Anyway I went to Phoebus Coffeehouse in Hampton,Va. I have actually been here before but I was with a friend and didn't have my laptop but since it was a good experience the first time I thought I would come back to be more analytical about this place.
Well first I should mention just a few things. First off this place was visited by Al Jazeera on election day. If you were on CNN that day you could have caught a glimpse of this place. Basically Virginia is a battleground state (duh) and the national news wanted to come here because of that. I can only guess they chose this place because it's in the heart of a little section of town called Phoebus (obviously) and the town itself could not possibly be any more quaint. Coming here there was a little boy playing the guitar in the front of his family's store, waving at passers by. And as I walked in the door I saw Santa ordering a coffee, how much more damn adorable can you get??
This place is possibly one of the biggest coffee places I have ever been to. More long than wide, it seems the dining area stretches far beyond the front door. The floors are a nice shiny wood, and the walls painted a cheery orange shade that makes the place look like it's full of sunshine. I don't hear any music but I am sure at some point (maybe at night) they pipe tunes through the echoing walls. The front of the store has wonderful antique looking windows and the ceilings sport track lighting (but not the tacky euro trash kind, the kind that you don't even notice until you look up and see it's just a soft lighting made to enhance the feel of sun and light and airiness of the place). The menus hanging on the walls are hand made, advertising not only their coffees but the fact they serve a breakfast and lunch menu that seems to call to my empty stomach. But I opted for some yummy chocolate chip cookies (you all know I can't pass up cookies) and a large regular coffee. I thought about getting my usual soy vanilla latte but that is what i got last time and it was delicious so I wanted to try one of their coffees. They have about 5 to choose from. Well for me it's about 4 because one of them is a decaf and lets me serious people...I ordered my coffee and cookies (a combination made in heaven) and chatted up the barista while I waited. She seemed super nice and talkative, not at all forced or fake and I really appreciated that. She actually reminded me of myself a little. I chose a Guatamala Antigua roast (decided to drink it black too..PATRICK) and found my seat. The place is king of divided a little into 3 rooms. Of course there are no walls or doorways, but it just feels like 3 separate rooms with different feels. I thought if I went all the way to the back I'd be able to have some peace and quiet. *ahem* NO. 5 minutes into my blog, I hadn't even had a chance to take a sip of my steaming hot coffee when a group of women (teachers?) came in for lunch. Complete with idle middle aged women talk about nothing, with voices that are WAY too loud for a coffeehouse. I have learned my lesson to put some headphones in my laptop bag for next time. Oh I wish i could tune them out a little. Voices that crawl under my skin and want to throw my hot coffee in one of their faces. Argh there I go getting angry again. But how can 6 women that talk all at once understand each other?
Anyway back to the coffee...it's good. Tastes fresh and my cookie is...so...good... I can't even put it into words. Ahhh....wait what was i saying? Ah yes the COFFEE. Anyway it's really good. REALLY good. Mental note...look up words that make me sound smarter other than grunting a "really good" to describe my cup full of God's Heaven. It's kind of nutty but not overwhelming, a smooth darker roast that I would definitely order again.
This place was definitely worth the drive and if it was closer I could easily become a regular here.
Phoebus is owned by a woman by the name of Anne Doop who has a wonderful quote on her website stating the reason she started this place saying “A person shouldn’t have to learn another language - even if it's made up - to order a cup of coffee”. My thoughts exactly Anne...my thoughts exactly.
has hung up their "Out of Business" signs as well. I can't help but wonder is it the cruel economy these days or the fact their coffee was horrible, or in the case of Coffease, customer service was sub par. It's sad in any event. I can't even gloat. Because behind these businesses were people that wanted to make them work. It's a bitch either way...
I couldn't spend a lot of time there since it seems I picked a day some school was doing a class project where they were filming scenes so there was a big group of kids with racks of clothes, people yelling directions and some dude filming it all. I felt really uncomfortable so I left a lot earlier than I wanted to. I did think it was a little rude and if they were going to be doing something like that, they should do it after hours so they wouldn't disturb the customers.
