In the spring of 2007, I
taught a course entitled The Secret
Life of Coffee, in
which I challenged students
to find interesting local coffee shops and report to the entire class
about the coffee and the atmosphere. The Massachusetts section of this
page includes some of their favorites, in addition to my own.
Bridgewater, Massachusetts is a small college town that has a dozen
franchised coffee/donut shops (including two Dunkin
Donuts and one
Starbucks on the campus of Bridgewater State College) and several
independent shops, each with its own character and loyal clientele.
Because we are in New England, even the McDonald's has good coffee --
Newman's Own Fair Trade coffee from Vermont Coffee Roasters. Of the
twenty or so places to get coffee in this small town, however, one
deserves special mention:
Rockin' K Cafe on Summer Street (the day-time use of Bogart's
tavern -- across from CVS) is
operated by the Kunkel family, and is completely committed to
excellent, fairly traded coffee. I enjoy some other local shops, but
nothing in town tastes better, and we know that
the farmers have been treated fairly. Parking is free right behind the
shop, and it is now very close to the Bridgewater State College
campus. The menu includes all kinds of organic sandwiches and yummy
pastries.
Also near the college in Bridgewater is The Better Bean Coffee Company
on Central Square, which has good coffee, friendly service, and a
pleasant atmosphere. So far, though, no fair-trade or organic coffee;
let's work on that! On November 6, 2007, the proprietor of the
Better Bean and I are both featured in a brief television news story
about coffee
prices. Ironically, the story is really about the increase in
robusta coffee, which both of us avoid!
We are hoping to make an additional contribution to the coffee scene in
Bridgewater with the addition of the Ben
Linder
Cafe in the new Math and Science Center.
In Boston, the Mary Baker Eddy library is a great refuge -- a place
that celebrates ideas. Within the library is the famous Mapparium
and a Hall of Ideas. The Mapparium is a 30-foot glass globe that
visitors tour from inside (an admission fee is charged). The Hall
of
Ideas is a high-tech work of art and philosophy, featuring
aphorisms from the world's great thinkers. Research and reading space
is also available. Such intellectual resources are an ideal setting for
Quotes
café. It looks something like an ordinary museum cafeteria,
but it serves wonderful, healthy food, and organic, fair-trade coffee
from Equal Exchange. (I am, by the way, a big fan of aphorisms.)
A new local favorite is the Streetside Cafe
in Middleborough, a few miles south of Bridgewater. I recommend it
mainly for the atmosphere: it is both a hub for local regulars and a
very welcoming spot for new visitors. The cafe serves Boston-roasted
Victor
coffee and has free wireless internet.
Pie
in the Sky in Woods Hole (part of Falmouth, on Cape Cod) serves
only 100 percent organic Dean's Beans, along with great food made fresh
on the premises. Owner Erik is the first coffee-shop proprietor to seek
me out because of this web page. The shop is as good as he told me it
would be -- terrific coffee properly prepared and good, healthy food.
The shop is tiny, and is located just next to the Steamship Authority
docks for Martha's Vineyard.
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This is the place
that got me to start thinking seriously about coffee shops as a locus
of community involvement and identity. In 2006, the first time I
visited this shop along Route 1-A in Walpole, I noticed a steady stream
of loyal customers at this shop, located virtually in the shadow of a
national competitor. Returning in 2008, I could see that the loyalty
between customer and shop runs both directions!
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When I sent students out
looking for coffee shops in early 2007, a student from Lakeville (a bit
south of Bridgewater) reported difficulty finding independent shops. We
did not know that Lakeville residents Lorraine Carboni and Kristen
Scott were already on the case!
When the town built its wonderful new library a couple of years ago, it
was not clear what would become of the historic, Carnegie-funded
library building across the street. Thanks to the vision of these local
women
-- who acknowledge getting a lot of help -- the building now houses
Somethin's Brewin' -- a beautiful, interesting, and
spacious cafe and used book shop. The coffee is excellent, roasted by
Kiskadee (see below).
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Of all the shops visited by my students, Kiskadee Coffee in Plymouth
generated the most enthusiasm. Mikaela (who took this photo) was
impressed by the family-owned business with its own roastery,
knowledgeable staff, excellent baked goods, and great atmosphere for
chatting or study. She visited the main shop at 18 Main Street in
Plymouth. A second shop is located on Rte. 53 in Hanover, at Merchant's
Row.
