A few weekends ago, Jordan and I hit up yet another town for a coffee-tour extravaganza. Having already experienced our hometown, and Chicago, we took a quick jet to the west for this one and decided to discover everything java-related in our state's lovely capitol: Madison. It was an awesome adventure, and our best coffee-tasting yet.
Never been on a coffee tour with me?
Wondering how it works?
Basically, Jordan and I find different independent coffee shops in a city and taste-test them. A location that roasts their own coffee is preferable, but not required. We often get a shop's "signature" drink, or something interesting on the menu, but we go with whatever we feel like too. So, it's not a true taste test because we don't order the same thing at every location. But hey, it's fun! Also, if we order food, we don't take that into account.
Enough with the teasers, though, let's get on to the espresso!
First stop: Ground Zero, 744 Williamson St.
We actually went to this place on Friday night - hitting up four coffee shops in one day is hard. (That's a lot of caffeine!)
There was a lot to like about it. The walls were brightly colored, and it was decorated with old cameras, globes and knick-knacks. It was retro, without being kitschy. Everything was clean, bright and welcoming. It seemed to be a local favorite, with a wide mix of clientele - students, book clubs, older women.
I got the maple latte. It was okay, not as mapley as I would have liked.
If I was in the neighborhood, it would probably be a frequent stop for me. But overall, I liked it, but didn't love it.
Second stop: Indie Coffee, 1225 Regent St.
First thing about Indie Coffee: great service. They were friendly and personable, without being over-bearing. (I don't need my barista to pry into my life.) There was a woman behind the counter who seemed to be an owner or a manager, and you could tell she loved her job - she was just chatting away with everyone.
Second thing about Indie Coffee: music. As the name suggests, they're very supportive of the indie music scene. Concert posters covered the walls; the Decemberists were featured next to our table.
Third thing about Indie Coffee: location. They're really close to Randall Stadium, and it was a home-game Saturday for the Badgers. And not just any home-game Saturday, oh no. Jordan and I, who are clueless about college football, chose to visit on the day of the Wisconsin-Nebraska game. Needless to say, it was a mad house up and down the road, which detracted from the atmosphere of the coffeehouse, but it wasn't necessarily their fault.
I got a dark chocolate mocha. It was a solid, with a good mix of espresso and chocolate. Not fantastic, but it was served in a mug, which gives it bonus points.
Third stop: Barriques, 127 W. Washington Ave.
I liked Barriques. I really, really did. It reminded me of my favorite place in Milwaukee, Alterra. It's a little less personal, a little more "business", but still local. You can tell they support the community, and look to connect with other local businesses. The arrangement of the two-story coffeehouse was awesome - they used old car and bike parts to decorate the walls and stairs, which Jordan really got a kick out of. The place was packed, which is always a good sign. I guess the best way to describe it is that I felt like home. It's a place you can sit down and camp out for a day, and never be disturbed, or you can take out a whole table with your friends.
I got one of their signature drinks, the miel. It was a latte with honey and cinnamon. It was the best coffee of the day. The cinnamon made it a perfect fall drink. It also had an awesome amount of foam... mmm. I love foamy drinks.
Fourth stop: The Washington Hotel, 402 W. Lakeside St.
Our last stop, The Washington Hotel, isn't actually a hotel, well, anymore at least. The building is split between a coffee room and a yarn shop. It's tucked back in a quiet, residential neighborhood. The outside of the building is really unassuming, and honestly, I didn't think we were in for much as we stepped in.
Boy, was I wrong. The room was absolutely gorgeous, with huge windows facing Monona Bay, allowing for a great view of the water, and tons of sunlight to pour in. The space was open and uncluttered, with tables, chairs and couches scattered around the room. Everything was hushed. It felt sunny and sleepy, so quiet and peaceful. Wherever you were, it felt like your own cozy space. I immediately wanted to find a corner, curl up, and not leave for hours.