But all in all the coffee was yummy and if there wasn't this whole production going on around me, then I might have enjoyed myself a little more. I don't think I will go again, just because i am never in that area. It's totally out of the way for me. But if for some reason I AM in the area again, I think I would stop again. I'm curious about their espresso drinks.
So in conclusion, I'm not over the moon about this place, but it is worth a stop.
The bean isn't burnt really, it's just the taste it takes on after being roasted for a period of time. Basically french roasted coffee is roasted longer than a light roast. When roasting the beans, they pop (or crack) once and then they're closer to a light roast, after a second time, it's closer to a french roast. It's not that common to see a Kona French Roast. Mainly because coffees from Kona or other island areas like to roast lighter, to preserve the natural flavor of the region. And I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of french roasts. Some people think this is the darkest roast there is, but it's not. Many italian roasts are even darker and I've heard of a "Spanish" roast (never seen or had it though) that is the darkest they get. But the longer you roast a bean, the more it's going to take on the flavor of the roasting itself. And this French Roast is definitely no exception. One more thing you might not know about darker roasts either, they have LESS caffeine. Some people think they have more because of how smoky and burnt they taste, but that is not the case. Just a little tidbit of info from me to you.
The Coffee itself is a little smoother than other dark roasts I have had, that is probably because of the Kona. The roast itself makes the beans oily and I can see a very faint film of oil on the top of my coffee as well. It's definitely not as bitter as other coffees. I can even smell a very faint odor of dark chocolate and berry. And the fact that this is a Kona blend, makes it all that more special. I will always have a spot in my heart for Kona coffee, and even though it's a *blend* I can still taste the unique flavor of the bean. Even sitting here with the open bag nearby, the smell of the beans are so potent, they fill the room. I'm definitely not a black coffee drinker (sorry guys!) but this coffee??? I might make an exception...
But people can change, and after some time working in the indie coffee shops, I see that Starbucks is nothing but a fast food chain of coffee. They even have drive-thrus in many of them to make things even faster for the person on-the-go and in need of some overpriced over-roasted crap coffee. But when i woke up this morning and saw that the coffee chain had changed it's number from 100 to 600 stores that were closing nationwide, I was...well...not surprised. I KNOW a lot of it has to do with the economy. Money is tight and when people are trying to pinch pennies, the first thing to go is their expensive coffee habit. Start brewing at home and save that $5 a day. But it's also because Starbucks got greedy. WAY too greedy and full of itself. They expanded too fast, thinking the failing economy could not possibly touch it. But they were wrong. In many cities, you can see multiple stores on a radius of just a few blocks. The saying that there is a Starbucks on every block is true in many cases. They saturated the world with their overpriced shit coffee and overly cheery "baristas" with their green visors and perma-grins. I refuse to label these workers baristas, since all they do is froth some milk and push some buttons. I know it's not their fault, they work for a company with good benefits and decent tips, and I can't really blame them for donning that green apron every day. I even had some job offers to work for Starbucks. But every time, I turned them down, scared of what it would do to my skills, to my mind...to my soul. I love coffee too much to just push some buttons and call out drinks that take me 30 seconds to say.
So 600 stores are closing. It's the economy plus corporate greediness.. PLUS lack of quality. You can't dismiss that. It is nothing new to say their coffee quality is sub-par. Yea, as a friend of mine pointed out, they DID start out as a little coffee shop in Seattle, they developed a customer base, and they branched out... to become the biggest Coffee Company in the world. But like many small businesses that expand so quickly, they lost their heart along the way. They lost what it means to take a second and make a good cup of coffee. It became something to do as quickly as possible, take the order, make the drink, call it out, and have the customer be on their way. Like you're in an assembly line, nothing more than a nameless faceless drink order. If you come in often and become a regular, they might remember your name and your drink, say hello to you as you walk in the door like Norm from Cheers. But generally speaking, you're just someone waiting in an eternal line to get a drink that isn't worth half the amount of money you spent on it. Am i bitter? No. I just know what good coffee is, and that knowledge prevents me from ever going back to the coffee chain. Once you've been enlightened, everything else, is just shit...and who wants to pay $5 for shit?? I know I don't. So goodbye 600 stores, hope those workers find other jobs quickly and at the very least Starbucks takes care of them. I AM sorry those people are losing their jobs. It's not their fault the stores are closing but they have to pay for it. They're saying possible 12,000 jobs could be eliminated because of this. They are going to try and re-distribute these employees in other stores though.
