El Taller -- Lawrence, MA

 A Coffee Maven Review

One of the great things about Project EarthView is that it gets our team into many of the nooks and crannies of the many communities we visit as we take our giant globe to 10,000 participants each year. Most recently, we were at a favorite, familiar school -- with several familiar coffee shops -- near the home of one of our team members. This allowed us to get out of our North Andover routine (not that there is anything wrong with that!) and explore neighboring Lawrence.

One of our EarthView Wranglers (as our student workers are rightly known) suggested a shop where she had been employed -- El Taller (tah-YAIR) -- The Workshop. In operation for just three years so far, it has clearly established itself as an intellectual and artistic hub of this city that is clearly awakening and figuring out how to reinvent itself after many decades of industrialization and many more of deindustrialization.

It is a family business in which some family members are focused on the arts and others on the food. It is a winning combination. The selection of books for sale is carefully curated to include such works as  Comparative Indigeneities of the Américas: Toward a Hemispheric Approach. and Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed -- the latter in a tall stack suggesting frequent sales and discussion. The cafe's Facebook page regularly features new books and events related to the books they carry. It is truly a learning community.

Clearly, the EarthView team was pleased with the experience. We were fortunate to have time for a leisurely lunch -- the food was exquisitely prepared, pleasingly plated, and in perfect proportions for lunch. Oddly enough, I did not learn much about the coffee itself -- the focus seems to be on espresso, and brewed coffee was not fresh enough to discern much about it.

Still, this shop is a winner, and I will be returning.

Customer Guide

A Coffee Maven Advisory

Stock DD photo makes rare appearance on this blog. Read below to find out why.

We interrupt this blog about what cafes can do for customers for an excellent article about what customers can do for cafes. More specifically, for cafe workers.

Blogger extraordinaire Odyssey tries to help out customers and her fellow Dunkin employees by sharing 20 "rules" for customer success. I use the quotes because of course these are not mandatory. But they offer insights into what employees are trained -- formally and informally -- to expect. 

Some of the tips here are about sugar, cream, flavorings, and other things that no longer apply to my coffee experiences. But the majority of these tips are applicable to ANY coffee shop, and boil down to one word: RESPECT.

A big lesson from my work in the geography of coffee generally is that all work is worthy of respect. From the invisible work of the millions of people who grow and process coffee to the worker across the counter, everyone's job is just a bit more complicated and demanding than it seems to others.

These lessons are, of course, applicable outside of coffee as well.

Coffee on the Rocks -- Estes Park

A Coffee Maven Review 

This cafe adventure followed a morning of exploring Rocky Mountain National Park with friends who live in nearby Fort Collins. Near the continental divide we enjoyed the tundra, elk, marmots, many glacial features, July snow patches, and gorgeous long views.

Clearly, I was enjoying this moment at the roof of North America, with one foot each in the basins of the Atlantic and the Pacific. More photos from our adventures in the Rockies and the High Plains are on my Continental Divide album on Flickr.

As we descended from the thin air into the beautiful enclave of Estes Park, we also regained internet connectivity, and our first use of it was, of course, to search for a cafe. We were delighted  to find Coffee on the Rocks tucked along the banks of a mountain stream, a short distance from the park gate.



Zoom in to get details on navigation, but the map is presented at this scale to convey some sense of the wondrous surroundings. A more idyllic location for a cafe can scarcely be imagined, and the cafe itself merits the location. Each of us was able to find a coffee, chai, smoothie, snack or meal to suit our appetite, and we were able to enjoy them at one of several outdoor tables near a small pond. Had the weather been less inviting, we noticed ample space inside the cafe, which could easily seat a few couple dozen guests.

A beautiful location makes a good cafe a great cafe!

I did not take the time to delve into the details of the coffee itself, but I did enjoy a cappuccino and my daughter's latte was also quite good. If ever we are fortunate enough to be back in Estes Park, we know exactly where to go.

PERKethic -- Newport Metapost

A Coffee Maven Review 

Newport, Rhode Island is a perfect walking town, and by extension a perfect place for cafes. We are staying in a harborside hotel a couple of miles from the seaside campus where my favorite librarian is spending her birthday sharing her scholarly work at a library conference.

We plotted a route along which we were confident we would find breakfast, and indeed we found a scrumptious repast at Gary's Handy Lunch. It is a geniune locals place with regulars packed in around the central counter. But visitors were eagerly welcomed as well, and quickly served a delicious breakfast. We did not expect much of the coffee, and our expectations were met. We observed that generally, one can have a good breakfast or good coffee, but not both in the same place (except at our house, of course).

While on the way to lunch, Pam's keen eye had noticed an article about coffee shops on the cover of a local free paper. She opened the box, and working around the trash someone had carefully placed there, she retrieved the latest issue of Newport Mercury. Once we settled in at Gary's Handy, we browsed PERKethic, a nice review of a half-dozen local cafes by freelance writer Bre Power Eaton.