 I very much enjoy the South Coast area
between New Bedford and the Atlantic, and have had the good fortune of
attending -- and even speaking at -- a number of events at
UMass-Dartmouth. Whenever I am in the area, I stop in at Mirasol's Café
on Route 6 in Dartmouth, just a bit north of the campus. This place has
it all -- Peruvian pride, Jim's
Organic
Coffee, a
variety of teas, and
excellent food for every taste. Prices are very reasonable, the decor
splendid, and the owners pay
attention to detail, environmental concerns, and justice issues. It
even has good Latin American music
playing softly at all times, special events, and free wireless.
Caution: The coffee is brewed to the correct temperature of about 204
degrees; if you are not used to this, be careful!
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Jaho Coffee & Tea
-- Salem, Massachusetts
This shop is located near
the waterfront in Salem -- an area with much to see and do, including
witch-trial heritage but also a lot more. The shop has fair-trade,
organic coffee and tea, with great care paid to atmosphere and to the
growers. Desserts are wonderful, and not too heavy (though you should
probably share them, as we did). The Brazilian Santos coffee was
wonderful -- medium roast with very nice flavor. This shop uses ceramic
cups for "here" orders. I take this as as an essential sign of care for
the coffee. My opinion on this question was confirmed when I got a cup
of the very same coffee to go in a paper cup. (Forgot my "go cup" this
time.) In paper with a plastic cup, coffee is just not as good. So, go
to Jaho, sit in a comfy chair, and enjoy coffee in a civilized cup, as
it is meant to be!
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For the ultimate Italian
cafe experience nothing beats the Caffé Vittoria in
Boston. At night, it is both a bar and a cafe; in the morning, it is a
very local place where Kenny the barista knows his customers and his
coffee. The place
stretches across several addresses on Hanover Street, the heart of the
North End. It even has a cigar shop in the middle.
The shop has operated since 1929. It is worth a visit, just to explore
the old photographs and espresso machines that fill the walls and
shelves.
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If ever you are in
Ellicott City, Maryland, a charming little mill town west of Baltimore,
visit Bean Hollow, where
master roaster Gretchen and "other roaster" Adam and the
chipper baristas take pride in some excellent, hand-crafted brews. All
of the coffee in the shop is roasted on Wednesday mornings in the
11-pound Probat roaster. Even though it has been in Ellicott City since
1992 and I've been visiting this town frequently since 1983, I never
noticed the place until a recent Wednesday
morning! We were delighted to get a nice roasting lesson from
Adam.
I was particularly impressed by the real bagels and by iced coffee that
was probably the best iced I've had.
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Bean Hollow is at
8059 Main St. (Route 144) in Ellicott City. After our visits, I learned
that my father-in-law regularly reads poetry there!
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The reason I consider coffee shops
themselves to be a legitimate subject of geographic interest is that
the shops can
really help to define a sense of
place . Two Rhode Island shops deserve special mention in this
respect. One is Cable Car Cinema & Cafe, which is a living lesson
on the geography of Providence. Years ago, cable cars connected the
hilltop Brown University
area with the waterfront. Cable
Car
Cinema
and
Cafe at 204 South Main Street (Route 44) is a
block from the waterfront and
easily accessible from Route I-195. It is in a building that once
housed
the giant motors that made the cable cars run up and down that hill. It
has
a espresso bar in the front, with some seating and wi-fi, and an
excellent
little art-house theater with couches for the audience and live blues
before
some of the films. Get on the e-mail list to be updated on what is
coming
to the theater each week.
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Coffee
and Cream is the site of the largest coffee cup in the United States ! Its hours
are limited, so I have not yet managed a visit while the shop is
actually open. It is, however, the ultimate marriage of coffee culture
and car culture -- a drive-up coffee shop on the highway.
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It was in Nicaragua that I
learned of various connections between North Carolina and fair-trade
coffee. On a family visit in May 2007, I had a chance to see just how
important good coffee -- and fair treatment of the farmers -- has
become in this state. To me the most important is one that I have not
yet visited: Counter
Culture Coffee
in Durham, which I actually learned about from a host family in San
Ramon, Matagalpa. Some of the other shops I found in 2007 are mentioned
below. Counter Culture has also produced a DVD of the 2005
Southeast
Regional
Barista competition, which shows the ultimate in
caring for coffee from the field to the cup! One caveat in North Carolina: many are
likely to be closed
on Sunday, and perhaps also on Monday.
