Coffee SHOP Talk

puckhead

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Jackrabbit Coffee off I-10 and Jackrabbit also is in rotation.

Ebb & Flow has a pair of locations in Verrado and is good. Tasty cookies and good value breakfast sandwiches as well.

What are your orders typically?

I lean towards pour overs, Americanos, vanilla latte or cortados.

I will try specialty drinks as well - i like vanilla, hazelnut and chocolate flavors

Not so much into caramel

Espresso shot with a teaspoon of ghee or butter. No thanks on the flavors. Every once in a while I'll have a hot or iced latte at Lux, but that's pretty rare these days.
 

MigratingOsprey

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I'll frequently take just as espresso are well. Can't do ghee/butter though.

A place like press, I'm more likely to grab different pour overs. Other specialty shops I'll probably lean towards more coffee forward choices.

The more chain type spots I'm more apt to grab a "drink".

I really only do pour over at home and a lot of times I'll grab beans from some of these shops as well
 
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Dback Jon

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Kare Ethiopian recently opened near where the 143/202 intersect at McDowell. They do a coffee service on Sunday, which I'm wanting to get to



In Flagstaff I usually end up just driving through Wicked, although I prefer places like White Dove

I just noticed them yesterday - that building used to be a bar, but they closed down after a fatal shooting.


In Flagstaff, if you've never stopped by Macy's on south Beaver, do so. Great coffee, great pastries.

Late for the Train is my other favorite up there.
 

MigratingOsprey

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I just noticed them yesterday - that building used to be a bar, but they closed down after a fatal shooting.


In Flagstaff, if you've never stopped by Macy's on south Beaver, do so. Great coffee, great pastries.

Late for the Train is my other favorite up there.
Good notes on Flagstaff

Yeah, that was a billiards bar. The most recent shooting wasn't their first there.

I drive by there going to/from work and the changes to the building definitely got my attention

It's supposed to be really good
 
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Dback Jon

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Good notes on Flagstaff

Yeah, that was a billiards bar. The most recent shooting wasn't their first there.

I drive by there going to/from work and the changes to the building definitely got my attention

It's supposed to be really good
You work all the way out there?

That's a long commute from Goodyear.
 

Devilmaycare

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For coffee at home I just bought one of the Ninja DualBrew and liking it so far. After my last Keurig died I picked it up instead. Costco has them for $130 right now, $30 off.

The DualBrew can brew both grounds and k-cups and has a built in frother. I've only used kcups so far but it made a decent cup from them. I'm boring though in that I usually drink it black or with just a tiny dash of cream. No flavors or other stuff goes in.
 

WaywardFan

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Sooooo, I've never had coffee. I used to think the smell was horrible. I tried it once in college and thought it tasted like tires.

For decades now I have chai tea in the morning as much a ritual thing than anything else. Everyone at work would get their morning coffee and I would make my chai.

But honestly, I'm bored as hell with the chai and I can't have hot chocolate 5 or more times a week. Since my tastes have seemingly evolved somewhat (see whiskey thread) I wonder if I should try coffee. I might like it now.

However, I don't want to go out and buy a coffee machine and just jump into it. I'd like to try it and see if I like and then what I like. So my question here is, how do I start?

Can I go to DD, or Wawa, or Starbucks and order something basic and plain and see if I like basic and plain (hint, I probably won't)? Or get plain and start to add cream and sugar and stuff? What types of coffee should I start with? I tried to find a local cafe that does coffee flights and have so far been unsuccessful.

A work friend suggested blond roast and I guess that's at Starbucks.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.
 

BirdGangThing

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Sooooo, I've never had coffee. I used to think the smell was horrible. I tried it once in college and thought it tasted like tires.

For decades now I have chai tea in the morning as much a ritual thing than anything else. Everyone at work would get their morning coffee and I would make my chai.

But honestly, I'm bored as hell with the chai and I can't have hot chocolate 5 or more times a week. Since my tastes have seemingly evolved somewhat (see whiskey thread) I wonder if I should try coffee. I might like it now.

However, I don't want to go out and buy a coffee machine and just jump into it. I'd like to try it and see if I like and then what I like. So my question here is, how do I start?

Can I go to DD, or Wawa, or Starbucks and order something basic and plain and see if I like basic and plain (hint, I probably won't)? Or get plain and start to add cream and sugar and stuff? What types of coffee should I start with? I tried to find a local cafe that does coffee flights and have so far been unsuccessful.

A work friend suggested blond roast and I guess that's at Starbucks.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.
First... don't start with Starbucks!

Secondly have you tried a dirty chai? They just add espresso

If that doesn't float your boat a medium roast can be a good starting point. Dark roast will have more flavor but believe it or not light roast has more caffeine - and also don't be afraid to use your nose - what smells good usually tastes good

But honestly if you have a sweet tooth I think you will find something you like, might just take a bit of exploration
 

ASUCHRIS

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Sooooo, I've never had coffee. I used to think the smell was horrible. I tried it once in college and thought it tasted like tires.

