my coffee shop disclaimer

If you’re reading this you might think i’m negative about coffee shops. And that’s not true, in DC I have Murky Coffee which makes fantastic espresso drinks; why? Because they stick to the proper recipes creating drinks in the correct proportion and they focus on the process of making espresso drinks. This is not a dramatically new concept, all good restaurants make a commitment to good ingredients and good processes and you end up with a great final product.

The biggest reason that i harp on the drink recipes is that it makes a huge difference to the taste. You are drinking an espresso drink or a coffee drink, you are not buying a coffee flavored milk drink. But when you look at what’s in your cup that is in fact what you are drinking at most coffee shops.

I want you to remember these things because if a shop neglects to adhere to these things then it’s highly unlikely to result in a good cup. And that might be ok, why? Because maybe that’s not their focus, maybe their focus is food or wifi or tea or whatever. But for me, i look for these things because I don’t want to pay $3 for a marginal poorly created drink.

Looking for these signs is a good way to set your own expectations–if you see untrained baristas making the coffee drinks, order tea or try the coffee instead.

I can apply the same analogy to a restaurant, if you walk into a chinese restaurant and the menu is in chinese then that’s a good sign they know what they’re doing. If they have fish tanks in the back then i bet their seafood is fresh, same idea, look for the signs.