Coffee Shops

[TimmyBoston]

Thanks to the ever mounting peer pressure of B&B, I am now a coffee drinker. I've got an aeropress, a french press and a great stash of coffees from Ristretto Roasters, but once in a while, it's nice to go out to a coffee shop and I don't mean that Starbucks crap, a serious coffee shop with honest to goodness simple quality coffee where you don't need to mix 27 of your favorite flavored syrups to drown out the burnt taste of their beans. We all know Portland has a great coffee shop in Ristretto Roasters (with another location on the way). But where else are these great coffee shops across the country? Does anyone have one worth talking about in their hometown? Hell, does anyone know of one in my hometown?

[Dinder1]

Hey Tim,
Welcome to the dark side...and I mean black coffee! Here is a really cool site for when you are on the road.
www.espressomap.com

DJ.

[SlyGI]

I know a cute little coffee house in Portland, OR. It's call Rimsky-Korsakoffee. good coffee, good pastries, and a weird bathrooms. It's on SE 7th close to Alder St.

[trainman]

Hey watch it now. I am an avid coffee drinker and I happen to think that Starbucks has the best "Americano" around. Also Starbucks has the cleanest/nicests stores and are the most consistent. But we also have "Latteland" (local?), "The Roasterie Cafe" (local), "Black Dog" (local), "Westport Coffeeshop" (local), "Dunn Bros.", "Scooters" (regional) and "Caribou Coffee", "Seattle's Best" etc.

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[analog_kid]

For atmosphere(but not necessarily good coffee)it's hard to beat the Acoustic Cafe. It's the closest thing to "Hip" between Madison and The Twin Cities. But best to keep your political views to yourself however, unless you have "Obama in '08" tattooed to your forehead.

For great coffee, but not necessarily good atmosphere("Are you done yet?, We well stop staring at you when you leave you crazy youngins' and your rock and roll music!")The Coffee Grounds is were it's at. The owner roasts all his own coffee and seems to know what he is doing, at least according to my pallet!

Judging from my glowing recommendations, it's probably not hard to guess that my favorite coffee shop is only about 25 feet from my bed. Which is about the maximum distance allowed some mornings!

[ClunkClunk]

I'm a fan of Peet's Coffee here in California, though I generally prefer to make stuff in my Aeropress or even my coffee maker at home.

[mr_economy]

The advantage of living in a college town with a matching affluent and intellectual permanent population is abundant choices of good quality coffee shops. Many of the places here roast their own beans daily, and most that don't receive freshly roasted coffee from roasters in Kansas City (The Roasterie, very good in my experience) and Topeka (PT's Coffee, which also carries the infamous Technivorm brewer). Local grocery stores like Hy-Vee and the Lawrence Community Mercantile Coop also carry many of these coffees, and if you catch the stock date right they can be very fresh.

[crankymoose]

Here is 2 very good if you are ever in the lower south east corner of Pa and or north Delaware

http://www.buckscountycoffee.com/

http://www.brewhaha.com/

[rikrdo]

When I am in Orange County, I always look for ones of these shops

Diedrich's

[Tinzien]

Cignet Studios has a nice little coffee place tucked in with their gallery if you're in the Elizabethtown, PA area.

[Newfie]

I've been in many MANY coffee shops, and by far, and without a doubt the best I've been in was the Ugly Mug in Ypsalanti, MI. Second to that was a shop on Water St. in St. Johns, Newfoundland.

Basically coffee in this area sucks so bad that I would put my own Espresso, Cappuccino and French Press wayyyyyyy over and above. This is by no means a compliment to my own coffee at home, but more as a method to trash the coffee shops in the "Coffee Black Hole" where I live.

EDIT:

We're all entitled to our own opinions of any brand / blend, but it's my opinion that my opinions regarding 4Bucks are better kept to myself!!!!

[Jim]

Hey Tim,
Welcome to the dark side...and I mean black coffee! Here is a really cool site for when you are on the road.
www.espressomap.com

DJ.

Thanks for that link -

[adamjaskie]

I've been in many MANY coffee shops, and by far, and without a doubt the best I've been in was the Ugly Mug in Ypsalanti, MI.

Interesting. I'm from Ann Arbor, MI (right next door to Ypsi), and haven't tried the Ugly Mug. I'll have to give it a try when I am home over spring break.

[Limey]

Hey Tim,
Welcome to the dark side...and I mean black coffee! Here is a really cool site for when you are on the road.
www.espressomap.com

DJ.

Great link DJ...I found a new place to try here in Atlanta!

[scorpion]

=trainman;Hey watch it now. I am an avid coffee drinker and I happen to think that Starbucks has the best "Americano" around. Also Starbucks has the cleanest/nicests stores and are the most consistent. But we also have "Latteland" (local?), "The Roasterie Cafe" (local), "Black Dog" (local), "Westport Coffeeshop" (local), "Dunn Bros.", "Scooters" (regional) and "Caribou Coffee", "Seattle's Best" etc.

Disregarding Starbucks for a moment, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an excellent independent cafe (torrefazione, Diva, etc.) in Seattle... and I hit them all as I'm a huge coffee drinker. When I'm at home I almost never go to Starbucks. Hell, I get most of my on-the-go drip coffee at my local grocery store and it's excellent (Seattle's Best french roast). However... if I may defend Starbucks for a moment - I know it's not the end-all coffee joint for the true enthusiast. But when I'm travelling I seek them out and I'm never disappointed. I know there's a hole in the wall with better quality in every town of any size, but when I'm travelling I don't have time to seek them all out. When all I'm looking for is a steaming cup of decent dark coffee and some 1/2 and 1/2, they've never disappointed me. After a decade and a half of Seattle living, I just can't drink the swill that passes for coffee at the average gas station - for that matter I can't drink the stuff that they serve in most of the restaurants outside of the Pac NW! Also, milk is not 'cream'! As for 'creamer', well, don't get me started.

[Frank7580]

+1 on the defense of Starbucks.

While not always the best cuppa available, the charm of my local Starbucks makes it a joy to visit. Usually, the staff is quite knowledgeable of their coffees and eager to share about their products. Also, at my location they often offer to make up a press-full of a coffee different from what is already brewed... usually without my asking.

Now, if your interested in a VERY high quality coffee shop in central NC, you can't go wrong with Crema Coffee Roaster. They're top shelf.

[Dr Fred]

Next time you're in Seattle, try Cafe Umbria in Pioneer Square.

[sparkchaser]

Hey watch it now. I am an avid coffee drinker and I happen to think that Starbucks has the best "Americano" around. Also Starbucks has the cleanest/nicests stores and are the most consistent. But we also have "Latteland" (local?), "The Roasterie Cafe" (local), "Black Dog" (local), "Westport Coffeeshop" (local), "Dunn Bros.", "Scooters" (regional) and "Caribou Coffee", "Seattle's Best" etc.

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You're a Kansas City man, aren't ya?

[ratcheer]

On my office days (just about five days, every week), I go to a little independent coffee shop across the street from my high-rise office building. It is a one-man operation. He makes several espresso drinks, but I usually just have black coffee with my Wall Street Journal. I have been going there for probably more than five years. I may be in a rut, but it is good coffee.

BTW, I have always preferred my coffee with sugar and lots of cream. Until I read an article about coffee that stated that a mixture of coffee and milk is indigestible. The tannin in the coffee binds with the cassein in the milk and your digestive system cannot handle it. So, I stopped putting cream in my coffee, stopped enjoying my coffee as much, and I no longer have diarrhea six times before lunch.

Tim

[Doc4]

All the Canadians here know where Tim needs to get some coffee ...