For decades now I have chai tea in the morning as much a ritual thing than anything else. Everyone at work would get their morning coffee and I would make my chai.

But honestly, I'm bored as hell with the chai and I can't have hot chocolate 5 or more times a week. Since my tastes have seemingly evolved somewhat (see whiskey thread) I wonder if I should try coffee. I might like it now.

However, I don't want to go out and buy a coffee machine and just jump into it. I'd like to try it and see if I like and then what I like. So my question here is, how do I start?

Can I go to DD, or Wawa, or Starbucks and order something basic and plain and see if I like basic and plain (hint, I probably won't)? Or get plain and start to add cream and sugar and stuff? What types of coffee should I start with? I tried to find a local cafe that does coffee flights and have so far been unsuccessful.

A work friend suggested blond roast and I guess that's at Starbucks.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.
I find coffee without milk to be wan and too acidic. That's why I love cold brew with milk! If you like chai, you may enjoy your coffee with milk to mellow it out.
 
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Dback Jon

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Agree - don't start with Starbucks - while I like it, it has a bitter taste that a first time drinker may not like.

If you are used to cream/sweetner in your chai, maintain that in coffee. I now mostly drink it black, or with a small splash of cream, but that was an evolution.
 
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Dback Jon

Dback Jon

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I agree with the dirty chai.

Any cold brew that you buy is a bit sweeter than hot brew. So maybe try a cold brew and add in anything that you normally do in your chai.

Personally, I like my coffee the way I like my soul - black.
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Mainstreet

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I don't have a lot of perspective because I only like my coffee black. My family likes sweetener or cream, so I understand that.

When I see all these shake-like blends at the coffee shops, I can't help but wonder if some people really like the taste of coffee or they do it because it is chic. Maybe I'm missing something?

For my taste, a cup of coffee at Circle K or McDonald's does the job just fine.

I'm not going to pay $10 for coffee.
 

puckhead

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Sooooo, I've never had coffee. I used to think the smell was horrible. I tried it once in college and thought it tasted like tires.

For decades now I have chai tea in the morning as much a ritual thing than anything else. Everyone at work would get their morning coffee and I would make my chai.

But honestly, I'm bored as hell with the chai and I can't have hot chocolate 5 or more times a week. Since my tastes have seemingly evolved somewhat (see whiskey thread) I wonder if I should try coffee. I might like it now.

However, I don't want to go out and buy a coffee machine and just jump into it. I'd like to try it and see if I like and then what I like. So my question here is, how do I start?

Can I go to DD, or Wawa, or Starbucks and order something basic and plain and see if I like basic and plain (hint, I probably won't)? Or get plain and start to add cream and sugar and stuff? What types of coffee should I start with? I tried to find a local cafe that does coffee flights and have so far been unsuccessful.

A work friend suggested blond roast and I guess that's at Starbucks.

Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

My advice is to avoid the chains like Starbucks. I love coffee and they don't have anything I like there except maybe the bananas.

If you ever visit the Phoenix area, we can steer you in the right direction. If your PA location is current, then search out some popular, locally-owned joints. I find those tend to have the most dedicated aficionados that aren't pushing coffee-flavored corn syrup dessert beverages over simple, real coffee drinks made with quality ingredients. Talk to the baristas and tell them where you're coming from taste-wise. The best ones will take that into consideration and will likely even let you sample some different options to help you discover a version you like.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.
 

GatorAZ

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Coffee is acidic, it wrecks my stomach and makes my mouth feel gross. Also, not being hooked on caffeine is a huge flex. That said there’s a great spot on 7th and Missouri. It’s in an office building but the shop is built into it and they have other stuff like breakfast and cocktails. It’s called Provision.
 

WaywardFan

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Thanks to @BirdGangThing, will stay away from Starbucks and will definitely try a dirty chai.
Thanks to @ASUCHRIS, will try milk. There are also creamers and half and half, right?
@Dback Jon I've used a chai mix for year (never found anything I liked as much as this brand) so I don't really add anything to it.
@jf-08 is a cold brew simply coffee on ice or are things added to make it sweeter?
Thanks, @puckhead.

So, I went to Wawa yesterday and got some medium roast. I tried it straight, and found that I probably wouldn't like it by itself. To start, I added some sugar. That helped some but just as that I don't think I could drink with any regularity. I guess I need to start with milk or creamers or flavored coffee. Maybe lighter roasts?

I don't need the caffeine, old age gets me up early enough.

I did buy some gourmet hot chocolate which came yesterday so I'm going to try that. I'm not sure that's a long term replacement but at least I'm shaking things up.
 

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