Though maybe other businesses can learn a valuable lesson from Starsucks, regardless of how big you get or how much money is coming in, remember how it all started. With a quality company and quality products. People stop seeing all that and just see dollar signs. But in the end, it's the almighty dollar that damaged them.
Greed is one of the seven deadly sins for a reason...
Elliot's Farigrounds is in the heart of the Ghent part of Norfolk. Ghent is the token artsy area. Complete with little quaint shops and restaurants, all local, independent businesses that make a point to stray from corporate America. It's also very...VERY expensive. While the people here make a point to go against the grain, they also stray so far away from it, it becomes slightly annoying. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't detest the smell of patchouli wafting in the air, and I can appreciate the function of big messenger bags. Low rise jeans, hair wrapped up in paisley scarves and tiny tiny tank tops seems to be the dress code. It is your classic hippie boho vibe and it makes me a little ill. Just because those people are forcing it so much it becomes just another trend and fad. But I digress...
This place is famous for being parked right across the street from a Starbucks. And really, you have to admire that. It's giving the big middle finger to the "man" and I like it. They are also famous for only using fair trade organic coffees (get it, fairground...fair trade...anyway) which I'm sure is a huge factor for the locals in this area. When you're dealing with the hippie crowd, nothing makes them drool more then by saying the words organic. I mean the coffee could taste like pure shit but as long as it's organic or fair trade you'll have a crowd. It was built into the upstairs of an old Victorian house, so if you have trouble climbing stairs this might not be a good place for you. But once you ascend the creaky narrow staircase, you are brought into another world. Big area rugs cover the hardwood floors and carefully matching tables and chairs (furniture that is meant to look mis-matched but matches anyway if that makes sense) are placed very well spaced apart throughout the dining area. There is even an enclosed patio area that i wanted to check out, but due to the lack of outlets and my laptop's inability to keep a charge, I was stuck indoors. The music is classic, nothing in the least bit contemporary or modern, which isn't a bad thing. Old jazz and blues plays just loud enough to hear it, but not so loud it's distracting. Artwork covers the walls with patches of exposed brick, and ceiling fans slowly spin above you. I got up to the bar and ordered my drink (iced soy mocha). They only accept credit cards for charges over $20 and since I didn't want to spend that much, I chose to pay with a check. Yes, a check. I can honestly say i have never written a check for a coffee but that's what I get for being unprepared and not carrying any cash. But the barista was nice about it and even explained to me why they don't use the credit card machine for purchases so low. It all comes down to credit card charges and things like that. They had an ATM but I didn't feel like spending $5 to withdraw my own money. We chit chatted about the ridiculousness of charges that banks throw at us during the moments it took her to make my iced mocha (yes I said iced MOCHA Riverview coffee lady!!! F*CK YOU!) and I got my drink, tipped a buck and found a seat. My drink was yummy. I mean you can't really mess up a drink like that, but these days you just never know. I wanted to do a little bit of a back story on this place, but it seems their website isn't complete so I'll do that some other time.
What I do know is the employees that work here have been here for years. They had an opening a few months ago that filled quickly so it seems like a good place to work and when the employees are happy, the customers are happy. I thought about applying when they were hiring but it's too far and I think this type of customer would drive me too crazy with their skim sugar free vanilla lattes. You have to give props to a business that makes a point to only buy fair trade organic coffees, and not just whatever is cheapest. They obviously care about the big picture and you have to admire that.
