Arizona Coffee

I just received a banner for the Southwest Barista Jam. I’m putting it up on the sidebar for no cost to promote coffee in AZ. Go team, go team go!

Decomodo points us to the Espresso Machine from Mordor (or as they say, of Doom). I don’t know, it looks like a lovable fuzz ball to me.

Full product gallery.

Awhile back I received an email from Sonja Haller at The Arizona Republic asking me about local coffee shops. She asked me to name the best ones that had free wireless internet, and to give a few names from all over the valley. Thanks to Inza Coffee for emailing me the link to the article. I likely would have missed it.

Inza Coffee

Location: 8658 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale.

The Scene: A large, windowed space with a cheery interior and bright-red walls. It’s known for its lattes and latte art – that’s the foam design on the top of the drink. The cafe also offers jazz, folk guitar and the tango as nightly entertainment.

The Brew & Chew: The signature coffee is Colombian, but brews from Peru, Argentina and Brazil are available. An organic selection of whole-leaf teas, ciders, chais and imported sodas as well as “frios,” or iced frappe beverages, are available.

Cabin Coffee Espresso

Location: 6525 W. Happy Valley Road, No. C104, Glendale.

The Scene: A cabin-esque interior with a fireplace bordered by cozy leather ottoman chairs.

The Brew & Chew: It grinds per shot and uses Rocket Coffee Roasters as the main brew. Latte art is a great touch. The mozzarella sandwich with fresh ingredients, a side salad with vinaigrette dressing, two green olives and a pepperoncini receives high marks.

Copper Star Coffee

Location: 4220 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix.

The Scene: Cute, quaint, hip. This refurbished 1940s gas station is comfortable and bright.

The Brew & Chew: Copper Star bakes in-house, so its baked goods, including frosted cupcakes, are fresh and gooey. Locally roasted coffee is considered top-notch. Try the peach latte or the Ghirardelli mocha.

Cave Creek Coffee Co.

Location: 6033 E. Cave Creek Road.

The Scene: A large front porch decorated like an Old West home with rocking chairs. The inside is comfy with large ottoman chairs, and the walls are painted rich, warm colors.

The Brew & Chew: Coffee beans are roasted on the premises, and locals rave about the cappuccinos. One reviewer said the Mexican Spiced Mocha is intense and sophisticated. A wine bar is next door.

Lux Coffeebar

Location 4404 N. Central Ave., No. 1, Phoenix.

The Scene: This coffeehouse has white leather furniture and has been called über-trendy, attracting artists.

The Brew & Chew: Check out the Dr. Lux, which is a combination of Dr Pepper, espresso shots and whipped cream. Baristas have a talent for latte art and serve a good espresso shot.

Mountain View Coffee Co.

Location: 12645 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills.

The Scene: Windows everywhere offer a prime view of the town’s signature fountain. Custom-made paintings of women dancing and drinking coffee adorn the dark-red, purple and black walls.

The Brew & Chew: The menu features more than 20 types of coffee and more than 20 specialty drinks. Mountain View loyalists recommend the Bailey’s Blast, made with Irish cream flavoring, hazelnut and whip cream. Fresh pastries are delivered from the coffee shop’s sister bakery in Scottsdale.

Soma Cafe

Location: 10810 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix.

The Scene: Upbeat with a big flat-screen television and decorated in classic coffeehouse rich colors and soft lighting.

The Brew & Chew: Soma’s partnership with Tully’s, a premium coffeehouse, means the coffee is good, but the real distinction is the healthful food – banana-oat, flaxseed pancakes, homemade granola and grilled salmon on flatbread.

The article continues on AZCentral.com.

I was browsing around this neat color pallet web site this weekend, and stumbled across this innovative coffee lid. It changes color based on the heat in the drink. I’ll let the video do the talking.

www.smartlidsystems.com

I visited Ground Control nearly two weeks ago, and didn’t have a chance to write about it until now. It’s a sweet new coffee shop that recently opened up on the west side. Ground Control is owned and operated by Steve and Tara.

Besides being a coffee shop, they also sell food and have a wine bar.

Among the coffee shops in Arizona that do food, I think Ground Control has created a very large difference that people will seek out. Their food is amazing.

