We're always looking for rich, smooth coffee. There is something magical about the mountains. As a boy I spent summers in the lower Sierra Nevadas at about 5800 feet elevation. Many of my fondest memories are from those mountains. Rocky Mountain Roastery Recently we came across a roaster in Durango, Colorado. The roastery elevation is 7900 ft. These guys seem like really cool mountain people … [Read more...]
Our Worst Coffee Day Texas to Florida
Our Worst Coffee Day during our round-trip-coffee-florida-to-texas. 20-20 Hindsight Our whirlwind Texas visit had been full of joy and surprises but entirely too fast. We got a shaky start leaving Dallas to head back to Florida. Trying to beat the morning commute traffic out of town - with a combination of massive road construction and a total lack of familiarity with the Dallas landscape … [Read more...]
The Perfect Cup of Coffee
Often the Coffee and Espresso We Sample Is Not Very Good... And definitely not perfect. In fact, we discard a high percentage of the coffee and espresso we buy as customers - prior to finishing our purchases. On some days, we might throw out 3 of 5 purchases. When you look at it that way, it's really quite an expensive hobby. What drives someone to do such a thing? It's not something you … [Read more...]
Javatino Coffee Orlando Fl
Javatino Coffee - Orlando, Fl When you're in business, every once in a while you get a chance to meet quality people. My best memories are all about relationships with both vendors and customers. When your business grows, ultimately it's because good people helped you and supported you along the way. When they needed it, you were there for them too. These memories are like fabrics woven … [Read more...]
Magnolia Press – Waco, TX
Magnolia Press is an espresso cafe in Waco, Texas. Team Barrett had The Silos and Magnolia Market on our agenda list for several years before we had the opportunity to visit in person. The cafe is clearly an expression of Joanna Gaines' design style - which we both grew to love and admire over the course of 5 seasons of Fixer Upper. Each year, her designs improved but we always appreciated … [Read more...]
Avoca Coffee Roasters
Avoca Coffee Roasters... There are many coffee shops around the country that disappoint. Avoca does not. Team Barrett came across this place accidentally and it turned out to be one of the best espressos we had on our round trip coffee Florida to Texas. It was definitely the best coffee we had in Texas. But in all fairness, we didn't have enough time to explore more cities and more coffee … [Read more...]
Mold in Coffee
Mold in Coffee Most people don't associate mold with coffee. Why would you? You grind the beans and do a pour-over, or you load the coffee maker and hit the brew button, or you drop in a Keurig pod and hit small. medium or large. What does mold have to do with coffee? In all fairness, it never would have occurred to me that mold in coffee was a problem either, except... for several … [Read more...]
Avoca – Fort Worth – Really Good Coffee
Avoca Fort Worth On our Round Trip Coffee Florida to Texas road trip, we had the good fortune to discover a coffee gem in Fort Worth, Texas: Avoca Coffee Roasters. When the early-20-something barista refused to provide a doppio espresso to go, my first inclination was to reach over the counter and shake this young man vigorously. We had already been excursing for several hours. It was getting … [Read more...]
Round Trip Coffee – Florida to Texas
Round Trip Coffee Florida to Texas... Recently, Team Barrett did a road trip. We drank coffee on the way. As a precaution, we even brought along a Keurig, half and half on ice, ceramic mugs and a bucket of Beaniac Organic French Roast pods. This made hotel morning launches more synchronous with the flow of our journey. We are writing a series of posts about coffee shops we visited on the … [Read more...]
Honeymoon Espresso in North Carolina
Honeymoon Espresso in North Carolina We stayed at a great little Airbnb outside of Asheville the second night. We woke up hungry. First things first - find the coffee. We had institutional coffee with breakfast. You know the kind. It's made using stale pre-portioned packages and the glass coffee pot sits unattended on the warmer for 30 minutes before they serve you. That was a … [Read more...]