Thinking Cup - Boston M.A

Tajyei Browne

        Thinking Cup, which is located on 165 Tremont Street, 236 Hanover Street and 85 Newbury Street, all in Boston M.A., was established in December 2010, and is said to be the first coffee shop in Downtown Boston to exclusively serve "Stumptown Coffee" and "Third Wave Coffee". Originated in Portland, Oregon, Stumptown has been named "The best coffee in the world" by popular magazines and news organizations. Beans are directly purchased from Stumptown's roasting facility in Brooklyn, NYC., to ensure the very fresh and high quality coffee.

    The coffee shop presented a dark and cozy atmosphere, allowing customers to feel a sense of comfort while dining. I realized that there were a few couples, older persons and people working/occupied on their computers etc. I went in at around 6pm and the closing time was 7pm, so it wasn't too active. 

    There were multiple options of pastries and desserts as well that looked extremely appetizing and appealing to the eye, with all of its fruitfully interesting decorations.

        Not really being a fan of coffee, i got the hot chocolate (on the right) and my aunt got the vanilla ginger latte, as well as a chocolate brownie. The hot chocolate had a very dark and bitter taste to it which was very different to me and i honestly didn't really like it. The vanilla ginger latte had a burnt taste to it, but the vanilla taste was way stronger than the ginger, as if there was no ginger present at all. It wasn't too bad though.

    Many of the tables in Thinking Cup were presented like this, where they had square tables with newspapers that consisted of mostly jokes and fictional content. Very unique.

    Thinking Cup is an 8 minutes walk away from the nearest Dunkin Donuts in this part of Boston.

    

    I think what keeps Thinking Cup still active, especially being very close to other cafe's in Boston is not only its large and creative menu, but its homely environment where people can go and relax after a long days work with their friends, have a peaceful date with their partner and also get some peace and quiet in a comfortable, cozy place while they drink coffee and enjoy beautiful made refreshments.

Kushala Sip Coffee - Stoneham M.A.

By: Giovanna Scire 

https://www.kushalasip.coffee/

           Kushala Sip Coffee is a husband and wife owned café located in the heart of Stoneham Center. Since opening in 2015, it has been a thriving local spot. The name 'Kushala' comes from the Hindi language and means 'happy' a perfect reflection of the warm, welcoming atmosphere they’ve created. During my visit, the shop was filled with Stoneham locals enjoying their Sunday morning coffee, and the energy in the room truly captured the meaning behind the name.

                           As soon as I walked in, the place was buzzing with energy. I quickly realized why so many people love coming here, the vibe was friendly, and the music was upbeat, not slow or boring. The staff welcomed each and every person who walked through their doors which made their environment worth coming back for. 

Since it was my first time there, I wasn’t sure what to order, so I asked the barista for a recommendation. She suggested two drinks one hot and one iced but mentioned that the Iced Kushala Mocha was a popular choice and many people who ordered it like it. So, I decided to go with that. As I looked to my left, I noticed some delicious looking pastries that would’ve gone perfectly with the coffee, but I decided to pass this time.   

 The shop only offers two sizes medium and large. I went with a medium since I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Little did I know, that small 7-sip coffee ended up costing me around $10. If you're okay with spending a bit more money for a smaller sized drink, then I’d still recommend it. Their black coffee is a few dollars cheaper, but overall, it’s definitely on the pricier side. If you're hungry i'd reccomend getting a one of the few food options they have there.

According to Kushala’s website, they pride themselves on using only the finest, specialty grade beans that are sustainably harvested from around the world. They highlight that it takes many hands to craft a great cup of coffee and that it tastes even better knowing it supports stronger communities. To back this mission, they partner with Crimson Cup, their roaster and business consultant. Crimson Cup's Friend2Farmer® program sources coffee directly from small-plot farmers, helping support the people behind each bean.

    This café is located right next door to a Dunkin’ and just a 7 minute drive from Starbucks. As I mentioned earlier, 'Kushala' means 'happy' in Hindi, and I think that’s exactly what keeps people coming back the lively and welcoming environment they’ve created here. Plus, their pastries and seasonal specialty drinks change regularly, which adds an element of excitement and keeps customers coming in often to try something new. This is what really sets Kushala apart from places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ it's that personal touch and changing menu that creates a unique experience for each customer who comes in. 

Juice N Java- Dalton MA

 

Sarah Curti

Juice N Java is a local coffee shop in my hometown that I used to visit pretty often during my high school years. Since this is a small town, it’s quite easy to be familiar with some of the employees and for the employees to remember you.

Opened in 1996, Juice N Java has been a loved café by all Berkshire residents; From school teachers and students getting coffee and smoothies in the morning to the motel residents and elderly who frequent their sandwiches during lunch. 

Everyday they rotate the flavor muffins they bake as well as the coffee flavor of the day. When I went to visit, I got a black coffee and a mountain berry muffin which was super delicious.

Their coffee is called Berkshire Sky Blend which is sourced from Sumatra Ketiara (Women-led Fair Trade) and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (Also Fair trade). This coffee is commonly used in various small business coffee shops throughout the Berkshire county.

The employee working behind the counter was surprisingly one of my close friends during highschool. It was nice to have a conversation with her as we caught up on life.

Location: This café is in between two major schools, one being my high school, Wahconah Regional and the other being the private school I frequently substitute, St. Agnes Academy

The closest chain would be a Starbucks located in the neighboring town. Fun fact: This Starbucks is in a plaza with a Market32 and a Barnes and Noble which also have a Starbucks inside.

It makes sense why Juice N Java is so successful given the convenience of its location since the chains are further away from the heart of town where Juice N Java lies.