I got a decaf iced americano. It was okay, nothing special.
I would love to visit this place again, especially during a storm. It would be amazing to watch the rain lash against the windows and the waves rise up in the bay.
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Well, there you have it!
Noticing something missing?
In the past, I've ranked each place I've visited. Well, Madison's coffee was so darn good, I couldn't settle on a definite 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th place for each visit. So I decided to rank each location per a category:
Best coffee - Barriques
Best atmosphere - The Washington Hotel
Best service - Indie Coffee
Best location - Barriques
Thank you Madison, for a wonderful, jittery time!
If you love coffee as much as I do, consider doing a coffee tour in your own town!
serious coffee-shop (or as we say here, cafe) envy!!!!
ReplyDeleteso, you know what you'll be doing with me if i pop on over the pond right? lol
This is such a clever idea! Yuo'd Love the coffee shops around where I live!
ReplyDeleteI love when you and Jordan do this!
ReplyDeleteYay for more coffee tours! Sean and I definitely need to start doing this here in SF.
ReplyDeleteActually, there was this one cafe that he used to go to a lot because it was near one of his class buildings from last semester. He took me back in March and I absolutely loved it - dim and cozy with an eclectic, artsy feel, miss-matched seating, comfy sofas and armchairs, brick walls, original artwork, the menu handwritten on the walls, little table and chairs inside and outside, and drinks served in actual mugs, cups and saucers. (And yes, I did just copy all that from one of my long San Francisco blog posts back in March...)
But it's kinda out of the way from where we are now. I'm sure there's hundreds of wonderful cafes around SF, we just have to get out and find them :)
A latte with honey and cinnamon? I am definitely intrigued. And, I am a mug drinker myself as well. I ask for mugs at Starbucks even...most now have mugs available, but they didn't always. So I would get a good laugh out of what mug they could find to put my drink in.
ReplyDeleteFun, fun, fun.
ReplyDeleteEach time you do this it makes me want to do it in Chatty too. Why oh why don't I?
That last spot sounds heavenly. And I LOVE that you thought what it might be like in a storm. Hmmmm, I love a good storm.
Dude, this is genius. I usually just frequent the same spots but I love the idea of checking out all the local places (and then expanding)
ReplyDeleteLove it!
How fun! This is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI need to visit more coffee shops because whenever I do I feel so happy and cozy.
Thanks for visiting my blog :)
I love this idea of a coffee-tour extravaganza. I am going to have to try it.
ReplyDeleteYOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE DOING THIS!!! =)
ReplyDeletebarriques is a local chain -- they have several locations around madison. sounds like you went to the downtown one? we frequented the one on monroe street, on the near east side -- it was the closest to where we lived, right by the stadium, and they had a wine cave with various tastings on friday nights -- we went to several whisky tastings there. =)
but really, you should have told me you were going! or you should tell me when you want to do another in madison -- you missed a bunch! =) two recommendations on willy street (williamson, but only out-of-towners call it that): mother fool's and lazy jane's. also, how could/did you completely skip state street?!? steep and brew is a favorite, and i used to go to michelangelo's frequently when i lived on state. also, our church just opened a coffeeshop (finally! they've been trying to since 2008) just off state, called cafe redamte. i haven't ever been there, obviously, but i'll certainly try it next time i'm in madtown.
ah...jealous. i miss my home. =/
katie- I know, we missed a TON. A friend of ours from church, who went to school in Madison, gave us his top picks. He gave us a lot, so we knew we weren't going to hit everything Madison has to offer. Another trip will be in store!
ReplyDeleteI need to do this around Norwich!
ReplyDeleteThis is like my most perfect post in the world! These coffee shops look adorable.
ReplyDeleteSo, I hate to say this publicly, but I hate coffee. :/
ReplyDeleteI do love coffee shops, though. There is a cool place we visit in San Diego called the Living Room and one in Idaho called Calypso's Coffee. Your post reminds me of both of them!