Mugged: 1804

Subject: 1804 Coffee Co.
Coffees Mugged: Pine Fore

Rating [see key]: 4+

For as long as I have been drinking coffee, Haiti has not been a country renown for its great coffee. While the country has a history of cultivation, it seems that only now has Haitian coffee spilled into the realm of quality coffee. Still, much of the coffee beans I have had from Haiti have been too dark to discern any positive flavor, a trend that still persists among many coffee entities. But fortunately there does exist a coffee roaster that offers Haitian coffee that does not get lost in second crack.

City of Saints Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: City of Saints Coffee Roasters
Location: Hoboken, NJ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

While the Hudson River is an easily traversed body of water, it amazes me how few businesses drift across from NYC into NJ. Take for example the coffee situation: New York City literally has hundreds of decent coffee stops, many with multiple locations. Yet, across the river in cities like Jersey City and Hoboken, only a smattering of shops with similar quality have reared their heads, and rarely will a NYC coffee entity open a shop in the lands of Jersey. Sure there's lots of reasons for why this happens, but I'm more interested in the few exceptions to this phenomenon, such as City of Saints Coffee Roasters.

Cure

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Cure
Location: Norfolk, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's my habit often when visiting with friends on the weekend to seek out a good brunch and then a good coffeehouse. While the landscape is still improving, sadly few places know how to do brunch and great coffee, so to keep it simple I usually keep my coffee stops separate from my brunches.

Slipstream

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Slipstream
Location: Washington DC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Many coffee beverages share a lot in common with cocktails. Like a good cocktail, the ingredients and methodology will carry or crash the beverage. Also, much like a skilled bartender should know how to make an old fashioned or martini, a good barista will easily know the difference between a traditional cappuccino, a flat white and a latte. Add to the mix the growing overlap between cocktails and coffee beverages, and it's no wonder that places like DC's Slipstream have grown in popularity.

Mugged: Reunion Island Coffee Roasters

Subject: Reunion Island Coffee Roasters

Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza Brazil Obata 6+
- Finca Buenos Aires Colombia Gesha 6+

Great coffee rarely sticks around for a long time, especially microlots. Sure the name all but spells out "limited availability" but not all smaller offerings are created equal. Two that barely got to my door before selling out were two fantastic selections from Reunion Island Coffee Roasters.

Spiller Park Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Spiller Park Coffee
Location: Atlanta, GA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Baseball and coffee rarely seem to overlap. When people take in a baseball game, their appetites usually feast upon sodas, fermented beverages or even iced tea. Too infrequently have I seen coffee, hot or cold, break through the barriers of tradition to be found at a major league stadium, never mind a little league snack bar.

Gypsy Donut and Espresso Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Gypsy Donut and Espresso Bar
Location: Nyack, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Back some ten years, Nyack first appeared on my radar when a good cousin and chum decided to attend Nyack College, a small Christian institution of higher education on the Hudson. Having never actually been in the town of Nyack, I recall being delighted to discover its charm and array of local shops, but somewhat disappointed that for many a year there existed not a drop of worthwhile coffee.

Vintage Tea and Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Vintage Tea and Coffee
Location: Cleveland, OH
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Whenever I peak in, Cleveland's coffee landscape seems to be improving quite nicely. Whether LeBron is the one to thank or it's just a mix of local talent meeting a growing need for excellent beverages, the city provides new caffeinated delight every time I visit.

Boxo

Subject: Boxo
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Joe Van Gogh: Nicaragua Selva Negra 5

- Larry's Coffee: Colombia Fonco Paez 5

Sleuthing out great coffee is something I really enjoy. Much like Indiana Jones thrives on risking his life to unearth forgotten or really-hard-to-find artifacts, I love seeking out great coffees from great roasters. And while much of my social circle does not share this passion, it seems I have a few kindred spirits in the folks behind the subscription coffee service Boxo.

Alchemy Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Alchemy Coffee
Location: Richmond, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The density difference in quality coffeehouses between west coast cities and east coast cities still surprises me. While the gaps grow smaller, places like Portland and Seattle still boast the greater amount of great coffee establishments per square mile, with the only real exception being New York City (though you could argue that due to the irregular density and infrastructure of NYC, it really should be put it in a class of its own). Thus it's no wonder that several years ago, when Portlander Erik Spivack transplanted to Richmond, he found a woeful lack of great coffee in this Virginia city. Fortunately, his response was not to complain on social media or give snarky remarks to friends and relatives, but instead to start up Alchemy Coffee.

The Coffee Pedaler

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Coffee Pedaler
Location: New Haven, CT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's official: cycling and coffee are best buds.

Sure, no truly notarized decree has been made from either the SCAA or the International Olympic Committee, but if you know people whom take one seriously, chances are they are deeply enamored about the other. And unlike other communities that overlap with great coffee (like whittling or medieval anachronism), cycling and coffee have often combined forces for some epic tag teams. You can find coffee bars in bike shops, coffee served off the back of cycles (though to my disappointment, no one has debuted the coffee unicylce yet) and you can even find mobile coffee operations partially powered by pedal-power.

Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Location: Rochester, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Driving south from Saginaw, a plethora of gems exist on the way to Detroit. One is Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria, a town with tons of tourist gold like the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder's that provide plenty of delectable eats, tourist-rich charm and German-oriented amusement. Another great spot is the city of Rochester, an area not only regarded as one of the better places to live in these United States, but also home to Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters.

Mugged: King's Row Coffee

Subject: King's Row Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:

- Bonbon Blend 5+

No one tastes in a vacuum. Naturally I'm not speaking of feasts within appliances, but the simple truth that flavor often is compounded by our prior meals and/or environment. This concept happens to be a founding principle to the coffees at King's Row Coffee.

The Sparrows

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Sparrows
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Growing up in a newspaper-reading household in the Philadelphia area, my family always had a need for the morning paper. During periods where weekly subscriptions weren't in the budget, it was often my task to head to the local newspaper stand to grab the Sunday paper on the weekend. For suburban NJ, we had a decent options like delis and WaWa, but none as great as The Sparrows.

Constellation

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Constellation
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Astronavigation is a skill severely lacking in our robot-dependent world. I recall many times as a child staring up at the night sky, trying to use the stars for directions. As a young adult, I remember my first unobstructed night sky while camping in the New Mexico desert, a sight that instilled a divine awe of the majesty and enormity of the universe. And thus, after lots of star gazing, I've learned that looking for dependable basics is key, like using the Big Dipper to find Polaris so one can head north. Similarly with coffee, a few key signs in a coffeehouse, like their roaster and reputation, can provide a directive beacon for some great coffee.

Mugged: White Tale Coffee

Subject: White Tale Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- La Mirella Costa Rica 5+
- Orestes Kenya 6+

Years ago, coffee was only fleetingly associated with the regions it was grown. Sure the geography was identified with such stamps as "100% Colombian" or "The Taste of Hawaii" but rarely were the farmers given more recognition than the small wage they received for their beans. Today, coffee roasters have strived to not only give the coffee farmers their fair recognition, but also the best wage through the establishment of (more) direct relationships. One such roaster out of Colorado that prides itself on telling the whole story is White Tale Coffee.

SIP Cafe and Coffee Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: SIP Cafe and Coffee Bar
Location: Northampton, MA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There are few things that rival a beautiful, sunny drive through the hills and mountains of western Massachusetts. While the wilds still remain largely unexplored to me, I have had the pleasure of venturing into many of the towns around the area, with one of my favorite being Northampton. Its dapper shop-lined streets and surprising number of coffee establishments has consistently brought me in town whenever I'm passing through.

Early Bird Espresso and Mercantile

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Early Bird Espresso and Mercantile
Location: Frenchtown, NJ

WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Right along Route 29 above Trenton exists some of New Jersey's prettiest scenery. Growing up within a 45 minute drive, I would love romping through Washington Crossing and patronizing towns like Lambertville with their antique stores, medieval weapon shops and local bistros. The area is also one of few spots in NJ with a long-standing quality coffee presence at Rojo's Roastery, a fact that kept Route 29 a common route for me. Fortunately, the slow growth of quality coffee has finally led to another tulip flowering about 15 miles north on 29 in Frenchtown, an outfit called Early Bird.

Astro Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Astro Coffee
Location: Detroit, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The multi-roaster coffeehouse is one of my favorite iterations of a coffee-serving establishment. Poised to introduce its consumers to different coffee purveyors and offerings, it's much like the local taproom with an ever-rotating selection for the fanatical beer enthusiasts. And while not every city possesses a ton of such venues, I am fairly certain most possess at least one.

The Espresso Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Espresso Bar

Location: Ann Arbor, MI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

It's hard to imagine bookstores without a coffee presence. Though some would say the cafe element can ruin the bookstore experience, that it turns a shop into a library where coffee stains abound on new books, I personally love the idea of a having coffee amidst prospective literary acquisitions. Sadly there exist few book purveyors that host quality coffee establishments, so I tend to make few adventures to such places. Yet rest assured, worthy coffee does exist in certain bookstores, and if I had to pick my favorite to date, I would likely choose Ann Arbor's Espresso Bar.

No. 7311

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: No. 7311
Location: Ventnor, NJ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]

*Update 2.26.19*
They stopped offering light roasts and George Howell. Coffee has become a tad more lackluster (though the baked goods are still amazing).

One of the things I don't enjoy about the Jersey shore is the seasonal nature of many communities. Naturally summer boasts huge crowds, merriment and thriving beach islands full of life. Yet the fun ends in autumn when most shore businesses close up and the once-thriving towns become a place for polar bear plunges and boardwalk exercise. I do not deny that this might be the natural order of the universe, but I find no greater disappointment than knowing that I must wait until May for the next funnel cake or block of fudge.