All in all, this place is definitely a place I would come to again if it was closer. Venturing down to this part of town in an adventure and not one I would want to have on a regular basis. Though with my new job i will be driving past it on a daily basis so maybe I will become more of a regular than I think. Who knows. Anyway I don't have too many bad things to say about this place. Basically it's your classic indie coffeeshop with a "too cool for school" vibe. But if you're anything like me, it's all about the coffee and as long as that's good it's all gravy baby.
Anyway I'll just dive right into it.
First off the smell came out and hit me in the face right when I opened the bag. Full bodied?? To put it mildly. The nutiness (is that a word?) is very strong and it seems to seep into my nose even when I am not breathing in, forcing me to take it all in. Now once brewed, the hints of chocolate come out. A slight hint of earthiness to it as well. This coffee is very mild in taste. Something you don't really need to add a lot of cream or sugar to, if that is something you normally do. It just kind of is mellow with just a slightest hint of something citrusy (another word I'm going to use so deal with it) as an aftertaste. And the taste definitely stays on your tongue for a while after your last sip.
This is a very mild coffee that I can see becoming a favorite of any kind of coffee drinkers. Some coffee drinkers like coffee that is very light and full of bite, and some like the heavy dark roasts that can take a good amount of sugar and cream and still retain it's taste. This coffee is so passive but at the same time full of flavor and sweetness, it could be loved by many.
When I first walked in, I was caught off guard by the quiet. The music they play is so low it's practically inaudible. But right off the bat, I saw this place was very unique. From the church pew being used as seating, to the mis-matched tables and paisy couches (hello Martha Stewart early 1990), this place is anything but boring. There is 2 separate bookshelves filled with various used books, and magazines organized thoughtfully throughout the dining area. Huge chalkboards display drinks, various syrups and specials. Also, it's hand written, not anything made to LOOK like a quaint coffee shop chalkboard. I was greeted when I walked in the door and again when I got to the counter. The owner (who was working as a barista at the time) apologized for the wait, even though it consisted of about 60 seconds. I asked if they had soy (I know almost all coffee shops do but I like to ask just to be sure) which they did so I proceeded to order my drink. And this began what was to become one of the oddest exchanges I have ever had about coffee...
When i asked for a iced soy mocha I was attacked mid sentence by an explanation of the word "mocha". Because according to my barista "it is NOT chocolate but a coffee bean that doesn't taste anything like chocolate and you must be confused by ordering this. Did you mean an iced latte?"
"Sure", I replied, "if you can put chocolate in it." I don't like to throw around the fact that when i come into a coffee shop I am NOT just some Starbucked brainwashed moron. While I don't regularly pat myself on the back, I am almost positive that I know more about coffee than most baristas, and I knew that she was wrong. I just didn't want to correct her, too much trouble.
** Before I go on I should talk for a second about this "mocha" mixup. First off Mocha IS a coffee bean. It originated from Mocha, Yemen. But the bean DOES taste chocolatey which is why it was adopted as the title for an espresso based chocolate drink. Now if I wasn't in the U.S, and I was in Europe and I saddled up to my nearest cafe and ordered a mocha, it might mean something different. Because again, that coffee bean is still named the Mocha bean. I might order a mocha and get a coffee, made with that bean. But HEY HEY, it would taste chocolatey!! Also, last time I checked I was in the U.S. So there***
She even made the mistake to ask me if I was sure I was ordering an espresso drink. She felt the need to remind me that lattes DO in fact, HAVE espresso and was I sure I wanted that? I stopped trying to pretend I was nice and just started openly throwing her my best 'fuck you" look. I ordered my iced latte with chocolate (which again, to NORMAL people would be commonly referred to as an iced MOCHA) and marshmallow flavoring. What I got was an iced latte with marshmallow, no chocolate (after ALL THAT, I didn't even get my chocolate!!!!), and then I got to pay $7 for it. I can honestly say i have NEVER paid so much for a espresso drink. Even when I ask for extra shots. Even when I went to a coffee shop in NEW YORK CITY. I just stared blankly and forked over the money, feeling violated and abused. I know I could have said something to her about the chocolate, like why, after all of that commotion could you possibly NOT remember to put it in my drink? But I was afraid she didn't charge me for it and I was already paying over $7 and I didn't want to pay any more. Though I didn't tip like I normally do, mostly because she pissed me off by talking down to me.
