Mugged: Driftaway Coffee

Subject: Driftaway Coffee
Coffee Mugged and Rating [see key]:

- Profile 1 (Fruity): Rwanda Gitesi 6+

- Profile 2 (Classic): Brazil Fazenda do Serrado 4+
- Profile 3 ( Balanced): Nicaragua Las Nubes Co-op 5+

- Profile 4 (Bold): Honduras San Vicente 4+

It's no secret that there are different types of coffee drinkers. Some like the beautiful nuance and vibrant flavors of a lightly roasted African coffee, brimming with fruit and luscious chocolate. Others like their coffee a bit stiffer and thicker, a brew with a mellow sweetness and smatterings of different flavors. And then there's some folks who like their coffee to bathe their tongue in bitterness and smoke, favoring the dark roasts bearing European country names. 

United By Blue

Subject: United By Blue
Location: Philadelphia, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Early autumn mornings around a youth group campfire taught me the necessity of good coffee amidst outdoor excursions. While some nights yield a perfect nights sleep under the starry sky, others are met with surprises (such as bears or torrential rain) that cause for a less fulfilling slumber. When you wake up cold, wet and/or exhausted from bear hide-and-seek, who wants to face the upcoming day with a cup of sludge? No one.

Coffeehouse-Five

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Coffeehouse-Five
Location: Portland, OR
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Saturday mornings are the best time to get out and experience a city. It's one of the few windows in the week where many businesses are open, yet the crowds are mostly sleeping off their prior late-night adventures. Especially if I'm traveling, I can usually get in a full four hours before the streets get crowded with the brunch hordes.

Viora Lid

As I have learned in the past years, there are legions of coffee lids out there for your paper cups. Back in my early coffee days where I cared more for the caffeine than the flavor, I recall life with the crummy fold-the-lip-back flat lids that more often than not proved one tear away from an epic spill. Then when I began frequenting quality establishments, I graduated somewhat exclusively to the Solo Traveler, a fine top that offered more drink stability, though it took some time to master little things like not positioning the spout at the cup seam, and how to use your tongue tip to control flow.

Mugged: Coffee Boys

Subject: Coffee Boys
Coffee Mugged: Not Actually Sure
Rating [see key]: 4+

There are a ton of coffee delivery services out there these days, and it's harder and harder for new cats to distinguish themselves from the pride. Some companies market themselves as having an extensive variety of roasters and beans new each month, while others trumpet their staunch consistency to the same beans forever. A handful of folks focus solely on gorgeous, effective branding; some champion the coffee quality above all; and a precious few do both well. In general, no matter the approach it seems that whatever your style, there's a coffee subscription for you.