Image ripped from Google Streetview. Neither on its imagery nor in the location tags has Google caught up with the change in ownership at this location. I like the old name a lot better!

She describes each place from the point of view of someone who uses cafes for working online, and she favorably reviews Teas and Javas, a place I had noticed at about the same time Pam picked up the newspaper. I had already decided to stop there on my way back to our hotel (where I am now finishing this post, after spending an hour or so in T&J).

I agree with Bre's assessment -- this is a very friendly place with plenty of room to work or chat. It also has power outlets near many of the tables and although it does not have a full breakfast, it has quite a nice little menu of sandwiches, smoothies and even gelatto. I just had the coffee -- I was delighted to see that T&J actually uses the cup warmer on top of its espresso machine for its intended purpose, and serves dine-in coffee in ceramic cups!

This is not specialty coffee -- the baristas did not know what I meant by "origin" or "varietal" and its website's claims about fair trade and organic are probably not true, since they serve Illy. But it is a very nice cafe that is a comfortable place for visitors and locals alike.

Better Bean Coffee Company

The Better Bean Coffee Company is a local coffee shop that has been under new ownership and management since October of 2013!
 The shop is located only a couple minutes away from Bridgewater State University's campus and is right on the rotatory here in Bridgewater, MA!
 
23 Central Square,
Bridgewater, MA
(508) 279-9952
cupofjoe@betterbeancoffee.com

Hours
Mon.-Fri. 8am to 9pm
Sat.: 8am to 9pm


 

I went in to the shop on a Tuesday at 10:30 am. When I walked in, there was 2 men simply socializing over a cup of coffee from the shop. As was there, multiple moms came in with their infant children to meet also over a cup of coffee. There was also a guy on his laptop taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi. The shop also had multiple regulars that picked up what they ordered and walked out the door. In the shop was evidence of what makes a local shop close to the community. They had the local newspapers, local business cards, town announcements, and art made by artists in the community.  

 

Better Bean Coffee Company serves Arabica coffee from a custom roaster in upstate New York. Along with brewed coffee, they also serve hot chocolate/apple cider, tea, ice and blended beverages, sandwiches, and salads. The full menu can be seen by viewing the shop's website http://betterbeancoffee.com/.

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There are 4 Dunkin Donuts locations within a mile of the Better Bean Coffee Company coffee shop. 2 of them are on Bridgewater State University's campus along with a Starbucks.

Elizabeth's Bagels

Located in Franklin, MA, 346 West Central Street. Elizabeth's bagels serves as a crucial part of many Franklin resident's typical morning routine. Even though there is a dunkin donuts .2 miles away from Elizabeth's, this bagel shop still prevails business wise to find itself full of loyal customers daily.

Menu

Coffee

House Blend, Decaf, Rain Forest Nut, Hazelnut, Seattle Dark Roast, Organic Mexican and Seasonal Flavors.

Bagel Flavors

Plain, Sesame, Poppy, Everything, Onion, Garlic, Salt, Cracked Wheat, Cheddar, Egg, Pumpernickel, Cinnamon Sugar, Cinnamon Raisin, French Toast and Patriot.

Bagel Cream Cheese Flavors

Plain, Chive, Scallion, Vegetable, Garlic Herb, Bacon Cheddar, Kickin Jalapeno, Olive and Pimento, Strawberry, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Maple Walnut

Catering service: Not only does Elizabeth's provide for the average everyday person in a rush to grab breakfast and go, but Elizabeth's also caters to large groups of people. This is a great resource for anyone trying to throw a large event during breakfast or brunch times.

Not only does Elizabeth's offer bagel catering service but they also provide lunch sandwich catering service for a lunch or evening event. This is a great resource for any large gathering event as long as the order is placed within 48 hours of the event. 

This is a very customer friendly environment in which I highly recommend that anyone passing through the Franklin area goes to support this amazing local business!

Brewed Awakenings!

Brewed Awakenings

Hingham Center

Corner of South & Main St. 19 Main Street

Hingham, MA 02043

If you are ever in the Hingham, Ma area this coffee shop is definitely one to stop by! Located at 19 Main St, Hingham Ma this coffee shop is right in the heart of Hingam center! 

Along with this coffee shop, there are plenty of other stores around in the area if you wanted to take your coffee to go and walk around on a nice day. Once entering the shop, you will be greeted by their friendly employees and a warm atmosphere! 

Brewed awakenings has much more to offer than only coffee as they sell everything from pastries, to smoothies, sandwiches and more! They have wall of coffee beans to which one can grind themselves and take home to go! 

They also proudly serve fair trade coffee which is an absolute plus! Jims organic coffee along with Cafe Jose. Over all this is an awesome coffee shop that everyone should experience!

Website: http://www.hinghambrewed.com

Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/welovebrewed