Don’t believe me, look at this photo. I want to rush back and get another one it was that good.

(more…)

On a first visit to a coffee shop I intend to “review,” I don’t announce my visit (if you can call my write-ups reviews). Unless I am specifically invited. If I do get the special treatment, I’ll disclose that. I pay for all of my coffee unless mentioned otherwise. I often will make multiple repeat visits to a place (when it is convenient) and never disclose that I’m doing reviews.

Nobody has asked this lately, but I wanted to disclose it. I do enjoy getting free stuff, who wouldn’t, but I work hard to not let it impact my opinion, and the free stuff usually follows dozens of visits. If I don’t have anything nice to say, I’ll often say it with photos.

Karen from Fair Trade Cafe in Phoenix writes:

Hi AZ Coffee! Right now, our shop is going through some exciting changes, but we need more than ever to get the word out about our rather hard-to-find (*cough*cough* light rail) coffee shop. We serve exclusively certified fair trade and organic coffee from Adventure Roasters in Tucson. Please contact us, as we’d like to be a part of your terrific website.

~Karen and all the baristas at Fair Trade Cafe

Fair Trade Café
1020 North 1st Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Behind Trinity Cathedral North of Roosevelt
In the heart of Downtown Phoenix (map)

BIG Announcement today in the forums that I wanted to point you to.

The first ever Southwest Regional Barista Jam, sanctioned by the Barista Guild of America. Co-located with the Southwest Barista Jam will be an SCAA Skill Building Workshop. Separate registrations are required for each event.

Mesa, Arizona will be the place to be October 26th, 27th and 28th, 2007 for coffee professionals in the Southwest. The first ever Southwest Regional Barista Jam will take place along with a Skill Building Workshop from the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The Barista Jam will be on Saturday, October 27th and 28th. The Skill Building Workshop will take place on October 26th, 27th and 28th.

The Hosts:

• The Barista Guild of America
• Lost Dutchman Coffee Company
• Red Rock Foods
• The Specialty Coffee Association of America
• The Southwest Specialty Coffee Institute

Randy Miller writes:

I have been on the computer a lot lately and am glad to have stumbled on this website. Thanks for the good job and thanks for the gathering place for fellow coffee fans.

I will use this site for staying in touch with trends and the people in the industry.

We are opening our first Coffee Roasting house in Surprise called Toshi’s Roast. Visit our website at www.toshisroast.com and come see us in October when we open.

Thanks again, and hope to see you soon.

Randy

Thanks Randy, glad to see another roaster opening. We’re a tough crowd at times, but we’re worth the effort. Thanks for writing.

Momento Coffee Co. is in the newspaper this morning.

Coffee processing goes high tech in Tempe

Betty Beard
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 26, 2007
Now even coffee processing has gone high tech.

Momentto Coffee Co., a small Tempe specialty coffee processor, is producing 17 coffee products in a plant that is so automated and computerized that every bean is controlled.

The automation ensures that beans are blended according to exact instructions, roasted at the right temperature and for the right amount of time, filtered several times and then, within three days of roasting, packaged and sealed. The plant can process 600 pounds an hour with two employees.

Petar Vukovic, president, doesn’t think there is another plant like it in the country because the system was custom-built. The company even uses vacuum-sealed cargo containers to bring beans over the oceans.

“Our competitors do the blending with shovels,” he said. “We know how to process and preserve coffee. You can burn coffee in a microsecond.”

Momentto uses a traditional Italian method of roasting beans. Vukovic is a third-generation coffee producer from the Montenegro part of the former Yugoslavia and learned about roasting in southern Italy. The company also has two other owners.

Vukovic caters to a variety of ethnic groups, as well as Americans who tend to like their coffee more watery than many other countries. The company claims to be the only company in the country that roasts and packages a Turkish and Greek blend called Minas Blend Coffee.

The company works in international circles. For example, it imports beans from Colombia and then ships them to Germany because Vukovic considers that the best place to get decaffeinated coffee roasted without losing flavor.

Momentto uses mostly Arabica coffees, a species grown mainly in Ethiopia and very popular in Arab countries. It also uses milder Arabicas grown in South America.

