It’s getting to be a habit, this profane exclamation. But I’m so frigging sick of the crappy coffee at Espresso Royale I’m regularly tempted to get coffee at Starbucks when I have a choice. Despite its hipster cred, I don’t find Cafe Ambrosia’s house blend to be very good, either. Starbucks’ and Sweetwaters’ are the only ones I’ve had that pass muster, and that is so sad. (Maybe Zingerman’s is better, which I’ve never had, but I’ve heard mixed reviews). I WANT to support local business, but I don’t even feel Cafe Verde’s brew, and that’s like buying coffee from yourself.
Fortunately, the coffee shop across the street from my place in Evanston has the goods — the coffee has BODY, ie it has multiple layers of taste, none of which are “burned.”
I first acquired my taste for coffee when I lived near Portland, OR, in 2001 and got a job at the Coffee Brake Co., in Aloha. The owner roasted his own beans even though he only had one retail location. The decor was terrible and the location not much better, but that was a great job and I enjoyed the hell out of making coffee drinks and learning about the commodity and preparation process from Ron, the owner.
Anyways, I wonder if there are “Starbucks offset credits” you can buy to make up for the corporate coffee you drink like Al Gore advocates for carbon in An Inconvenient Truth?
Maybe I’ll just have to play some more Great Lakes Myth Society and Chris Bathgate as a sort of local culture penance?
UPDATE: I had some Akire coffee today– the place on Packard near State — that was decent, though crazy expensive at 1.59 a cup.
UPDATE2: Tried Amer’s in the Union — sucked.
UPDATE3: Mujo French Roast at the Duderstadt Center: 5 out of 10. Not much more body than ERC’s house blend, but it doesn’t taste burned.
UPDATE4: Sweetwater’s Sumatra: 7 out of 10. Decent body, ok taste. I just found out you can roast your own with a few guides on the interweb. Frickin’ sweet.
UPDATE5: Zingerman’s house blend: 7.5 out of 10. Body was ok, and you could taste the beans. I’ve still had way better, eg Caffe Artigiano in Vancouver. [Best. Coffee. Ever. I want to go back nooowwwwww...]
If you like Starbucks coffee, even considering the alternatives, I can’t say you learned that much in Portland…
As penance, though, I think you should talk to Lisa Dugdale about community service opportunities with Think Local First. I hear they have a Buy Local Week coming up in December that you could indenture yourself during.
p.s. Oh, score! Ypsi has an indie coffee shop in each of its commercial areas with better brew than what Ann Arbor has to offer! (Ugly Mug, Bombadill’s, Luwak.) And not a Starbucks in sight…
Yeah, I’m automatically a dick for suggesting Starbucks because not only are they sending their money out of town, they’ve been driving the downtown rents skyhigh because it doesn’t hurt them to pay ‘em. But I’ve got to say, I hate ERC so much I’ve been drinking more diet soda lately (as well as regularly brewing at home), which has almost NO local component and most stores you can buy it at don’t contribute to downtown walkability, eg the gas station at Main and Madison.
Ypsi’s definitely lucky, if only because the lack of Starbucks will keep the yuppies away. I visited Hyde Park last weekend in Chicago and RIGHT off the UofC campus was a Starbucks; it was almost the only off-campus retail place in sight. After seeing what the local black residents have had to deal with (cf Hirsch’s Making the Second Ghetto) THIS is what people get when they finally get some retail and mixing with the UofC community?
Zingerman’s coffee does get mixed reviews. I like it, but even others who don’t like the brewed coffee and esspresso drinks tend to like the beans, which are roasted locally.
Also, Jefferson Market (is it still open?) and Big Ten both brew Small World coffee, which is the best in town by a long shot (pun intended).
ERC’s a pretty big chain anyway. They make an OK Americano in a pinch.
Zingermans has the best espresso in the area, bar none. Sweet, deliciously acidic and super crema-tastic. Add in some frothy Calder dairy whole milk and I’m in heaven. Straight up it makes my throat itch. A good thing.
The brewed coffee at Cafe Verde is good stuff usually, too. They’re one of the few places around that actually tells you how dark the roast is, rather than just labeling it something stupid like “Angry Monkey” and assuming I have some idea WTF to expect. I’M TALKING TO YOU, ZINGERMANS.
Honestly though, I’ll happily drink swill as long as it’s black.
OK, my next project is to try several types of Zingerman’s coffee and seeing if that will sustain me. ERC is so over, as Brandon would say.
I have to agree with much of the above. At Zingerman’s, though, I’d also try the chai. It is the best darn chai this side of Teaism in D.C. (oh yesshh, I love that stuff!). And yes, it is expensive, but defintely not from a box. I’ve also heard that Portofino’s coffee is decent if you’re on the far west side. And Arbor Farms has free coffee, which, as far as I’m concerned, is good coffee.
Oh yeah, and if you ever go to one of the Gallery opening nights in Ann Arbor and go to the Ann Arbor Arts Center, you might find that Roos guy who was brewing espresso during the Shadow Art Fair. He is often there brewing shots of espresso for free and they are very, very good.
Down Ypsi way, I am found of the Coffee at Bombadills. Peter makes some fine soy lattes.
That’s what I have to say. It’s really said that there is such a lack of good coffee round these parts.
Starbucks tastes like burnt peat. Have you ventured to the Ugly Mug in Ypsi? They roast their own. My former boss, a self-admitted coffee snob, even likes it. It’s dang good.
The place in Evanston was formerly called Cafe Express; it is now known as Brothers K and they brew coffee roasted by Metropolis Coffee out of Chicago. Damn good.
Pat, I just bought a coffee at Jefferson Market this morning after voting at the Bach School. They had a coffee I avoided called Grumpy Monkey. The coffee I bought was $1.75 for 8-10 ounces (and not worth it). Jesus.
Go to Morgan and York Big Ten and get the cappucino. Small World Coffee and Caulder Dairy uber-silky microfoam milk. Best drink and barista (matt Morgan) in Ann Arbor. Zingermans should not have switched from small world to in house roasting.