 My North Carolina family roots include Cherokee ancestors, though
this connection is about seven generations removed. I was delighted to
find a fair-trade coffee shop in a cultural museum right in the center
of Cherokee. Coffee in this shop -- Tribal Grounds at Lift
Culture
House -- meets
four certifications: fair-trade, organic, shade-grown, and indigenous. The coffee is now
roasted on site (though they
started out with Counter Culture). The coffee is delicious, as are the
bagels. Service is friendly and the atmosphere quite nice. WiFi is
available,
although a fee is charged. Most other shops in the region have free
WiFi,
so this might chnage. My daughter had the orange cream smoothie (with
mango),
which she recommends heartily!
The small city of Waynesville has a number of excellent coffee shops. I
was especially interested in
The Coffee Zone at 76
Waynesville Plaza, in a former bank branch located in front of a strip
mall. About half the customers get their locally-roasted coffee through
the former drive-up teller window, while the other half come in
to enjoy the simple but comfortable ambience, conversation, and free
wireless internet. The coffee here is excellent.
Smoky Mountain Coffee Roasters on
Main Street in Waynesville was closed during much
of our weekend visit, but we had its excellent coffee in a couple of
other shops in the region. The coffee is fair trade and/or organic,
and
this one shop is responsible for much of the excellent coffee sold in
Waynesville and nearby towns.
Asheville is a much more interesting place than the city I remember
visiting as a child. The downtown is exactly what a downtown should be:
a place with a variety of shops, restaurants, and people walking about.
The best coffee shop we found is
Malaprop's Cafe at 55 Haywood Street. For those
who are tired of big-chain book stores, big-chain coffee shops , and
the corporate music, this is a trifecta: a nice book store with an
independent coffee shop and frequent live performances by local
musicians.
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I especially recommend Annie's
Naturally Bakery on Main Street in Sylva. The
staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The coffee is fairly traded,
organic, and delicious. The baked goods are fabulous -- I had
a very tasty bagel!
The atmosphere is comfortable and the shop more spacious than most
specialty coffee shops I have visited. Best of all, being located on
Main Street, it is in the middle of a very nice, walkable downtown with
many
interesting shops to visit.
The shop also sells an interesting assortment of wines.
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In Gorham we enjoyed fair-trade coffee from Kaffé Magnum Opus and
pancakes at the Moonbeam Cafe
at 19 Exchange Street, near the train museum at the south end of
the Main Street. It is a small coffee shop with a full breakfast menu
and a
devoted clientele . If you get there and the place is full (very
likely on a summer
weekend), leave your name and go browsing in the book store across the
street or other nearby shops.
Vermont is heroically loyal to local businesses, making it a good place
to find independent cafes.
Vermont is home to Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters, making it possible to get a decent cup of coffee at any
of hundreds of gas stations throughout the state. Green Mountain sells
a variety of coffees -- even flavored coffee, which I can no longer
tolerate. It is
steadily increasing its organic and fair-trade offerings, which is why
I met a GMCR delegation in Matagalpa in 2007. Thanks to GMCR, if I am
somewhere in New York or New England with no independent coffee shop in
sight, I have a new refuge (since I no longer drink Dunkin' Donuts).
All
McDonald's in the region sell Newman's Own organic, fair-trade coffee,
roasted in Vermont! This one contract has increased the fair-trade
component
of Green Mountain's business from 30 percent to 38 percent.
I was especially delighted to find Rainbow Sweets in Marshfield ,
where owners Patricia Halloran and William Tecosky provide an
absolutely delightful atmosphere and delicious, European-style pastries
of all kinds, along with empanadas, quiche, pizza, and more. They serve
espresso drinks made with Peet's
and Fairwinds coffee by
the cup. The coffee is not the focus of this shop, but
the Fairwinds is fairly-traded and good. Peet's, though not fair-trade,
is excellent coffee. If you find this shop -- on U.S. Route 2 just a
bit
west of the village of Marshfield -- be prepared to enjoy Bill's
energetic
banter!