Its products are not sold in Phoenix area stores, just online at www.momenttocaffe.com and at the company’s plant, 520 S. Price Road, Suite 104. Vukovic said he is negotiating with Bashas’ to try to get the coffees into its stores.

Momentto started out making espresso machines for restaurants and selling prepackaged, pre-measured coffee capsules for the machines. But it was taking too long to get the coffee from overseas and by the time it got here, it was no longer fresh, he said. So the owners invested in processing equipment. They still sell espresso machines and are improving them.

Another reason the company has diversified and shifted to producing its own coffees is because of the 2002 strike by longshoremen in Los Angeles ports that left the company vulnerable. It had $90,000 worth of supplies sitting for three months at a shipyard. Now the company uses Houston ports.

Olive & Ivy is a coffee shop and restaurant that opened up on the Scottsdale Waterfront this year. I’d like to describe it as the La Grande Orange of Scottsdale, but it really doesn’t compare on every level. For one, Olive & Ivy is massive, with high vaulted ceilings and a full wait staff. But the atmosphere is what I am thinking about, and the super-friendly staff. This place has a buzz which is all of its own.

Cool outdoor signage.

When I’m at Olive & Ivy I feel like I’ve sort of “arrived” as they say, and it’s a very pleasant place to chill. Let’s talk about the coffee. They have several full time barista on staff and so I believe that during most hours of the day you have fairly good chances of getting a decent shot of espresso. The two times I went I was thrilled. I’ve heard reports that sometimes a new barista will prepare an espresso drink though, so it’s probably a work in progress.

My macchiato was amazing and served in those awesome transparent shot glasses.

On separate visits I also enjoyed a mocha and a latte (no flavoring). The latte was just awesome. It reminded me of the latte I had in San Francisco at Ritual. Super good foam, and the milk wasn’t burnt. I can think of a few local coffee shops that should learn how to do latte’s right (I’m talking to you Mama Java’s).

Latte.

Bakery and main entrance as viewed from coffee lounge.

Anyways, Olive & Ivy is far more than just a coffee shop. But what I am really happy about is they’ve found a way to separate each part. In the entrance to Olive & Ivy they have this great lobby and a ordering counter dedicated to coffee and pastries. Once you’ve ordered, you can take a few steps over to a separate lounge area.

Mocha.

Just a note on the wireless internet: They use Barracuda filtering, which filters out most social networking sites. It’s free, but this firewall prevents a significant amount of productivity for me. Luckily, Arizona Coffee is not banned!

Menuboard.

Coffee lounge area.

An amazing pastry — it was filled with a creamy substance. Gosh it was good.

Hot Tuna sandwich — average.

Olive & Ivy
7135 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 195
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone: (480) 751-2200

Do you consider price when considering a visit to a coffee shop?

What would you say is the average amount that you spend when you visit a coffee shop? I realize it matters what you order and what size, but overall I would say the price range in Arizona is fairly even except for a few oddball outfits who charge more for less.

1. Where does the roaster get their coffee from, and how frequently does the roaster receive new coffees?
2. Does the roaster have an extensive knowledge of coffee?
3. How often does the roaster roast coffees you desire?
4. What coffee shops and restaurants does this roaster serve?
5. Does the roaster indicate on the packaging the date the coffee was roasted?
6. Ask, “If I order my coffee today, when will I receive it, and when was it roasted?”
7. Does the roaster flavor any of their coffee and if so, do they use separate equipment to do that?
8. Does the roaster offer a barista training program?
9. Is the coffee roaster properly incorporated and does the roaster have the proper food permits?
10. Does the roaster allow you to private label coffees for sale in your store?

Continue reading in this great article on selecting a coffee roaster.

Anthony Santa Cruz from Bunna Coffee writes:

Hi Chris, I was just checking up on your site and I wanted to see if you could add us to your coffee list and coffee map. 7520 S Rural Rd, Tempe 85283. We’re on the NW corner of Elliot and Rural.

Thanks,
Anthony

Also, congratulations to Bunna Coffee for being selected as the Readers’ Choice by the Arizona Republic.

Bunna Coffee
7520 S. Rural Road, Tempe
(480) 377-2886
www.bunnacoffee.com

Here’s a neat video showing how to make Turkish coffee.