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Not talking about Dunkin' or Starbucks. What are some of your favorite spots for Java?
I am a big coffee shop guy. I'd like to nominate a couple of the best in my area:
Walnut Beach Coffee (Milford): Opened last year and they have great coffee and pastries. Very comfortable for meeting with family or friends and also good to sit with a laptop and get some work done.
Plasko's (Trumbull): Hot Apple Cider and the Iced Coffee are two of my favorites. The creamery also serves great ice cream.
Wake-Cup-Coffee (Fairfield): Adjacent to the Fairfield Metro Station. Try the breakfast sandwiches-- Excellent and also great wifi for a little remote work.
I'm a regular at Scratch Baking. It is nothing exceptional as far as coffee, but does the job and better than the chains. It's the food that's the standout. So good.
Cafe Atlantique's coffee is whatever, but it's a nice atmosphere and I like to work there sometimes. Great patio. Walnut Beach has a nice vibe too. I haven't gotten coffee there yet because I'm always in the mood for something iced and they only do cold brew, and for whatever reason cold brew is absolutely foul to my tastebuds.
Other than that, nothing really in Milford/Orange/Shelton/Stratford that stands out coffee wise. The good stuff is in New Haven. For pure coffee goodness, my favorites are Coffee Pedaler and Fussy Coffee. Other good spots are Koffee, G Cafe (3 locations now), Cedarhurst, Atticus Market (love love love their food), Gather (local events and vibe), Remedy's (mushroom coffee), Pistachio (Westville location), Midpoint (downtown espresso). I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. There's so many. Willoughby's is a solid roaster. I haven't tried any of the Common Grounds that took over Blue State. We'll see. I wasn't a huge fan of their Branford location.
Source in Black Rock is solid too.
Outside New Haven area, Giv in Canton is super good. I get their beans often. And Perkatory in Middletown/Branford.
I'm a regular at Scratch Baking. It is nothing exceptional as far as coffee, but does the job and better than the chains. It's the food that's the standout. So good.
Scratch Baking has some of the best breakfast sandwiches in the state. Great stuff.
Absolute top of the list is The Coffee Pedaler in New Haven if you want single origin, third wave coffee. It's the only shop in that state I've found that's absolute top tier. Kaiden's in New Haven is step below, but it go pretty often since it's a quick walk from work. I buy beans there from time to time. Deep River Roasters is also pretty good. I've had their beans from another shop. I'm curious to try them at the stop itself. Common Grounds in Branford is a cool. They have a more classic European-style espresso. When in West Hartford, I hit J. Rene. I like the vibe at Perkatory in Middletown and Branford. The coffee is OK. I wouldn't get beans from there, but I'll happily drink it if I'm in the neighborhood.
Absolute top of the list is The Coffee Pedaler in New Haven if you want single origin, third wave coffee. It's the only shop in that state I've found that's absolute top tier. Kaiden's in New Haven is step below, but it go pretty often since it's a quick walk from work. I buy beans there from time to time. Deep River Roasters is also pretty good. I've had their beans from another shop. I'm curious to try them at the stop itself. Common Grounds in Branford is a cool. They have a more classic European-style espresso. When in West Hartford, I hit J. Rene. I like the vibe at Perkatory in Middletown and Branford. The coffee is OK. I wouldn't get beans from there, but I'll happily drink it if I'm in the neighborhood.
Someone mentioned Fussy to me recently. I don't get over to that side of town as much, but I'll need to make detour after work pretty soon. Giv's looks REALLY promising. I would definitely like to try their Bukeye. Normally in shops I go with espresso or a cortado. At home, I make pour overs. I don't like paying $6-7 bucks for pourovers I can make myself. I'll check out Sleeping Giant if I find myself over in that direction.
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