As with the California entry below, my first Michigan entry is for a
shop I have not yet visited. This shop is so interesting, though, that
I might just make the trip before long. I learned about the Front
Porch
Community
Cafe in Ellsworth from NPR. As a deep recession was
closing a lot of businesses, the only place to get a cup of coffee in
Ellsworth was a bait shop. Understanding the role of cafes in community
cohesion, local people organized a non-profit place for people to
gather over good food and coffee. I am pleased to see fair-trade coffee
and tea are on the menu!
I have not been to California
since I developed my coffee obsession, but a shop that deserves special
mention is Barefoot
Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara. Judging solely from the web
site,
its staff has an unparalleled dedication to coffee perfection. I hope
to have a cup there some time!
 As with California, I do not yet have any direct
experience with good coffee in Canada, but I can recommend Planet Bean Coffee in Guelph,
Ontario on the basis of this article in
Fresh Cup magazine. The author is my friend Matt Kadey, whom I first met in
Nicaragua's coffeelands in 2007, and who described our encounter in an
article on coffee
ecotourism in the same magazine.
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In Brazil, international chains
are emerging and competing in much the same way that Starbucks has.
Friends introduced me to Havanna -- a chain based in Argentina, named
for the Cuban capital, and selling coffee in Brazil, the world's
leading coffee producer. See another chain -- petit café -- below.
Despite the new chains, it is still far more common in Brazil to drink
coffee casually and in very small cups. This can be in a restaurant,
and office, or even a grocery store.
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 In 2008, my family was invited
to
Guatemala to learn about the coffee. One of our first stops was
the Crossroads
Cafe in Panajachel. The
Crossroads Cafe is very unusual in the way that it closes the loop
between producers and consumers,
connecting growers and consumers through the development of expertise
in roasting and brewing in the
growing region. The cafe is aptly named, as this unique model
attracts people from just up the mountain and from the other side of
the world.
Try as I might, I will never find all of the good, independent coffee
shops out there. Fortunately, indie coffee shops is
taking care of that for me. If you find yourself in a part of the U.S.
where I have not listed a shop above, check out their site. If you find
one that would be worth a special trip for me, let me know: (jhayesboh --AT-- bridgew.edu)
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Coffee eye candy:
What a
cappuccino should look like.
I took the photograph on
the left at petit café in
Florianópolis
in
August 2007.
Brazil is known more for coffee quantity than coffee quality, but this
is starting to change. This is a fine example, with a biscotto by the
side
and a glass of clear water to cleanse the pallette.
Those of you looking for the other
Coffee Eye Candy materials that were formerly in this space, fear not!
The sensual corner of this page has grown into the new Coffee & Tea Romance page.
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 National chains, of course, also compete on
atmosphere, quality, and fairness in some interesting ways. Two items
on NPR's Morning Edition
November 26, 2007 discuss the approaches of three of the giants. "Ads
Give
Dunkin'
Donuts
National
Appeal" compares the target audiences
of Dunkin' and Starbucks. "McDonald's
to
Battle
Upscale
Coffee
Retailers" describes the food chain's
consideration of latte, including the possibility of a franchiser
backlash. In New England, McDonald's has offered fair trade
coffee from GMCR since 2005. |
YouCoffee
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MORE COFFEE SHOP FUN!
Yelp! is a place to find reviews of local businesses. Look for more of
my coffee-shop reviews at jhayesboh.yelp.com,
or
use
the
site
to
find
coffee
shops
or
other
businesses
anywhere in
the United States.
Coffee Tycoon is
the SimCity of coffee shops. Set up a virtual shop, make decisions
about the menu, employees, and accoutrements, and see how you do. I do
not have time for online games, so if you play this, let me know what
you think!
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Do not forget the kids!
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Wherever you enjoy
your coffee, please remember the farmers -- young and old -- who
produce
it. On large, corporate farms and on small, family-owned farms,
children
tend to work more and get less schooling than they should. Coffee
Kids is an
international, non-profit organization established to improve the lives
of children and families who live in coffee-growing communities around
the world.
Ask
your
local
coffee
shop
what
it
is
doing
to
help!
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See Dr.
Hayes-Bohanan's Environmental
Geography
for more on the world in general.
See Dr.
Hayes-Bohanan's
Geography of Coffee page for more on the
farmers, trade, fairness, and travels in coffeelands.
See Dr. Hayes-Bohanan's County Map Project for quirky
observations about most of the fifty United States.
See the
Department of Geography
page to find out what the rest of the geographers are up to.
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