I’m in a bit of a coffee dilemma. My home roaster has died and it’s not worth repairing. I also cannot replace it for the time being. Where am I going to get my cup of coffee???
There are some great online roasters that offer a good variety of whole coffee beans and I’ll probably use one of them from time to time. But, what if I’m in the mood to go out for a decent cup of coffee?
The search
I was very pleased with my choice and I was happy to hear my daughter say “This is really good coffee!”
I only know of three good coffee roasters in the Tampa Bay area. The problem is that none of them are close to my home. I refuse to go to the mega giant that seems to have a presence on every street corner for more reasons than I care to elaborate on in this post. So, until someone opens a good coffee roaster / shop in North Pinellas, I’ll have to plan a coffee excursion whenever I am in Tampa or St. Petersburg.
One such opportunity came up the other weekend. I was in downtown St. Pete with my daughter for a college fair. I knew I was in Kahwa Coffee Roasting territory because they have been winning “Best of the Bay” awards every year since 2010 and I’ve been meaning to try their coffee. I made it a point for my daughter and I to stop in at their Espresso Bar on 2nd Street North on the way home.
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon but, the Espresso Bar had about six customers when my daughter and I walked in. The shop has eight or so tables inside and several tables outside. There is a long wooden bar on the left as you walk in where you order and receive your coffee drinks.
Success
My daughter ordered an iced coffee while I had Air Roasted Flavored Coffee. We chose an indoor table since it was more comfortable than sitting out in the high humidity of the day. I was very pleased with my choice and I was happy to hear my daughter say “This is really good coffee!” You see, my daughter has never wanted to try my home roasted beans (queue the old Yuban coffee ad from the 1970’s) and generally goes to Starbucks with her friends. I was glad to hear that she could tell a difference between the two.
So, my first trip to a local roaster was a success. Since Kahwa is expanding operations, maybe they can find a location in the Palm Harbor / Clearwater area?