When travelling, where is your favorite coffee?

[dave lackey]

In general, I have found a couple of roasts at Starbucks that fits us just fine. The blonde roasts being the roasts of choice for the two of us. When alone, I pick up a Guatemalan or other medium roast at times. Starbucks is prevalent in most places I go so I am fortunate not to have to endure lousy coffee when on the road...usually.

We love Destin, Florida and I think we need to head down that way soon just for recuperation and health reasons alone. There is Starbucks and there is another one I like:

Bad Ass Coffee Co.

What coffee shops do you prefer when travelling? Life is too short for a bad cup of coffee.😎

 

[Tejasican]

Antidote in Houston is pretty good if you ever are in town. Not a chain though.

 

[maclaine]

It's cliche, but Seattle has some pretty damn good coffee. My favorite is any place that brews Stumptown, of which there are many in Seattle. I've seen it in a couple of places in New York City, as well, so it's not just reserved for folks out west.

 

[3rdtrick]

Dunkin Donuts...
Most of my travel is by car and I like to stop at DD for coffee.
Pete

 

[JoeV]

I look for locally-owned espresso shops that have a bohemian atmosphere, usually the coffee in such places is very good.

~Joe

 

[JeffL]

Caffe Sola in Saskatoon and Louie's in Kensington, Toronto

 

[E__WOK]

It's cliche, but Seattle has some pretty damn good coffee. My favorite is any place that brews Stumptown, of which there are many in Seattle. I've seen it in a couple of places in New York City, as well, so it's not just reserved for folks out west.

How is the coffee at the bikini barista places?

 

[maclaine]

How is the coffee at the bikini barista places?

I've never been to one, honestly. They're pretty strange if you ask me, as are the non-bikini-fied espresso shacks that are all over the place around here. Coming from the northeast, where the only two options are Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, I've had my fill of mediocre coffee, whether it's served by some scantily clad young lady or not. If I do stop at one, though, I'll update this thread accordingly.

 

[seakayaker1]

Seattle, I'm a fan of Uptown Expresso

Portland, OR, Public Domain

Boston, and surrounding areas on the east coast, a dunkin donuts will do just fine.

. . . . . anywhere else I'm sure I'll find something.

 

[SausalitoDog]

If you're near Palm Springs CA, there is nothing better than Koffi - two shops, both on Palm Canyon Ave.

I guess if you were really really in a pinch, you'd have to use Starbucks Via - I think it is better than the coffee they serve in their stores. That said, if I make it myself, I love the Starbucks Yukon blend, ground fine expresso and double or triple scoops in a swiss filter for a mug full...

 

[jesse1dog]

Don't drink coffee after an illness some 30 years ago.
Tea is generally the order of the day, but finding a decent mug or pot is pretty difficult! Hot chocolate used to be a better bet until 'they' started suffing all sorts of things into the top!

Trust me to be different! LOL

jesse

 

[dave lackey]

Don't drink coffee after an illness some 30 years ago.
Tea is generally the order of the day, but finding a decent mug or pot is pretty difficult! Hot chocolate used to be a better bet until 'they' started suffing all sorts of things into the top!

Trust me to be different! LOL

jesse

Ah, tea. Been drinking a lot of Earl Grey Tea lately due to heartburn. Seems that no matter what, I get it when I go to bed.

When I spent some time in Cardiff, our friend got us hooked on tea and then, I found out how good it was for heartburn. Looking forward to it in the evenings now.🙂

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Personally, I detest coffee "chains" such as Starbucks as I find them over-priced (in the UK and in particular London most food and drink is over-priced) but Starbucks takes it to extremes...) and the half-baked, surly dipsticks they employ as "baristas" often have little more than a basic grasp of English.

The best coffee I've ever tasted was on holiday in Costa Rica. It didn't matter where I drank it, it was like nectar (and I'm a lifelong tea fan).

 

[Roger Hicks]

Frances reckons that 'no-name' coffee in Spain is almost invariably superior to anything sold in a chain anywhere. I almost never drink coffee, except Greek/Turkish. I don't think they even have chains.

Cheers,

R.

 

[dave lackey]

Hi, Roger...

Never been to Spain, Greece or Turkey so I have no idea what the range of coffees really is and I am at the mercy of chain stores and specialty shops. There is one in Senoia (about 10 miles from home) that is good and the owner buys his own beans and roasts them in the back of the store. Quite good.

He also has good tea but since I hardly ever get by Senoia, it is going to be awhile before I try some more.

Tell Frances hello and we send you both our love.🙂 PS...stay out of the water!😛

 

[Roger Hicks]

Hi, Roger...

Never been to Spain, Greece or Turkey so I have no idea what the range of coffees really is and I am at the mercy of chain stores and specialty shops. There is one in Senoia (about 10 miles from home) that is good and the owner buys his own beans and roasts them in the back of the store. Quite good.

He also has good tea but since I hardly ever get by Senoia, it is going to be awhile before I try some more.

Tell Frances hello and we send you both our love.🙂 PS...stay out of the water!😛

Come visiting! Spain isn't a long drive from here (5-6 hours). And Le Donjon (the café-bar 30 yards from our house) is pretty good too.

Any GOOD coffee shop will not only roast their own beans -- Frances uses a shop in Loudun -- but they will also roast and blend to order. When we lived in Bristol she ordered a double-roast decaff (water solvent) fifty-fifty with a double-roast mocha Java. Her roaster put out a kilo bag to see if others wanted it... and then two kilos... and then five...

I am doing my very best to stay out of the water and have bought a rescue rope but unfortunately the yacht chandlers was out of mooring ladders.

Lots of love to you both from us both,

R+F.

 

[goros]

Being a Spaniard, I couldn't agree more with Frances. The coffee here is overall good, but in some places is very good.

When I travel, I only take coffee in Italy and Portugal, and sometimes in France. In any other place it is just tea or nothing.

And about the coffee in Spain, there are several companies that import coffee from where ever, mix several varieties and roast the blend as per the local taste. Then the final product is bought by the bars/coffeeshops but it also could be bought in any supermarket.

Cheers

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Without wishing to contradit myself - I spent a very happy hour in a Turkish coffee shop in London (200 Piccadilly) called Kahve Dunyasi. It's a chain of shops in Turkey but the one in London is the only one outside of Turkey.

The coffee was superb and the gloopy chocolate heart thingy was obscenely nice. Not cheap but much better value than the crap available from the more recognisable chains scatterd around.

Maybe quality is more about a state of mind and a service ethic than whether it's a chain or not. Small, family-run places do tend to offer better service and quality, generally, though.