Location: Minneapolis, MN
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]
Bicycling is a hobby I wish I liked. Because of my current work situation, it's not practical in terms of my ever-varying commute and in my spare time, I really find no joy in riding my wheels around town. Maybe one day it will work out, but for now the bikes get cooler each year and every sunny Saturday a new bicycling enthusiast is born.
Probably the biggest common interest I seem to have with avid bikers is a love of great coffee. So often I find folks sitting at the table of a great coffeehouse in their racing leotards sipping away at an espresso. It's no surprise that some bike shops have opened an in-house coffee bar to cater to the many folks who would saunter through their doors.
Far and away, the best coffeehouse + bike shop operation I've witnessed is the Angry Catfish in Minneapolis. A former hardware store, the shop has a substantial coffee bar off to the left that beautifully compliments the rest of the happenings of a classy bicycle store. Serving Intelligentsia, the Angry Catfish holds high standards of skill and quality that make their coffee formidable.
To mark my inaugural visit, I ordered an espresso of Black Cat and a pourover of the Panama El Machete. The Black Cat gave off flavors of dark cocoa, lemon, oregano, hefeweizen and sea salt amidst a short pull with brown crema, thus demonstrating a deliciously executed infusion. The pourover blasted notes of fuji apple, wheat and cashew as well as the subtle flavors of cumin, olive oil and honey amidst a light/medium body, all together providing a scrumptious coffee.
Walking away, I knew that if I had an Angry Catfish around the corner, I probably would be arriving frequently on two wheels. If you're in the area, brake for Angry Catfish.
