21 Best Cups of Coffee in America

I came across this link this morning and thought I'd share it with fellow coffee lovers. The link is http://www.digitalcity.com/2008/10/01/the-21-best-cups-of-coffee-in-america. Since I am so passionate about coffee, I was pleased to find that I had enjoyed coffee at 11 of the 21 listed;

Novo
El Diablo
Mokabe's
Coffee to the People
Octane
Caffe Trieste
7-Eleven ( go figure)
Vivace
Cafe Du monde
Inteligentsia
Stumptown (Personal favorite)

Check these out in your travels.

Inteligensia is the bomb.

What, no Starbucks? This obviously is a very flawed survey. Everyone knows Starbucks has the best coffee in the world, if you doubt me just go and ask them!

Starbucks was #22.

I'd be curious to see what people think is the best cup here in the Louisville Metro area. Derby City brews a mean cup in my opinion, but I don't get out to enough coffee shops to make a full list.

I don't drink that much coffee out. I had a great cup at Lavida Java in Westport Villiage a couple of weeks ago.

I'd be curious to see what people think is the best cup here in the Louisville Metro area. Derby City brews a mean cup in my opinion, but I don't get out to enough coffee shops to make a full list.

That would be an interesting subject for a forum poll. Someone else would have to do it because I never drink coffee during the day and therefore don't know most of the places.

This is not the best cup of coffee in Louisville, but I wrote an article in the Summer 2007 issue of "Food & Dining Magazine that compared all of the pros and cons of the espresso bars in Louisville. If you log on to http://www.foodanddiningmagazine.com, you can register and read this article online. It's entitled "Cruisin' the Espresso Bars". It reviews national chains, local chains, local favorites, and up-and-coming locations. It will give you an idea of who is doing a great job with espresso based drinks.

I'm afraid to say I don't even know what makes a coffee cup "good." For all I know, I'd probably rank the "Bud Light" of coffee (which is?) at the top in a blind taste test.

[I'm also an irregular coffee drinker (decaf at that)...so my qualifications aren't to qualified.]

[Robin Garr]

That would be an interesting subject for a forum poll. Someone else would have to do it because I never drink coffee during the day and therefore don't know most of the places.

I'll do it, later today.

I'd be curious to see what people think is the best cup here in the Louisville Metro area. Derby City brews a mean cup in my opinion, but I don't get out to enough coffee shops to make a full list.

Thanks Todd, but really we don't brew the best cup of coffee in town, that would be Jackson's Organic.
DCE brews the best espresso and cappuccino in town!

I'll just chime in that there is no "best cup of coffee." (although I'm always in search of the perfect cup)

Coffee, like food, varies every time you have it. Matthew (DCE) is correct to point out the distinction between espresso and "coffee," which is usually referring to drip coffee.

At Ray's Monkey House Coffeeshop, we carefully cup all of our coffees prior to purchasing the green beans, then buy only the best of the best. THEN, we roast them on premises. So most of our coffees are served in the 4-10 day old range, which I believe is the peak freshness and flavor profile for most coffees. Again, every coffee is different. And coffee doesn't like to sit on a supermarket shelf for months. You can REALLY NOTICE the difference. Some shops in town won't even tell you where they get their coffee. They should be proud of it, not scared to tell! I know Matthew appreciates local fresh coffee, and purchases from local roasters (including me - thanks matt!).

I recommend (I wrote it pretty big on our menu board too!), that people drink french press. We offer it in two sizes, 20 ounce and 32 ounce, reasonably priced. It provides peak freshness, because it is brewed literally moments before hitting your cup. Further, there is no paper filtration (that removes oils from the coffee, affecting flavor and mouthfeel).We bring the french press to your table.

One could go on forever. But a final note might be that espresso is a preparation technique, a method of brewing, and not a different bean. Yes, most of us (myself included) do make special blends for the coffee we use to prepare espresso or espresso-based drinks, but one could also prepare espresso without blending. I currently have some Yemen Mocca Sannani, and Ethiopian Sidamo Korate that both make wonderful Single Origin espresso shots (and drinks).

As for polling, that ends up being a popularity contest. WLKY did a "best of" poll a couple months ago for Louisville. My personal ratings differ substantially from what the people voted for (though I was extremely pleased that Ray's came in third place as a one year old shop - and we almost got second). Popularity contests seldom determine quality, but they are interesting and can be fun. Here is a link to their results....http://wlky.cityvoter.com/winners/best- ... offee-shop

cheers!

-Nimbus
Ray's Monkey House Coffeeshop

I stopped into Ray's Monday morning when I was home from work with a cold (still needed my morning coffee), only my second trip there despite living 3 blocks away (whoops). It was amazing what the coffee of the day (and a solid everything bagel) did to help my cold! I was tempted by the french press, and love it, but was in more of a hurry to get back to the couch. I'll definitely stop in soon to try it.

Thanks Todd, but really we don't brew the best cup of coffee in town, that would be Jackson's Organic.

I have to agree, Jackson's Organic is the best cup of coffee I've had in Louisville. And it is served with a little chocolate, how sweet!

[Robin Garr]

As for polling, that ends up being a popularity contest.

I don't entirely disagree, Nimbus, but I do believe a poll in this forum is a little more interesting, if not scientifically rigorous, than a popularity poll in print media or television, in that the audience here is largely limited to "foodies," and it's a bit more difficult for a company to stuff the ballot box by getting a large number of friends and customers to vote.

I forgot that I had promised to put up a just-for-fun coffee shop poll. I'll try to do that in a new thread today.