The following review and photos have been contributed by Todd Welfelt: I finally followed through on my promise to Michael and Chris and made another visit to Princess Coffee in the Scottsdale Healthcare – Shea campus. The actual coffee kiosk is located inside the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center on the sprawling campus. My first trip there I spent nearly 30 minutes walking around trying to locate the correct building so it would be helpful to study the map on the Princess Coffee website (www.Princess-Coffee.com) or locate the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center on the Scottsdale Healthcare website to keep you from walking around aimlessly too long. The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center has a good sized lobby that includes an information desk, several sitting/lounging areas, a piano that is quietly piping out soothing music, and a serenity garden that consists of a fountain, some greenery, and a few chairs for relaxing. Overall it was a very nice comfortable place to stop by, have a great coffee, and relax for a few minutes. After locating the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center you will have no problem finding Princess Coffee. The kiosk is located in the middle of the lobby against a wall. Michael T. – the owner and resident barista – is a proponent of organic foods. Many (if not all) of his products are organic which makes for a good fit with the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center. My first trip to Princess Coffee required three drinks – one for me, one for my sister (because I’m a nice guy), and one for the receptionist where I work as a bribe to let me leave the office for an hour during the business day. I ordered three iced mochas as it was a very warm day and it was Friday. I deserved a treat. What a treat they turned out to be! The iced coffee was beautifully sweet and rich. It almost had a milkshake texture to it. The sweetness from the milk and chocolate was balanced well by the espresso which was still present, but not overwhelming. To top it all off (literally) he put a scoop of fresh, hand made whipped cream on top. The cream was PERFECT. It was firm, smooth, sweet…. excellent! If I thought my waistline could handle it I’d go back just to order some more of that whipped cream!! This last visit I ordered the ‘Barista’s Choice’ which I am not sure is actually on the menu, but gave Michael the chance to determine what kind of drink I might like and produce it for me. After chatting for a few minutes he produced a great Latte’ which had a great flavor and texture. Michael finished the latte’ with some great art, but he didn’t want to make anyone else feel inferior in their latte’ art skills and asked me not to photograph it. In the end it is the flavor that matters and I was very happy with the drink. Michael also produced a couple of beautiful espresso shots that we just had to take a few shots of. The things I was most impressed with about my trip to Princess Coffee was Michaels commitment to top quality, fresh, organic ingredients. The end results are superb and I was unable to taste any differences in flavor between non-organic and the organic products Michael uses. Shoot – any time I can come up with a new excuse to have a cup of coffee I’ll jump on it. Not only is organic better for you and the environment – Michael has shown me that it can be darn good to boot! Todd Welfelt – Raising the bar on coffee for the home barista Princess Coffee 10460 North 92nd Street Scottsdale, AZ 85258 Hours: 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday-Friday Website: www.princess-coffee.com
Chris Tingom Thanks for this great review, Todd. You sent over a bunch of other photos and I will try to post a few of those next week. Too busy today. 0 Reply October 5, 2007
Todd Anytime. I was thankful for the excuse to get out of the office and meet another great coffee lover. Even better that I got to share some great coffee in the process. If you ever need someone to do a review again, let me know! 0 Reply October 5, 2007
Serena I am the above noted receptionist, and am happy to report my take on the coffee. Superb. Thanks Michael, and of course Toddy. Hope to imbibe more in the near future. 0 Reply October 5, 2007
AzBill When I’m in the neighborhood (not often enough) I always try to stop by for a coffee with Michael. The coffee is superb. Definitely worth the trip. 0 Reply October 7, 2007
Dave I went here and my espresso shot was very bitter, the organic food was gross and the gentleman working the counter lacked vital customer service skills and had a bad overall attitude towards me. It was not a pleasurable experience. 0 Reply October 8, 2007
Michael T Dave’s just mad that I spit in his nonfat, decaf, sugar-free vanilla latte. I swear it was an accident. 0 Reply October 9, 2007
NF Cowan For a business owner to “jest” about spitting into the food and/or drink of a paying customer is imprudent at best. To “jest” about such a matter in a public forum as this borders on the stupid. It’s no coincidence that 50% of the small business owners in this vertical market (i.e. the gourmet coffee trade) go belly up within 3 years from opening. 0 Reply November 6, 2007
