Posted by TheShot on 29 Jul 2011 | Tagged as: Café Society, Foreign Brew, Machine, Roasting
Shockingly, it’s taken us this long to make it to Portland, Oregon — considered by many to be ground zero (no café name pun intended) of American coffee culture. And if you’re going to start sampling the offerings in Portland, it only makes sense that you start with the legendary Stumptown Coffee Roasters. This despite [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 24 Jul 2011 | Tagged as: Café Society, Foreign Brew, Quality Issues
California’s Santa Barbara County is a lot like the rest of America when it comes to coffee: it should face a tribunal for atrocities committed against the human taste bud. What makes these many crimes particularly heinous are the various local media outlets in these communities that celebrate certain local coffeehouses as some of the [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 21 Jul 2011 | Tagged as: Beans, Local Brew, Quality Issues
The story of coffee at Specialty’s Café & Bakery reflects the story of San Francisco’s consumer tastes for retail coffee. In the beginning, there was Faema + Prebica — and it was weak A decade ago, Specialty’s ran a small chain of bakery/cafés with coffee service areas. Some locations, like this one on Pine St., [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 29 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Local Brew
With a name that sounds a lot naughtier for the neighborhood standard, Hooker’s Sweet Treats has probably disappointed more than a few thrill-seeking passersby in the Upper Tenderloin/Lower Nob Hill area. (What some realtor wannabes call the “Tendernob”.) But for those who venture here for coffee and confections, it’s something of a destination. Opening almost [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 10 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Beans, Café Society, Local Brew, Roasting
икониSince we’ve long tired of reading about Stumpgate, it’s time to change the coffee conversation. So instead of the global growth and ubiquity of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, we turn our attention to something closer to home: the growth and ubiquity of Blue Bottle coffee. This relatively new neighborhood café caters to local UCSF medical students [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 20 May 2011 | Tagged as: Beans, Café Society, Local Brew
Some Mission residents are enthralled that they finally host a decent coffee shop that doesn’t require disinfectant. Opening just this month, this corner café has bright, large windows and decorative touches: wooden counter seating in front, a converted salon room in back with a marble fireplace, a decorative sofa, and ornamental flowers. Also towards the [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 16 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Café Society, Consumer Trends, Local Brew
Taking up the space that was formerly Daniel Creamery and its cheese production, the Summit has tall ceilings in a wide open space converted for café and art space use. The main seating area is littered with rectangular tables and chairs with plenty of wall outlets and laptop zombies — making you feel like you [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 14 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Local Brew
Three years ago we identified something we called the low budget, ghetto chic conceptual art cafe — the said concept being consumers having to pay for full-priced espresso with the hipster privileges of having zero amenities. Last year some ad wizard decided these borderline coffee favelas should be called “coffee pop ups” (also formerly known [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 07 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Local Brew
Locals rave about this coffee cubbyhole, which opened in July 2010, and you can see why. This colorful stretch of Mission St., in the heart of the Mission, has a dearth of decent coffee shops. At least ones that don’t serve ashy, overextracted dreck. This tiny shop offers four metal stools at a short counter [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 20 Feb 2011 | Tagged as: Beans, Café Society, Local Brew, Roasting
Good coffee is not only a rare treat in the Outer Sunset, but it is often a rather uplifting social experience. (Though some will call this neighborhood “Central Sunset” or “Parkside”.) This adage remains true at this tiny coffee shop, which looks more like an old barber shop from the outside — save for the [...]
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