Coffee is a really big, confusing world that has limitless possibilities. Flavors change based on how you brew them, the kind of beans you use, the standards of the roaster, the syrups and add-ins and how good your barista is. Coffee is much more than just your plain ol’ drip from an air pot. My challenge to you is to venture off your beaten path and try something new the next time you go to your local coffee shop, and here are some tips and drinks to try.
Finding a good coffee shop
Downtown Phoenix is wonderful because its coffee culture is diverse and high quality. The next time you’re downtown, I recommend stopping by Fair Trade Café (FTC), Songbird, Jobot or Copper Star.
These places all have different specialties, in my opinion. For example, my former workplace, FTC, has 100 percent fair trade and organic coffee beans and tea. They also have amazing tea. I’m much more of a tea person than I am a coffee person, so I appreciate really good, loose-leaf tea from Souvia, an all-organic and locally mixed teashop. The bad thing about Souvia is that it’s so far away, but local dispensaries like FTC are a great way to get their product.
Songbird is a very posh, up-scale coffee shop that prides themselves on showmanship. Now, don’t think that means expensive; the average price for an iced or hot drink is $3.48, which is pretty impressive for a local coffee shop.
Their baristas have an incredible attention to detail. Every hot drink you get will have latte art; in fact, Songbird doesn’t even hire baristas who can’t do latte art. I had tried and failed more times than I had succeeded, so I have a huge amount of respect for them. They also have easily one of the coolest Instagram accounts for a business ever.
Jobot is really popular with us Downtown campus kids. It’s open really late, has good coffee and is right near the cool art galleries on Roosevelt Row. They have these amazing crepes that are just melt-in-your-mouth good. You can never go wrong with Nutella and the French.
Copper Star is close to my apartment, so I go there more frequently now. It’s not easy to miss, with its vintage neon sign and the fact that it’s actually an old gas station. They have snickerdoodles the size of your face and consistently good lattes, and I personally appreciate the fact that their lemon bars are literally an inch thick. It’s one of those easy places to hang out at for hours and do homework or read. It’s definitely worth the trip if you can make it over there.
Drinks to try
There’s a way of brewing “iced coffee” that’s actually called brewing toddy. Toddy is coarse-ground coffee that’s brewed cold overnight. For you chemistry-minded people, here’s some science for you: pouring hot coffee over ice causes a chemical reaction in the coffee triggered by the drastic change in temperature, causing it to turn much more acidic and bitter-tasting. Because toddy is cold brewed for a long period of time, it’s heavily concentrated and has an unbelievable flavor.
Just once, try an Americano. This drink is made with water and espresso. A customer once gave me the history of this Italian invention. During World War II, the American soldiers wanted drip coffee in Italy, but they don’t do drip. Instead, they just put espresso in water and called it an “Americano” after their American customers. Pretty straightforward, right? It’s like drinking history.
For those of you who like hot lattes, nothing beats the taste of a cubano shot. Cubanos are espresso packed with cinnamon and raw sugar, so it has a natural sweetness and aroma that’s infused with the espresso. Try these with your next pumpkin spice latte, which, in fact, is not a seasonal drink. But I digress.
Tea lattes are a popular drink in the northeast. Instead of espresso, it’s tea. Logical connection there, right? If you don’t want something that heavy, one of my personal favorite drinks is a tea lemolatte (copyright Nicole Tyau 2015). Get a nice, aromatic green or herbal tea (my preference is the green Angel’s Kiss from Souvia) and have it made with steamed lemonade. It’s like sunshine and smiles and happiness in a cup.
Experiment with flavors. I had a customer who got coconut syrup in his iced toddy, and he really seemed to enjoy it. Venture away from vanilla or caramel and try something new. Instead of hazelnut, try praline. Try an Irish cream Americano. Use a different kind of milk. Ask your barista what the house latte is.
But please, do everyone a favor and never, ever order a fruit-flavored syrup with coffee of any kind. I can’t imagine a world where a cherry latte is good or even normal. It’s not adventurous. It’s not hipster. It’s disgusting. Stop it.
So, as I said before, venture off the beaten path. Trying new things in your coffee can only broaden your scope and teach you something new. Don’t just take my word for it; go out there and taste what the world of coffee has to offer.
Reach the columnist at Nicole.Tyau@asu.edu and on Twitter @nicoletyau_ASU. Nicole Tyau is a sophomore at ASU and also works for The State Press as an opinions columnist. She is majoring in journalism with a focus in print and multimedia. One of the biggest tools in her written arsenal is sarcasm, so enjoy the ride and don’t take it too seriously.
