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Some News on Local Phoenix Coffee

As you might know if you’ve been reading here awhile, I like quality coffee. I have a few little bits I’ve observed over the past few days. It’s obvious that downtown Phoenix is growing a solid coffee scene, but it’s spreading to other places, too. Enjoy!
That’s no space station … It’s a coffee bean!
Press Coffee introduced its new Dethstaar bean. The name reflects its African origin (as you can read in Roaster Tom’s post about it) and tidily protects Press from any legal unpleasantness. I still think Press needs to promote this by having a weekend where they’ll give a free shot to anyone dressed as Darth Vader, and a gift certificate to the silliest spin on a Darth Vader costume … I’ll pair my mask with my loudest western shirt and cowboy hat and call myself Garth Vader.
Tips and Profits Go to Haiti
My esteem for the excellent Sola Coffee Bar continues to rise. Not only is the staff skilled and exceptionally friendly, but they’re also generous. When I dropped in this weekend, they were donating tips and profits to relief efforts in Haiti. I hope that the goodwill they’re generating by being awesome gets rewarded.
Commitment to the Cappuccino
My buddy John at Conspire creates a top-quality cappuccino. Even better, he’s passing his knowledge on well. I saw a perfect example of that in Shane, one of his apprentices (continuing my Darth Vader theme here!). When he first started working there, his cap was pretty average. Better than the big box [...]

Phoenix Foodie Teaches the Art of Urban Foraging

Join me as I take a lesson in urban foraging from “Ian the Veg.”

Coffee Culture Showdown – Comparing Caffeine

Coffee is a shape-shifting drink. No matter what country you’re in, that country has added something distinct to the coffee bean and the way people drink it. Each time I travel out of North America, I find a little learning curve waiting for me.
Imagine an Australian visiting a cafe in California and asking for a flat white. You can count on that traveler getting a blank stare from the barista. Same for an American visiting a non-Starbucks coffeehouse in Costa Rica asking for a Frappuccino, and so on.

My first experience abroad as a coffee drinker was in Costa Rica. I was expected some awesome coffee since Costa Rica is famous for exporting quality beans. I couldn’t wait to drink some coffee – even after checking into our hotel at about 9 p.m., I found a pot brewing in the lobby. I scoured the area looking for cream, only to find out Costa Ricans don’t take cream in their coffee. Better yet, I learned it doesn’t really need it. I also found that just about any place that serves coffee serves it well, from a roadside soda to a full-service coffee pillar like Cafe Milagro. Most of it is brewed rather than served espresso style.

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