Best of 2009

Look at that. Another year has flown by and here we are on the cusp of a 2010. March will mark five full years of publishing Arizona Coffee, too.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — I want to talk about this year. I posted 220 “posts” on this site, about 40 less than the previous year. I felt like the quality of posts increased, with more coverage about coffee shops, with excellent debate on many.

So without further ado, here’s the best posts from this year:

January

• Latte Art Contest Winners — The first of many latte art throwdowns held at Press Coffee.
• Photos from Cartel Meetup — Just some great photos from Cartel.

February

• Photos: January Latte Art Throwdown — Even more photos from the latte art throwdown.

March

• Photos: Cartel Jam — Photos from the Cartel Jam.
• Firecreek Coffee Roastery in Cave Creek — An excellent shop opens in Cave Creek and I’m there to take photos.
• Cave Creek Coffee Roastery — A visit with David Anderson.

April

• A visit to Ground Control Coffee — Photos from Ground Control Coffee.
• Birthday Party Recap — Thanks to those who came to the birthday party.

May

• Coffee Plantation in Tempe to Close — A mainstay closes.
• Ron Cortez on LaFusion — A short video of Ron’s appearance on TV.
• Lola Coffee in Phoenix — My first visit to Lola Coffee right after it opened.
• Who’d have thunk — A good discussion about the coffee scene in AZ.
• Triangle — Remember when there were just a few shops in downtown Phoenix?
• Fair Trade Cafe — My first, but not last visit to Fair Trade Cafe.

June

• Latte Art Contest Score Sheets — Free PDF templates for your own latte art throwdown.
• An Espresso and a Mocha — A photo creates a huge discussion, and debate.
• Dr Lux Redux — One of the more unique drinks in Phoenix.

July

• City vs. City — An idea for a full blown competition creates an interesting discussion… and results in a better event.
• Solo Cafe Updates Look — One of my favorite shops updates its look.
• Avenue Coffee — Photos from a new Tucson coffee shop that opened in ’09.
• Success Formula — A discussion about what makes a coffee shop successful.
• Lola: Espresso #1 — Another exciting discussion about bad espresso (the follow up)
• Liberty Market — My first visit to Gilbert’s Liberty Market.

August

• No Laptops! — Should laptops be allowed in coffee shops? Interesting discussion.

September

• Tingom brews Arizona’s ultimate coffee blog — Thanks to the Phoenix New Times for the write up!
• A conversation about roasting — A video about roasting sparks a good conversation.
• Longevity — Understanding which shops are the oldest.

October

• Photos: Giant Coffee — Photos taken in October of the yet to open shop in Phoenix.
• Conspire makes a good stop downtown — My mini-review of Conspire.
• No Mugs? Seriously? — 22 Comments about mugs.
• Should a coffee shop be expected to produce a quality product all of the time? — A huge debate. Read all of the comments.
• Fair Trade Cafe at Civic Space Park: The Taste of Burnt Milk and as Drab as a Parking Garage — The post that started a debate.
• Downtown Phoenix Coffee Shops — Updated list of shops in Phoenix.

November

• Jason Calhoon Moves to Avenue Coffee — Closes Cafe VanGo and moves to Avenue Coffee.
• Video: Sola Coffee Bar — My visit to a new shop in Scottsdale.
• Worst Cappuccino — Funny photo review.
• The Coffee Bar at Luci’s Healthy Marketplace — A review of a grocery store / coffee shop / restaurant.
• It has all the coffee news you need to know, but it also offers a very personal voice and encourages discussion and debate. — A summary of a nice review by Chow Bella.

December

• Coffee and Travel — A useful list of coffee shops that might be worth visiting.
• Arizona by the Numbers, Redux — The number of coffee.
• Lola Coffee at Gold Spot — Grand opening video/photos.
• Barista Magazine Profiles Arizona Barista Jam & Arizona Coffee Scene — A write up about the coffee scene in AZ, from Tom Maegdlin of Press Coffee.
• Grand Opening for Cartel Coffee Lab Downtown Phoenix — Video and photos from grand opening.

Goals for 2010:

1. I’d like to do more interviews (both written and on video) with local baristas, shop owners, and roasters. If you are interested let me know. I’ll come out to visit you and take video or notes (or email you questions).
2. I’m also looking forward to finally getting the “Readers Choice Awards” off the ground. It’s been a work in progress, but I think 2010 will be the year it happens.
3. I’d like to start separating photo essays from critiques. I have tons of photos waiting in the hopper, but not enough content to go along with them.
4. I’d like to improve the Arizona Coffee Map (out dated at this point).
5. I’m thinking about starting a Wiki for storing data about shops, much like CrunchBase. This is currently being held up because I can’t find a Wiki I like.
6. Stickers, everywhere.

In case you are curious, you can browse my “Best of” posts from previous years: 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Lastly, there are many people to thank, but most importantly the coffee shops for producing great coffee, the baristas and owners that work there, and the coffee roasters who source and roast coffee. Thank you to my sponsors, who make this site possible.