Looking to elevate my coffee house experiences

lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull
in General

Hello all,

I really enjoy coffee, caffeine-fueled de facto coworking, and the overall chill vibe of coffee shops.

I don’t mind a well done chain environment (Black Rock would be a decent example) but am looking for more unique and enjoyable options.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a nice experience? Bonus gratitude for options in Arizona, but I travel a bit and would happily drop in on your local favorites too.

This request is cuddle adjacent (public cuddles and initial meets) so options that would facilitate cuddles are great, but even options that don’t are welcome.

And here’s a survey just because I’ve never done one. 😀

  1. Do you have a recommendation for a coffee house?41 votes
    1. Yes. Just yes. I’m not sharing because I don’t want it getting crowded.
      21.95%
    2. Yes. See below!
      26.83%
    3. Nope.
      24.39%
    4. Ugh. Coffee is gross. Now tea…
      26.83%
«13

Comments

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne
    edited January 2025

    Caffeine from good quality espresso saved my life. I went through a very dark few days out of nowhere for no reason and finally I had a really good cup of coffee that literally pulled me out of it, (Seongsan Latte at Kalas Coffee in Seoul SK if you ever go)
    I haven’t found a coffee that makes me feel that good since I’ve been back.
    Caffeine is good for cognitive function and safe in limited amounts.
    I would love to see any good recommendations for Dallas. I know there’ are millions of coffee shops and Roasters here.

  • Sheena123Sheena123

    My hubby and I went to a cat cafe in Orlando that makes an amazing Affogato 🤤🤤🤤 amazing coffees and lemonades whilst loving kitty cats: heaven 🥰

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

    Cafe Duro on Greenvile Ave in Dallas is a favorite of mine. I stop in when I am down there.

  • sillysassysillysassy

    Ooooooh @lovingspoonfull I like where your mind is headed!!!

    If you meet for coffee or tea it creates a nice chance to publicly connect and also have a little bit of something to do but not a HUGE plan in case it doesn’t work out.

    I was just thinking about making some plans for an AZ visit and I have some lovely CC peeps out there (who don’t really love coffee 😳) but I am 100% on board with finding new fun coffee shops wherever I go. (They also said there is one close to Phoenix called “Sassy’s hahaha yes please.)
    This might be in your world…
    https://presscoffee.com/pages/location

    Now if you’re ever in Denver…. Ahem
    My most favorite coffee shop is called Prodigy.
    They are an incredible coffee shop and they also have a beautiful mission that helps troubled inner city youth learn a profession that can help turn their lives toward a better future. Changing lives one cup of Joe at a time. ♥️ I can get behind these kinds of companies.
    https://prodigyventures.org/

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @gem7
    In the 70’s I lived off lower Greenville on Vanderbilt. I designed a lot of logos for businesses there. Do you remember San Francisco Rose? Aw Shucks? I know it’s all changed a lot.
    I haven’t been down there in a couple of years, I’ll check it out.

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

    @g_w_t_w I think San Francisco Rose closed but it was cool. I went to graduate school at SMU and return to visit friends. Perhaps I have seen some of your logo work.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull
    edited January 2025

    @g_w_t_w never been to Seoul but it’s on my list. Thanks! Ever since the market is starting to see so many Korean shows and movies it’s reinforced my interest.

    @Sheena123 Orlando? Sounds good to me thank you!

    @gem7 its been so long since I’ve been back to Dallas. Sounds like a great option.

    @sillysassy 🌟🥇to you for the first Arizona recommendation! I’m slowly making my way through the local options but didn’t come across that one yet. And I used to go to Denver quite a bit. I like their theme too. If it’s great coffee on top of that then congratulations to them.

    And on a separate but related note… did you all hear that Cafe du Monde in New Orleans got shut down? Something about code violations (structural not public health). I like their cafe au lait and beignets but definitely not cuddle friendly! More of a cattle feed lot for coffee, but at least the food is great and the live music is eclectic. 😀 hope they’re back up and running but haven’t checked. Update: I went ahead and checked. They are open again.

  • pmvinespmvines
    edited January 2025

    If I don't have coffee continuously throughout the day I get sick so for me it's less about quality and more about quantity

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @gem7
    i remembers talking to you about going to school at SMU and maybe next time you’re in Dallas you will lmk! I’ve lived all over Dallas since 1975.

    @lovingspoonfull
    Hope you make it to Seoul, it is such an amazing & fun city and love Korean culture. If you ever want to talk about going, just dm me. My son lives there and I’ve spent a good amount of time there.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    @g_w_t_w of course I will, I appreciate the offer.

    @pmvines i get wired with too much coffee, so sadly I limit myself to one a day. Quality matters a lot then.

  • pmvinespmvines

    @lovingspoonfull
    I hear ya. I don't necessarily get wired but I do have side effects if I don't have enough. Anytime I'm out somewhere where there's refills like waffle house or Panera bread I bring refills home with me to keep on hand. If I'm at a hotel I'll bring you like half a dozen of the little cups down in the lobby. I'm like a heroin addict who needs his methadone

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters in Arlington, VA is my favorite but I can only go there on weekends due to my work schedule. Our whole department is working “half days” (7:00 am to 7:00 pm) for the foreseeable future.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    @JohnR1972 ouch. That’s not the kind of half day that I like but I hear you. I’ve been routinely hitting 40 hrs before Thursday; makes for long weeks. not sustainable but we’re working on it.

    Thank you for the referral.

  • MorpheusMorpheus

    I think most people do coffee wrong. They grab their coffee and drink it on the go. I think you should first of all, find a next to perfect cup of coffee and then sit and enjoy it focusing on the coffee and the moment. More like a meditation.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    I’ve been to a few French and Italian cafes that make what you just said an art form. Absolutely agree.