I took a seat at a table that kind of looks like a table my grandma has (complete with a lack of comfort) and opened my laptop to do this blog. Only to find out this place has no wifi. So I get to pay $7 for my drink, have a belittling exchange with the owner and then there is no wifi? What coffee shop has no wifi? Even MY job has wifi and it's a kiosk!
But my coffee DOES taste good. It has too much ice and did I mention it is TOTALLY overpriced??!!! But good all the same.
They have creative drinks here like the ginger snap (espresso and chai), chocolate chai (self explanatory) and a HUGE of syrups (Grape anyone??). They also have lunches and homemade limeade and lemonade which i will have to try next time. I see that it's within my price range and I won't be going broke ordering it (unlike my latte!!!). They get their coffee from Williamsburg Coffee and Tea, so they're buying local and fresh coffee. The only thing is this company makes flavored coffee, and that tends to draw me away from companies like that. Because flavored coffee is just a bastardization of coffee, the cheapest shittiest beans covered in flavor and artificial crap. But other than that I see good reviews of this company and my drink was good so I won't get too high on my horse.
All in all it's about the coffee and my drink was good. The atmosphere is different, everything looks like it was hand picked with care and the owner calls all the customers by their names as they walk in. So there is something to say about owners who are so hands on they know many of their customers on that level. I am still suffering from the fact I have to write all of this on a text editor and plug it into my blog later. But then again, the lack of technology here is not much of a surprise. Everything here, all the way from the owner to the furniture is old fashioned, not at all hip or "with it". This isn't the place that is ever going to be trendy or cool. I don't see a huge younger crowd coming here either. And I'll be honest I probably won't be coming back, other than to maybe try the lemonade. But I am glad I came, it's definitely a little jewel thats tucked away from the rest of the world...in more ways than one.
* Pics to come tomorrow
But when I found out my first love, mi amor, Caribou Coffee was coming out with iced drinks, then i had to check them out...
Basically long story short, I started out in the *working* coffee world when I got hired on at Caribou Coffee in Denver. I didn't have a clue before then about coffee making, other than brewing a pot at home. So that is where I cut my teeth as they say. And look at me now!!
Anyway I do have to say I like the bottle. Not that it really matters what kind of packaging it's in, I just think it's good it doesn't look anything like Starbucks. On the side of the bottle it reads 'all natural ingredients' so I am hopeful for a natural coffee tasting experience.
Looking the ingredient list it says: Coffee, red fat milk, sugar, sodium bicarbonate, natural flavors and carrageenan (no idea what that last one is, I'll have to look it up later)
Opening it up, it smells...well...like Yoohoo. I don't know how else to describe it! To me it smells just like a Yoo hoo...
And how does it taste? Well... like coffee. Not too sweet and not too milky, just coffee. I mean a really WEAK coffee with a hint of aluminum (I *might* have to take back my previous comments about the packaging), but coffee all the same. There is a Vanilla flavored one that I'm sure is sweeter, so I'm glad the grocery store was out.
Perhaps the front of the bottle says it all, " Coffee drink with a splash of milk".
A far as the nutritional info with 120 calories, 210mg of sodium, 24g of sugar and 1.5g of fat ( or 3 pts for you WW peeps out there) it's not the WORST out there.
This isn't the drink you want to buy if you are jonesing for a fix of caffeine. It's the drink you buy at lunchtime if you have a low caffeine tolerance, and you need a little pep in your step.
