CoffeeStudyTalk

Visiting NYC for a week in May and planning my itinerary.  I’m focusing on specific areas of Manhattan for each day to minimize travel times.  Giving me a chance to hit 12 neighborhoods in 7 days. Day 1 - Arrival/Times Square/Midtown South Day 2 - Midtown East/South - MoMa/Summit One Day 3 - Midtown West/Upper East Side - Central Park/Highline/Met Day 4 - Lower Manhattan/Brooklyn - 911/Staten Ferry/Dumbo Day 5 - SoHo/Greenwich/Upper East Side - Guggenheim Day 6 - Upper West/East Side - Central Park/ANM Day 7 - Times Square/Departure I. Planning & Checklist To prepare I did about 40 hours of research watching primarily YouTube videos, blogs, various online sites and maps.  I did it over a span of several months spending about 2-3 hours per week. Lesson learned from past trips is to bring enough cash and have methods for easy access to more as needed. Safety Common Scams Map Manhattan Subway System Videos Subway - LGA to Manhattan Subway - Times Square to Staten Island Ferry Top attr

Exploring other coffee spots and gave PJ’s a try.  The vibe is of a franchise and they had an overwhelming menu so opted for a cold brew. Cold Brew They suggested the pecan flavored and I added some whole milk.  It was quite nice and better than a regular iced coffee.  I’ve only had cold brew a number of times and mostly from Starbucks. I wouldn’t mine stopping in again, but tend to prefer non-franchise.  Starbucks while decent has made everything taste the same.

Nespresso isn't cheap and I'm averaging $1.50 per serving.  While its still cheaper than a coffee shop, its benefit is more convenience than a good cup of coffee.  Still there are some flavors I'm finding pleasant and really enjoy the Pierre Homme Hazelnut and Double Espresso. I'm also really loving the iced coffee options and addicted to the LE Coconut and will need to pick up more when they restock.  And since experimenting with the PH Double Espresso, I'm finding almost every strong Espresso pod like Altisso and up are perfect mixed with hot water into an Americano. That's basically it for me a couple Espresso's for an Americano base or the LE Coconut on ice.  Doing it that way helps me keep the cost down and enjoy the convenience of a Nespresso machine.  I can then ration about 1 sleeve per week and limit my consumption for the weekends when I hit 2-3 pods per day. My favs: Coconut LE PH Hazelnut PH Double Espresso Kona Espresso LE Any strong Espresso (A

I had some time again in Dallas for work and stopped at Nest Craft.  Love trying new coffee spots and the Cortado was delicious, but the Old Fashioned with Toki Whisky was meh.  They used simple syrup rather than muddling of fruit so it tasted more like sugar and scotch.  Strong yes, but wanted a proper drink. I plan to visit DFW quite a bit for work.  Love the per diem.

Enjoyed a delicious Barbacoa Mexican Breakfast.  Reminded me of Austin where I got something similar.  You can tell it’s gonna be good when the chips & salsa are good.  Coffee wasn’t too bad.

Embarking on a 3 night road trip to Waco, Austin and San Antonio.  Riding in the 2016 Toyota Highlander V6. Planned Itinerary: Day 1 - Monday - Waco, Austin 10:30 am - Dallas to Waco 1 pm - Waco (2.5 hrs drive) 1:15 pm - Magnolia Market 1:30 pm - Lunch - Club Sandwich Food Truck 2:30 pm - Waco to Austin (3 hrs drive) 5:40 pm - Austin 6 pm - Dinner - Ramen Tatsu-ya Day 2 - Tuesday - Austin, San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9 am - Umlauf & Downtown 11 am - Domain Shopping Center 12:30 pm - Lunch - Miyo Sushi 1:30 pm - Chi Cha Boba Tea 2:30 pm - Austin to San Antonio (2 hrs drive) 4:30 pm San Antonio 5 pm - Riverwalk Mall 5:30 pm - Dinner - Dave & Buster 6:30 pm - River Walk Day 3 - Wednesday - San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - Alamo 11 am - River Walk Boat Tour 12:30 pm - Lunch - El Castillo 1:30 pm - River Walk Mall 4:30 pm - Dinner - Ostra 6 pm - River Walk Day 4 - Thursday - Austin, Dallas 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - San Antonio to New Braunfels - Bu

Enjoying a nice coffee weekend and stopped by the newest Summer Moon location in North Texas.  It’s getting chillier and enjoyed a very decent cappuccino.  Giving it a 7 out of 10.  Nice to find something like this outside of Deep Ellum. Another good option is Pax & Beneficia in Plano near Alma.

My secret vice… cheap iced coffee in a can from Mr Brown.  My absolute favorite is Cappuccino, but the others have their moments. The flavors I’ve had or know of: Cappuccino Blue Mountain Ice Coffee Iced Coffee Black Black - No Sugar Macadamia Nut Caramel Latte Vanilla Mandheling There are other sizes, but these the ones I know of in the states.  Some other flavors in this 8 oz can are: Chocolate Columbian Espresso (but this might be the sugar free Black Coffee)

Wow.  I didn’t realize the bagels from Einstein Bro’s are great.  I’m used to Starbucks and this place beats them hands down.  Coffee was decent and had a syrupy texture on the simple, unsweetened Americano. For smears, I’ll stick with the spicier jalapeño one vs. chives.  Chives was ok, but jalapeño gave it a little kick.

This is my 3rd Pax & Beneficia Coffee location I’ve enjoyed in DFW having already been to Las Colinas and Grapevine.  The Plano location is nearby the old Collin Creek Mall. Overall, it’s a gorgeous location with ample parking.  Fun place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee.  I had the Cappuccino and Cortado.  Between the two as the espresso was slightly bitter, but more than acceptable the Cappuccino masked it nicely with whole milk.

Fiction is my favorite shop for the best espresso drinks in all of DFW.  This is a tall order and after trying 30 shops I can’t find any better. The espresso has a hint of butter that you cannot actually taste but just sense it’s there.  The taste is more like dark chocolate so it’s going to be my baseline when comparing other shops.  I’ve become accustomed to ordering both the espresso and another drink so I can evaluate both.

I found a new coffee shop called Eiland that roasts its own beans and I’m impressed the espresso was decent.  It had some bitter, but much better than most of the shops so far in Dallas.