Juice N Java relevance 

Berkshire Sky Blend

Qahwah House - Dearborn

 A Coffee Maven Misadventure

During the 2025 AAG meeting in Detroit, I was hoping to visit some of the growing number of Yemini coffee shops in nearby Dearborn. Alas! I failed to check the calendar. I had read about how differently these cafes operate during Ramadan, but showed up in the middle of the day, a few days before the end of its observation.

The best I could for now was to admire the furnishings from the street. And guess what? The operators had clearly thought of that.

William & Sons -- Concord NH

A Coffee Maven Review

Some people cannot tell a story without hand moving their hands; for me, the key storytelling aid is often a map. That is certainly the case for my spring-break visit to this lovely new café in Concord, New Hampshire. 

I learned of William & Sons in Concord a couple of months ago, when a friend shared a news article about the café, which is a second location of one that was already established in (relatively) nearby Manchester. 

This friend used to live around the corner from me in Bridgewater, but is now as far north of this café as I am south. We were both sufficiently intrigued by its back story that we agreed we should meet there "some time." 

The ...

ground work @ the corner

  A Coffee Maven Review

A few years ago, my brother and his family moved to Kent Island, Maryland -- just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from our former home in Annapolis. Specifically, they are in Stevensville, a quaint village that is largely unnoticed from the 70k-120k vehicles that pass through it daily. More on that at the end of this post -- for now, a bit about a lovely café that recently opened there. 

For the third year in a row, we have walked in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run, a 10k event for which one span of the bridge is closed to vehicles on the Sunday morning of the Veterans Day weekend. So far, the weather has been perfect for a long walk high above the water in November -- this is not something I would have believed when I lived in the area 40 years ago.

Some of the 15,000 people who crossed the bridge more quickly than I did!

On the night before the November 2024 walk, we had a lovely dinner at Amalfi Coast, an Italian restaurant and wine bar nestled in the village. 

As we left, my spouse and fellow coffee enthusiast noticed this quite cute sign. It reads "Groundwork @ The Corner -- Share what makes you thankful -- Save 10%"

That is, this coffee shop gives a discount to those who contribute to its positive vibe. 

We went back the next morning and can confirm that this is a very cheery place with excellent coffee and a lot of positivity squeezed into a small space. 

It has room for an eclectic array of gifts, a couple of tables, and a sitting area for those who wish to play a bit of music. 

This little nook at the entrance has a couple of comfy chairs and guitars that are there for the playing. 

It also has a turntable that is always turning -- even when the store's digital audio system is playing. It is good to know that vinyl is always an option! 

Family errands have me back in Stevensville with some regularity now. Even though my nephew now keeps good coffee at my brother's house, I love stopping by this spot in the mornings while I am in the area.

The café has a couple of names -- the full version is Ground Work Coffee & Juice (at the corner). The corner in question, it seems, refers to this tiny area that includes a baker, this cafe, the aforementioned Italian restaurant, and some art-related spots. I clearly need to do some more exploring here! 

In my visits so far, the baristas have exuded the positivity and welcome implied by that sign we first noticed. Of course, having a really cool cashier station helps. 

Yes, it is the front end of some kind of trolley, with the side windows still intact. Here is the detail of the destination sign:

It bears yet another name for this place -- "Historic K.I.'s Coffee Corner" -- Stevensville is the main town of Kent Island, where the Bay Bridge lands for those eastbound from Annapolis. 

And now for some of the local geography that I ask my students to address on this blog. We always look at the proximity of independent cafés to the coffee provided by national and global chains. In this case, coffee of some kind can be found in many places that are close to this shop. 

I am including maps at a two different scales.  On both of these, the blue placeholder marks the geographic center of Stevensville and covers the icon for the shop itself. On the first, larger-scale map, we see that The Corner includes something called Creative Corner -- and that ice cream is nearby. 

We can also see that Starbucks has two outlets just across the highway, within a few feet of each other! Both of these benefit from ongoing global marketing, of course, and from ample parking. Groundworks is different -- it is very nearby, but with a very different geography.

Zooming out just a bit, we see that a search on "coffee" reveals many opportunities along this very busy highway. The bridge that connects Annapolis to Kent Island also connects the entire Baltimore-Washington area to Ocean City. The backup at the bridge is often five miles long in the summer. The way is lines with opportunities for fast-food and fast-coffee relief.

A careful look at this map, however, shows that there are a few other independent cafes for the Coffee Maven to explore. Stay tuned!

Qahwah House - Dearborn

A Coffee Maven Advance Review

Although the Coffee Maven is writing this post, it is truly in the spirit of student-led coffee discoveries that are the main purpose for this blog. A student who took both the coffee seminar and the coffee travel course over a decade ago has remained a good friend and recently forwarded me an article about Yemeni coffee shops in general, and Qahwah Coffee in particular. 

Cozy image: Qahwah Coffee

As we now know, coffee originated in Ethiopia around 200 C.E., but it became known to the rest of the world through its cultivation in Yemen, which began around the year 600. More than a millennium later, Carolus Linnaeus was convinced that Yemen was the origin point of the species he named Coffea arabica -- a Latinized way of saying Yemeni Qahwah.

As important as it was historically, coffee from Yemen had become rather rare, and I had encountered it only once in my first decade of studying coffee. It was in 2022 that I met anybody from the Yemeni coffee industry -- shown below at the Specialty Coffee Association meeting in Boston that spring. 

Those gentlemen were working at the wholesale level. I am very delighted to know that coffee from Yemeni farmers is now available by way of Yemeni American roasters and baristas. I am especially delighted to have found all of this out in time for a trip I am taking to Detroit with students and colleagues in March. These shops are now opening in many parts of the United States, but they originated in Dearborn, which is adjacent to Detroit. I have added the East Dearborn Qahwah shop not only to the GeoCafes map, but also to the planning map for our AAG-Detroit travels.