Saturday, November 30, 2024
Camber Coffee
Subject: Camber Coffee
Location: Bellingham, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
I love taking my family on road trips. With a packed minivan filled to the teeth, I would far rather take a long pilgrimage with my wife and kids versus a solo trip. But on these wonderful excursions, one lovely feature that has grown over the years is a tradition that some mornings, everyone asks to sleep in and I am permitted to wake up at sunrise in order to hit a nearby coffee shop or two.
Propaganda Coffee
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
A good late afternoon coffee is sometimes a telling litmus test. While the afternoon is usually slower, so the baristas can take their time more than in the morning rush, the afternoon can be prone to aging coffee in the pump pot, fatigue or simply a desire to get the shop closed a little early. Some shops fare well in this test, and others not so much.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Vibrant Coffee Roasters
Subject: Vibrant Coffee Roasters
Location: Philadelphia, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Sometimes it's nice not being invited. My aunt recently treated my daughters to a show in Philadelphia and (mostly for price purposes) did not extend the offer to take me, her grown nephew (the audacity). While some folks would have taken issue with this snub, I was actually delighted to have reason to finally make a proper visit to Vibrant Coffee Roasters.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
General Porpoise
Location: Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Navigating Seattle on a recent visit, I had a great hankering for a curd-filled donut with a good cup of coffee. While such places exist, it's hard to find quality donuts with great coffee. Fortunately Seattle has a few to choose from, with one of the most colorful being a local favorite called General Porpoise.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Equinox Coffee Co
Subject: Equinox Coffee Co.
Location: Norfolk, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
There’s a few coastal cities that don’t really feel a whole lot like a typical metropolitan area, and one of those is Norfolk, Virginia. Whether it’s all the navy ships, the proximity to Virginia Beach or the fact that I only visit once a year, Norfolk just hits different.
Location: Norfolk, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]
There’s a few coastal cities that don’t really feel a whole lot like a typical metropolitan area, and one of those is Norfolk, Virginia. Whether it’s all the navy ships, the proximity to Virginia Beach or the fact that I only visit once a year, Norfolk just hits different.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
The Blackbird Coffeehouse
Subject: The Blackbird Coffeehouse
Location: Port Angeles, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
For the many wonderful things I have heard of the Olympic peninsula, no words did the place justice. When I visited, I stood in awe at the natural beauty of the park and how shockingly close the town sat to the doorsteps of the National Park. Fortunately, for the brief time I spent in the port wedged between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic mountains, I managed to find a great coffeehouse that added to the beauty.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Grounding
Location: Red Lion, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Every now and then in my travels, I come across a gorgeous coffee shop. But every once in a great while, I meet a cafe that has iconic aesthetics. One of my most recent finds was a shop nestled in an old factory furnace in Red Lion, PA with much of its old construction still intact, a place called Grounding.
Revolver
Subject: Revolver
Location: Vancouver, BC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
I have been to Vancouver once before, but my first visit was very much a small foray. After many years, I finally was able to allot some time to give the city a proper tour and boy have I been missing out. From the city's water taxis to it's very alluring neighborhoods, the city truly lived up to its vibrant reputation.
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
I have been to Vancouver once before, but my first visit was very much a small foray. After many years, I finally was able to allot some time to give the city a proper tour and boy have I been missing out. From the city's water taxis to it's very alluring neighborhoods, the city truly lived up to its vibrant reputation.
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Hey Happy
Subject: Hey Happy
Location visited: downtown Victoria, BC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
I have longed to visit Victoria, British Colombia for almost half of my life, and I was finally able to make a pilgrimage happen. I've been nearby in Seattle and Vancouver a dozen times, but the lack of roads to Vancouver Island paired with my east coast apprehension of ferries kept me at bay (pun intended). Finally, after cementing some intentional recreational plans, I was able to experience the beauty of this island gem one sunny weekend.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Devocion Coffee
Subject: Devocion Coffee
Location visited: downtown Brooklyn, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
If people had told me a decade ago that a roaster could have a steady, dynamic roster of excellent coffee from only one country, I would have thought the roaster overly ambitious and foolhardy. But where some roasters have fallen short, Devocion Coffee has succeeded.
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
If people had told me a decade ago that a roaster could have a steady, dynamic roster of excellent coffee from only one country, I would have thought the roaster overly ambitious and foolhardy. But where some roasters have fallen short, Devocion Coffee has succeeded.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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