RANT of the day....

If you're going to make a point to walk into an indie coffeeshop... I think that's awesome. I don't care WHY you're here, if it was more convenient or because you think we're going to be cheaper than Starbucks. All I ask is this. Please...PLEASE remember that you are NOT actually AT Starbucks. I am NOT wearing a green apron and visor and I am NOT excessively chipper. So PLEASE don't get confused and order a drink like you would at the *other* place. If you say Venti, Grande or Tall to me I will look at you like you are an idiot and ask you again what size you would like. Small, medium and large is cool. I understand that. And don't laugh me off like *I* am the moron for not understanding your lingo.

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.

Ok so I lied...Todays's Review: Maui Wowi (not to be confused with maui wowie:) Virginia Beach, Va

So I know I was supposed to be reviewing Bad Ass Coffee Co with this next entry, and I AM...tomorrow. Today it's Maui Wowi (http://www.mauiwowi.com/) in Virginia Beach. It *just* opened here (I want to say less than a year ago),and from what i hear it's struggling a little. But basically I was driving past and had some time to kill so I stopped. The sign reads "Hawaiian Coffee and Smoothies" but after reading the menu a bunch of times, I think perhaps they should have taken off the "coffee" part.

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.

Customer question of the day...

"What is a machacho??" (referring to a macchiato...)

next up???

Bad Ass Coffeehouse in Chesapeake,Va!

Bean There Cafe, Chesapeake,Va

I have been wanting to stop at this place for a little while now. Not only because of the things I have heard about it (latte artists, amazing baristas!), but because they host a 'Coffee Snobs' meetup every week where they talk about the basics of pulling a good espresso shot and steaming milk. I figure, if these people are so involved in the coffee world, they are my kind of people. So I made a plan to come and see what they're all about.

After a few wrong turns and frustrating parking lot maneuvering, I found the place at the end of a new shopping center in Chesapeake (a very snobby higher end part of town). It's across the street from a shopping mall and close to a Starbucks, so I wonder how their business is in the morning. I can't really see it being under the category of "convenient" to get to on your morning commute but it IS in a growing shopping area so maybe the afternoon and evening crowd is better. I noticed from their website that they host an open mic night so I'm sure their friday and saturday night crowd is significant.

From the moment I walked in, I noticed the space, mainly because there is SO much of it. From the hugely tall ceilings, to the black floors, there is more space than I can even convey. It's only made to look bigger by the small tables and painted brick walls. The tables and chairs are obviously hand picked to go with the trendy atmosphere. Large paintings and little "cafe' signs give culture to the place, but not too much is needed. I kind of like the lack of clutter. There is a small bookcase in the corner and the cream and sugar station is an antique looking dressing table. Track lighting hangs from the rafters and even the menu board is high above eye level, made to look handwritten for that homey feel. All in all I really like the vibe here. I don't feel like I am being surrounded by yuppies typing away on their laptops, trying to get their work done before they get home. Most people are just reading a book or having a friendly conversation here. There is one couch in the corner and the music is indie and fun to listen to. Not too distracting but it's not putting me to sleep either.




As far as my drink (because that IS what it's all about isn't it??) I ordered an island kiss which is dark chocolate and coconut. I got it iced with soy milk of course. I couldn't watch the barista make it for me, since my wonderful co-worker ordered it for me before I even got here. But I did spy on him a little (without trying to look like a stalker) while he was making some drinks and luckily he was doing the hand tamping. I have become a snobby barista and I tend to think that if you're using a super automatic, you don't really have the right to call yourself a "barista" since there is nothing more to your job than pressing a few buttons. People that hand tamp are more involved in the espresso making process and know when your shots are coming out good or bad based on your tamping "skills" as it were. But back to my drink... I have one word to say about it and that word is YUMMY. I don't know how many shots are in it (my only little baby complaint is I can't taste any of the espresso so maybe one more shot and I would have been good) but it was chocolatey goodness. I think next time I come I will order just a coffee to see how their stuff is. I know I just ordered a prissy girly drink and if I want to know about the heart of a coffee shop I need to order just a coffee. But after working all day, I'm not in the plain coffee mood and I wanted some thing something that will hit the sweet tooth I have. Though I think he should have put the soy milk in a little earlier because I have excessive milk chunks in the bottom of my cup. I know with soy, some chunks are un-avoidable ( just because of the consistency of soy) but my level of chunks are a little over the top:)

The barista seems nice enough, though I notice a little bit of fake niceness. I can't get on him too much for that, because haven't we all faked it a little bit for that tip??? Fake it to make it my friends.

All in all I like this place. I will for sure come back and get a coffee, and maybe talk to the barista a little next time to pick his or her brain about this place and maybe try to get some ideas for my place. All coffeehouses are different, all have their own little niche in the java biz, and this one's place?? Hopefully in the heart of Chesapeake...

Customer question of the day...

"Is your iced coffee like Burger King's??"

Check back..

On me this weekend. Next up? Bean There Cafe in Virginia Beach


http://www.beantherecafe.com/

Joe...The Art of Coffee on the "West Side" of Manhattan

Well it looks like my first official review for this blog is going to be a half-assed thrown together attempt. I tried taking pics of the place and my camera's batteries are dead. I tried getting online to no avail either. No free wifi for me:( So I am writing this all on a text editor just so I can get my thoughts down and I'll paste it into my blog later.

After wandering around "The West Side" in Manhattan today, I decided my feet had enough and it was time to stop at this coffee joint my brother and sister in law recommended. Like a lot of New York coffeehouses, the place is small but I managed to find a little spot by the wall so I can plug in my laptop. I ordered an iced soy mocha. I won't mention the outrageous cost or the fact they don't accept credit cards since both these things are a given here in the "Big City". I will mention though the fact the cashier/barista acted like I was imposing on him by asking to give me five ones for my five (hey it was so I could tip him dammit!!) or the fact they used plain soy milk (bleh). The mocha itself was made well, albeit *slow* and turned out tasty. There was a lot of equipment blocking my view so I couldn't see how he was tamping my shots or how many pumps of syrup went into it.

The atmosphere of this place is somewhat chill. But chill in a way that it *tries* to be chill. Exposed brick walls, dark wood floors and small cafe tables make up this little coffeehouse with the typical indie background music playing just loud enough to be borderline annoying. Most of the customers here are doing some sort of homework or paperwork. Only two tables have people that are actually talking to each other. There is a nice "outdoor patio" type area. Just big enough for 2 small benches (hey it's a big city, everything has to be small) where people are sitting and conversing. It looks like those would be the coveted spots, you can sit and relax while people watch and enjoy your drink.

Overall since this was the last coffee place I stopped at in during my vacation, I had high hopes. But maybe it's just that the big city coffee shops aren't the kind of place for me. Overall I thought my drink was good and the reputation of the place is pretty high as I discover that they hold coffee "classes" every month or so. So I would recommend this place to someone that was visiting New York. But for a girl like me, I miss the smaller more personable places where you feel welcomed and comfortable.