Thursday, November 30, 2023

Lit / Monocacy


Subject: Monocacy Coffee Co / Lit Coffee
Location: Bethlehem, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have fabulous memories of Bethlehem, PA. I recall visiting a distant cousin and going to a Christmas market as a child, stopping by for numerous respites while passing through and recently, a long-overdue tour of the silent steel mill. Sadly not many of these visits had a great coffee stop but that fortunately changed on my most recent visit.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Yellow Brick Coffee


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

While wandering through Tucson on my last trip, I found myself in a business park looking for great coffee. While this location is no longer present (see the new storefront pictured from their website above), I found myself at the (old) roastery location for Yellow Brick Coffee.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Foxtail Coffee


Subject: Foxtail Coffee
Location visited: Hunter's Creek in Orlando, FL
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

About 10 or so years ago, it always shocked me how much the Orlando area lacked great coffee. I then chalked it up to high real estate prices or people not wanting hot beverages, but despite whatever the hurdles, good coffee is far more plentiful now amidst the area strip malls. One particular contributor to the coffee scene is the many locations of one particular coffee enterprise called Foxtail Coffee. 

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

First Village Coffee



Subject: First Village Coffee
Location: Ossining, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Everyone has heard of Sleepy Hollow, but not many people traverse the once-sleepy-now-insanely-populated hamlet just over the Tappan Zee bridge (and before you correct me, that will always be the bridge name). Dotted with plenty of cute towns, one particular area stood out to me not for its affinity for pumpkin skulls, but instead for its quality coffee.

Friday, September 29, 2023

18 Grams Coffee Lab


Subject: 18 Grams Coffee Lab
Location: Culpeper, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

How I still wish I liked bicycling! I like the idea of the exercise, I like the idea of being dependent more on my own muscles for locomotion and I love coffee. Sadly the disconnect for me comes into elements of time and terrain, so for now I will just patronize the bike outfits that offer cafes.

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. 

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Grit Coffee


Subject: Grit Coffee
Location visited: Elliewood, Charlottesville, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

A great coffeehouse next to a college campus is something that is surprisingly lacking around most universities. Personally, I have attended or worked at several colleges that for one reason or another, had no good shop within walking distance of campus. Sure, it's not the end of the world, but the joy of drinking excellent coffee while you wander a nice campus cannot be easily matched.

Monday, August 28, 2023

Fog & Flame


Subject: Fog & Flame Craft Coffee
Location: Bloomsberg, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I find that Pennsylvania still has gems unearthed even after criss-crossing the eastern half for the last twenty-something years. One particular new-to-me place was a town called Bloomsburg. Having seen it frequently in pamphlets as the backdrop to the local university, I was finally able to become acquainted with the town and a local coffee shop. 

Sunday, July 30, 2023

GrindTime Coffee



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

Traveling for business often means random breaks perfect for coffee shop hunting. Equipped with a car during a recent conference in Phoenix, I had an hour to kill between sessions and I headed over to a new-to-me shop called GrindTime Coffee.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

The Walk In


Subject: The Walk In
Location: Livingston Manor, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Good coffee rarely exists alongside good food. I know I say it a lot, but it's worth repeating since there is no excuse I'm willing to hear. Most eateries that dish quality meals still, even in this age of great coffee options, serve sad java to their patrons. Conversely, many coffee shops that serve excellent drinks (can) rarely serve a solid full menu. It is the great coffee-food conundrum. 

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Mudhouse Coffee Roasters


Subject: Mudhouse Coffee Roasters
Location: Charlottesville, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's not often that one experiences a coffee shop at a trade show, but such was the case with Coffee Fest some years ago. Trying a different form of competition, they tried a Best Coffeehouse competition and it was at such a NYC competition I ran into Mudhouse. Not having been to their native Charlottesville, I was blown away by their coffee and skill and vowed to one day make it to their Virginia shop.