All in all I say this drink is...ok. Better than those *other* iced coffees that you purchase at your local grocery store, but not the kick someone like me needs when I am seconds away from falling asleep at the wheel. I can't put it down Caribou TOO much though, it's just something in me that when i see that little blue Caribou on the label, I can't help but save a little space in my heart for it:)
But I can't finish my drink so perhaps that says something too...
So to the woman that came in this morning and was pissy because i wouldn't put the Splenda in her "double tall Skinny latte", it's not because I couldn't put the Splenda in, I didn't put it in because you pissed me off. And your order pissed me off. And the fact you laughed at me saying "oh I'm so used to Starbucks" like that was an excuse was even more infuriating. So you had to walk your happy ass the whole two feet to the sugar and creamer table to get it in your damn self. So there.
It's warm out and close to summertime, so I'm all about the cold espresso drinks but I would like the OPTION of having my favorite drinks in hot. They DO have a hot drink menu,but you basically have to squint real hard and click your shoes three times to see it. So I resigned to the fact I was going to have to order a "smoothie" type drink. I still wanted my caffeine though! So i ordered a "smoothie cappuccino" ( I will NOT get into my frustration with coffee companies that abuse the "cappuccino", which is ACTUALLY a HOT espresso drink with an inch or more of milk foam..NOT in ANY way a cold or frozen drink) after some confusing talk with the barista...
Me: "so is there espresso in the smoothie cappuccinos?
Barista: there CAN be
Me: so..it's a mix?
Barista: *stares blankly*
Me: um...so is there caffeine??
Barista: *nods head while looking at me like I'M the idiot*
Me: ok, well I'll have the almond mocha one
Barista: do you *WANT* an espresso shot in it??
Me: sure...."
After forking over almost $4.50 for my SMALL drink I found a little table in the corner for my blog. I had no issues finding an outlet for my laptop since there are powerstrips at every outlet, which is nice because there isn't a LOT of outlets here. My drink is good, totally full of sugar and artificial unknown entities but good all the same. I can't taste my espresso which is kind of sucky but I can deal. And it came with a cute little umbrella that make me smile.
This place serves good smoothies from what i hear, but I am SO not the smoothie type girl. Give me something with caffeine or get the hell out of my face. It's really new so it smells nice and all the tables and decor are still shiny and sparkling. There are empty burlap sacs of Kona Coffee from the Hawaii Coffee co hanging on the walls, and a few framed advertisement posters.The floor is a brown concrete I think and there are some tacky little palm trees ( plastic blow up ones as well and just plain plastic ones) around the dining area and the sugar and cream area is almost non existent. They have a nice bakery case with cookies and brownies, but nothing I found too enticing.
Maybe one of the most disappointing things about this place is the small 'Coffee For Sale' rack that they have. It's just a few sparse shelves holding...LION coffees and teas. I'm sorry...WHAT??!! Yea, i could totally go to the freaking supermarket to get that shit if I wanted it. When you go to a smaller coffee "shop" ( I have that in quotations because I don't think I would classify this place as such) like this I want to see some nice freshly roasted coffee on display. I understand this place has a hawaiian theme so they're not going to sell the same type of coffees that other coffee shops sell, but isn't there a better Hawaiian Coffee co than Lion Coffee??? But while I AM on the hawaiian theme, I will say if this place is supposed to be a hawaiian type of smoothie place, wouldn't you think the music playing would be...oh I don't know....something 'island like'?? I mean come ON! I am listening to maroon 5 right now and it's NOT making me feel like I am back in Oahu. I think if you have a themed place, you should probably stick to that theme all the way around and not just have a few things here and there.
But all in all I can't say this place is sucky or warn people never to come here. But don't think of it as a coffee shop. If you're wanting a smoothie or a nice frozen sugary blended beverage, then this is the place for you. I can't come down on a business for trying to find their little niche in this market, just take the "coffee" part out and be honest with your public.
