Jersey and New York I don't get to a whole lot purely because my trajectory rarely leads me northeast these days. But sometimes, the busy thoroughfares of northeast NJ must be traversed, and on my most recent such romp I found myself in a charming town at the threshold of Boonton Coffee.

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. 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

XO Coffee Shop



Subject: XO Coffee Shop
Location: Kissimmee, FL
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There exist many combinations of services I have seen with a coffee shop, but a tattoo parlor would be a first for me. 

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Pressed Coffee & Books


Subject: Pressed Coffee & Books
Location: Pottsville, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

People say a lot of things are the perfect ying to the yang of coffee, but for many of the world that grew up before Amazon destroyed bookstores, books have a special place in the evolution of coffee culture. There's something about flipping through a fresh brook while sipping on a hot cup of coffee that just makes one pine for simpler times.