Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix. Show all posts

Monday, September 25, 2023

Pair Cupworks


Subject: Pair Cupworks
Location visited: Mesa, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Cafes that open for but a few hours have either mastered supply and demand, or they hold defiantly to old convention. And since few shops that have lines wrap around the block for a truncated AM rush, I would postulate that most cafes are letting prime real estate sit unused the majority of the day. 

Friday, June 30, 2023

Kream Coffee


Subject: Kream Coffee 
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Combining a coffee shop with another business (or visa versa) has always been a great idea, but what happens from inception to conception can make or break the notion. 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Xanadu Coffee Company


Subject: Xanadu Coffee Co.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While I have been to Phoenix a few times, I feel that I have only seen small chunks of the area. To that end, each visit I try to scope out new spots to frequent, especially those of the coffee persuasion.

Monday, February 13, 2023

Mythical Coffee


Subject: Mythical Coffee
Location visited: Gilbert, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When visiting far off cities, barista recommendations are usually a solid source of wisdom. I usually have a short list of places to try, but getting verification or a even a surprise qualified suggestion is usually the beacon that helps further light my path unto great coffee, with only occasional mishaps. 

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Giant Coffee



Subject: Giant Coffee
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Some people dabble in coffee, but for most people, coffee is a huge part of their routine. So when I stumbled across a place called Giant Coffee in Phoenix, it resonated with me deeply.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Berdena's




Subject: Berdena's
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Of all the Arizona towns I have visited, Scottsdale struck me as one of the prettiest and walkable. I was only there for a day here and there, but each time it seemed like a great place to reside. Then on top of those selling points, add great coffee into the equation and now I'm looking at real estate.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Futuro




Subject: Futuro
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There are a few days each year where going out for coffee is more about escaping the heat than getting a cup of joe. These last few days across much of the USA has reminded many of the glory of a great air conditioner, especially when cold air is pumping throughout a great coffeehouse.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Provision Coffee




Subject: Provision Coffee
Location visited: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

New construction is often the realm of giant coffee chains, but every now and then a local coffee establishment creates a new space and raises the bar a notch.

Monday, April 01, 2019

Peixoto Coffee Roasters



Subject: Peixoto Coffee Roasters
Location: Chandler, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

With a strong push towards improving the profit due to the coffee farmer, there has been a number of approaches concocted to better accomplish sustainable living wages for the very folks making coffee a reality. Practices like 'Direct Trade' and 'Relationship Coffees' have (partly) given rise to roasters and importers making stronger ties with farmers and the regions from where they import, thus not only establishing better prices, but a better model for return business.

Yet of all the existing practices, family trade transcends it all.

Thursday, January 03, 2019

Press Coffee Roasters


Subject: Press Coffee Roasters
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).

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Cartel Coffee Lab



Subject: Cartel Coffee Lab
Location: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Terminal 4
WiFi?: No
Rating: 5+ [see key]

If I've said it once, I'll say it ten trillion times: every major airport should have a solid coffee presence. Some cities get it, awarding space to high-quality coffee establishments able to provide weary and gastro-curious travelers with a delicious cup of coffee. Other cities, like my home airport of PHL, don't seem to see the opportunity to make their coffee options memorable and delicious, but are more content to settle upon tired and typical outlets.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Mugged: Guatemala and Nicaragua [Coda Coffee]



Subject: Coda Coffee Co.
Coffee Mugged: Guatemala Batzchocola and Nicaragua Bella Aurora
Rating [see key]: both 5+

Colorado has been in the news a ton lately, sadly not much of it super positive. But one chipper piece that caught my ear came from the heralds of Roast Magazine, when they recently bestowed upon Denver's Coda Coffee Company the honor of 2014 Macro Roaster of the Year. Not a title given away flippantly, it's a distinction that recognizes Coda for it's hard work and accomplishments (I'm particularly impressed with the coffee carts in the Arizona Cardinals stadium).

Recently, I was honored to have two of their farm 2 cup coffees stop by my abode to spend a little quality time in my belly. They sent out their Guatemala Batzchocola, a coffee from the A'achimbal community, and their Nicaragua Bella Aurora, a former Cup of Excellence coffee. Both I sampled via pourover, french press and siphon.

Going alphabetically, I started with the Guatemalan beans. The pourover smacked of kavo syrup, smoked peanut, strawberry, oats, sarsaparilla and hazelnut with a medium body, proving multifaceted with a various sweet flavors and touch of smokiness. The french press contained smoked peanut, Nutella, strawberry, oats, root beer and caramel popcorn within a medium body; superbly sweet, with rich, sultry flavors. The siphon capped this fine coffee off with hazelnut, roasted peanuts, asian pear, lemon pepper, chicken, spinach and root beer, demonstrating some odd bed fellows but nonetheless, still a sumptuous coffee.

The Nicaraguan proved similarly complex. The pourover doled out heavy chocolate, habenero, smooth cream, seaweed, toasted walnut and noticeable fig. The french press sampled of chocolate, grapefruit, bran, corn tortilla, skim milk and nutmeg, with a medium body and grainy aftertaste. The siphon bellowed out chocolate, noticeable cream, seaweed, peanuts, fig cookie, slight brocolli and biscuit. Overall, the multiple infusions held a diverse and sometimes odd harmony of flavors, but each cup proved delicious.

Thus, if you happen to be near a coffeehouse that serves Coda or you wish to shop online, try out the orange juggernaut of the southwest.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.