  • rxpectingrxpecting

    @lovingspoonfull yes for Tucson I know good places, lots of great local roasters. But for pre-cuddle, I'm more into a good herbal tea than coffee. I don't need to be full wired hummingbird mode during a cuddle and that whole coffee breath thing..

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @Morpheus @lovingspoonfull
    100% agree with both of you. I’ve been to Paris and Montpellier a couple times. I enjoyed my time in France much more than I expected to. I was expecting the stereotype “rude French waiter” but I found just the opposite.

    In my experience it wasn’t the French who were rude, it was the American tourists who expected French culture (very chill and slower pace) to adapt to American expectations / culture (very fast pace and transactional in nature). There were several aspects of French culture I wish could be incorporated into our culture.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull
    edited January 2025

    @rxpecting i haven’t spent enough time in Tucson to find any of those. As for roasters, I did eat at a Bisbee breakfast club once. They sold some locally roasted coffee that was interesting but it was certainly not a coffee shop vibe!

    And yeah twitchy frenetic cuddles would be a no for me. Gotta limit consumption 😀.

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    I've never been a fan of coffee, despite being a shift manager at Starbucks for four years. I adored my customers, but hated going home smelling like coffee beans every day.

    I do opt to meet new cuddlers at coffee shops very frequently though, but to me they pretty much all seem the same. Some are cozier than others, but I've not come across any to write home about.

    If you want a unique option next time you're in the Denver area though, check out this one - part coffee shop, part gaming store:

    Enchanted Grounds
    3615 W Bowles Ave #5, Littleton, CO 80123
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZcRh2VZqS3kwfUdG6

    "Enchanted Grounds opened its doors in 2006 as the very first board game cafe and we’ve been serving the South Denver Metro gaming community ever since. We carry a rotating selection of the best, newest, and most popular board games, RPG books, miniatures, comics, and trading card games."

    I met one of my dearest cuddle friends here, one dark and fortune-favored night. 🌑🧋🫂

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🫂 Enthusiast 🌄 Travel Junkie 📸 Shutter Bug

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    Thank you @SunsetSnuggles . That option does seem interesting.

    And the smell is the price I pay for enjoying the taste and vibe. 😎

    Smelling like coffee hours later does get old.

  • TD1964RGKTD1964RGK

    My advice, for whatever it’s worth: get some good gear and start brewing for yourself at home. After a while you’ll be saying (truthfully) the best coffee I can get anywhere is the one I brew myself.

    That is both liberating and euphoric. 😋👍🏼

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    @TD1964RGK if we’re talking brewing strictly, then I already do that. Grind from bean, brew espresso or cold press mostly, occasionally an old fashioned percolator brew.

    I enjoy making Cuban coffee especially, have failed every time at Turkish. At least it doesn’t match what I enjoyed overseas. Room to grow there.

    Just don’t and have never experimented with roasting.

    That being said, I enjoy cooking as well as eating out. Coffee falls into the same enjoyment of variety for me.

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    Let me know if/when you come to Michigan, depending upon the area, I know many and would love to show you a few. Just wrapped up 2 client contacts yesterday and one was in a coffee shop that used to be in an old theatre overlooking the millpond in a quaint "Hallmark" town. Lots of sofas, tables/chairs, and a wonderful selection of homemade goodies to go with their coffees, teas and hot cocoa.

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    @starrynitecuds a guided tour of coffee shops? Hmm, I’ve got some planning to do! 😀

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

    @g_w_t_w I would let you know when I get to Dallas but it seems you have blocked me.
    Perhaps I can roam up and down Greenville Ave until I find you this coming May. I will be wearing my finest western outfit with a ten gallon hat and rattlesnake boots with spurs, along with a huge gold belt buckle with a longhorn carved into it. And my new frilly chaps from waist to ankle. Thems my coffee drinkin duds.

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    @gem7
    I do declare!

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🫂 Enthusiast 🌄 Travel Junkie 📸 Shutter Bug

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne
    edited February 2025

    @gem7
    That’s interesting! I have no memory of blocking you so I’m trying to think of why because we’ve talked privately in the past through DMs.
    You wouldn’t have possibly said anything unkind to me in the forum? You don’t seem the type. But that’s generally the reason I would block someone.
    If you post the dates you’ll be here, I will station myself on lower Greenville to be easily found. I will be the one who doesn’t look like a Texan.

  • SquishyJackieSquishyJackie

    My very favorite coffee shop is in Manitowoc Wisconsin, but I honestly can't speak to the quality of their coffee. (I put so much stuff in my coffee I don't really have a discerning palate and will happily nuke cold day-old in the office. Lol) i will say they come up with lots of creative specialty coffees and teas and they're always delicious. But what i love the most about Jen's Java is the atmosphere. Cooler of homemade desserts, veggies trays and pasta salads on real glass plates and bowls. A wide selection of chex mx and desserts. Italian sodas. The best open-faced tuna melt you'll ever have. A selection of products from local vendors (think goat's milk soap, hand sewn towels and heating pads, etc) and the most eclectic arrangement of seating options, including a few couches. They've got board games available, have a projector screen for monthly movie nites and used to hold a cribbage tournament. It's the most relaxed, honest, small town shop I know (Jen makes all the desserts herself) and I'm so thankful I didn't end up buying a house in that town because I think I would've been there every day!

  • ReltvlyCanshesReltvlyCanshes

    My advice. Stay away from chains. I believe they are in the business of selling milk and sugar. I'd say stay away from milk and sugar, two things that ruin coffee in my opinion. So chains sell coffee that has flavor so bad they require milk and sugar. My go to is an americano with a shot of peppermint syrup and I'm no my way to get one now.... but even pour over coffee is better at most stand alone shops as opposed to chains, chains are consistently the same and i think consistently bad. But i think that about most things.

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