Mmmm…. mocha: The coffee edition

I think I’ve mentioned that I’m participating in the Knitters’ Coffee Swap, right? I’m a notorious coffee fiend, but I’m real particular like – I just drink soy mochas straight up. For me, chocolate is essential for the coffee experience.

There’s a contest as part of the Knitters’ Coffee Swap – sharing our favorite coffee shops. Well, it’s kinda funny – I always find coffeeshops that I love when I’m traveling, but don’t have a favorite coffeeshop in the Twin Cities (other than the generic Caribou Coffee). I’m also totally weak for buying souvenirs from coffeeshops when I travel.

Even when those coffeeshops aren’t that terribly far away.

“I ate an entire espresso bean when I was a kitten. What a rush!”

I’m also fond of some coffeeshops a bit further afield: Dry Creek Coffee in Hill City, South Dakota; Starry Night Cafe in Fort Collins, Colorado; Cafe Oasis in Sante Fe, New Mexico…

May? She just likes the cups.

“Mmm, this would be perfect for a little mouse dunking.”

43 thoughts on “Mmmm…. mocha: The coffee edition”

  1. OK, have I got a coffee shop for you, this one is near me and it’s a treasure, a real find. http://www.greencastlecoffee.com Great coffee, estate coffee, flavored coffee…AND teas, teas, teas, loose bagged, herbale, etc. And they have a really funny t-shirt too. It’s their motto/crede, coined by the owner. “We accept that we cannot satisfy the mentally deranged, those experiencing dementia or hallucinations, the chemically imbalanced, those under the influence of alcohol or mind altering drugs, genetic mutants, those possessed or hearing “the voices”, those seeking government surplus or inferior quality, chronic complainers, the illiterate, former spouses, & the IRS.” The only let down about this place is that you can only buy the coffee there, they do not have a cafe. *pout*

  2. > OK, have I got a coffee shop for you, this one is near me and it’s a treasure, a real find. http://www.greencastlecoffee.com

    Oooh– I drove past that town on my summer road trip in 2004. TWICE! And didn’t know to stop! How sad! (I don’t know when I will ever have a reason to drive on 81 from PA to MD, unless for some reason I decide to drive to Nashville instead of flying.) If you’re in that neck of the woods, you should also stop at the Lost Dog Coffeehouse (Café?) in Shepherdstown, MD. Amazing Zen ex-military coffee-obsessed owner. He gave a tired, complaining teenager the kid’s requested triple God knows what, then (after the kid left) winked at me and said, “It’s not as strong as he thinks it is.”

  3. My DH is a huge coffee fan too, but he’ll pretty much only go to Peet’s around here. My mom keeps sending him other coffees and he’s pretty snobby (to me) about only wanting the Peet’s. I love coffee, too, but mostly in my ice cream and candy 😉

  4. Sorry but “coffee” from most of the places I’ve been in the US looks and tastes more like coloured water. It’s a bit better in Canada but nothing like the “real thing” that you get in other countries!

  5. What is it about black kitties and cups? It doesn’t matter what I have in mycup (tea, coffee, water) my kitties always jump right up and stick their nose in it 🙂

  6. I mix hot cocoa in my coffee for a “poor man’s mocha.” My favorite local coffee shop is called Jitter Bean.

    I almost joined the coffee swap, but I have enough going on, so I passed. Have fun!

  7. I love love love that Coffee Hag shirt! Oh, am I a coffee hag? 🙂 No question.
    More than tea. MUCH more than tea. But at a point about mid-day I have to go decaf or I’m just unbearable (even to me!)And around here I’m struggling with my love of Starbucks and wanting to support the 3 local shops…
    lolol
    The kitty shots are priceless. Mouse dunking! Chaos ate an espresso bean? oh my…(I have a baggie of them right next to me…dark chocolate of course!)

  8. Starry Night is indeed a nice coffee shop here in town, though a little small and often crowded.

    We also found a really great one in Spearfish, SD…

    You’ll have to reschedule your west tour sometime and try out Catalyst here as well… They are kind of geeky 🙂

  9. I need May and Chaos to come live at my house for a while, I keep catching mice! My guys are no help, Basil actually throws food to the mice (we’ve seen him do it!) and Abner just looks at them like, oh mom and dad bought me a new pet.

  10. favorite coffee shops – from a non-coffee drinker.

    Right now: Good Bye Blue Monday and the Ole Store in Northfield, MN.

    Last Year: Shuga’s (Wine Bar) in Colorado Springs, Colorado).

    College: The Fev and the Java Zone in Oberlin, Ohio.

  11. Given that I’m originally from the Seattle area—I have to say I’m a Starbucks girl. As for local shops–I hang out at Pikes Perk a lot (but don’t like their coffee) and also enjoy the Coffee Haus in Black Forest and Stratfords in Falcon.
    As for mugs—-can a girl have too many?

  12. There are some great coffeeshops in Minneapolis!

    – The Urban Bean
    – Uncommon Grounds
    – The Purple Onion
    – The Dunn Bros. chain is pretty good overall

    I feel like we don’t have any good independent ones here in Chicago. Luckily I live 1.5 blocks from Caribou, so it’s like being back home in Minneapolis!

  13. I was just thinking that I’d brew another pot and then I came here. LOL.

    I really like that mug that May likes. We share the same good taste, it seems. 🙂

  14. I like that mug May likes too. She has impecable taste 🙂
    I’m going out to take photos of Starbucks on Saturday as that is probably my favourite apart from Costa. I think Starbucks wins at the moment because of Peppermint Mochas…

  15. This swap sounds like great fun! We always go to Diamonds or Audobon for coffee. My DH used to work at Muddy Waters, but we have outgrown that attitude.

  16. Sorry, the one time I bought a latte at Coffee Talk in Taylor’s Falls, it was awful. Neat building and pretty setting, though.

    For a couple years it seemed that every tiny town here in n.w. WI had a coffee shop of some kind, but most have gone under, some of them multiple times. It’s hard to sell many $2.50 cups of coffee to a public assistance population.

  17. All this talk of coffee is killing me! Like you, I am something of a highbrow coffee drinker and now that I’m pregnant, I can only have one cup a day. It’s my favorite part of the morning.

  18. We don’t have a Peet’s here, but I love their coffee.

    I put a lot of milk in my coffee. A ferret we used to have drank some of my coffee when he was a kit. He was up ALL day long.

  19. If you ever make it to KC, there’s a great place called Coffee Girls. And, I’ve got to tell you, I’m with you on the coffee got to have chocolate with it…I think I’ll stop at Starbuck’s tomorrow morning for a treat.

  20. A whole coffee bean? I hope he managed to get his 18 hours that night.

    Coffee Hag! I love that! I saw the greatest t-shirt in Pacific City, Oregon that had coffee cups through the ages (a castle shaped coffee cup for the middle ages, etc) but I was too broke to buy it. Waaaaah.

  21. The picture of May with the coffee cup reminds me of my parents’ Burmese cat, Rip, when he was a little kitten (he’s now 18!). My dad would make a bourbon and water when he came home from work, and if he left it sitting on a table for a few minutes, Rippy would jump up and start licking the ice cubes on top. He would have his ears all perked up like May’s, listening for Dad’s return so he could skeedaddle out of the way. I don’t think he ever got caught. And I don’t think I told my dad that Rippy did that. Bad daughter.

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