"I spend way too much time in coffee shops."
"There's no such thing."
Andrea seems to be a queen of coffee, thrifting, and all things local in Phoenix. When we met up to take these photos, I had to confess to her that coffee took up way too much of my time and she kindly let me know that is not possible! I love following along with Andrea on social media to see what fun, new places I should try out in the Valley (you should too)! Which got me thinking maybe I should spread some love for my town and share some of my favorite places. In honor of Andrea and her love for coffee, I'll be sharing my curated list of local Flagstaff coffee shops! (Sorry to say Macy's is not on my list.) If you're wondering where to get some good coffee and need to know a little backstory/commentary before you decide which place to make your regular spot, then look no further!
Cedar House: Whenever I'm hanging out at Cedar House, someone walks in with a friend who has never been in before. This friend will say something along the lines of, "It's so cozy in here," and I nod furiously in agreement from my corner spot, twitching from a condition known as too-much-caffeine-not-enough-food. Cedar House has a sense of community different from other coffee spots, which is why I love it so much. The walls are lined with shelves holding locally made goods and every customer seems to have some kind of report with the baristas. I, again smushed as far back as possible into my corner, know no one, but still enjoy pretending I am apart of this community. Just kidding! When I lived a mere ten minute walk from Cedar House I was beginning to become a regular the baristas recognized. And really, Cedar House hasn't just made a community based on being a regular who needs a coffee fix, rather their community is based in a love for their town and the people in it. Cedar House also has some of the most fun creations! Shermanator? Yes, please. If you want to shop locally handmade items and take in the beautiful view of Mt. Elden while sipping on your coffee, this is the place!
Single Speed: Back in the day Single Speed was but a roaster and where it sits today was a little coffee shop called Higher Grounds. This was MY place. The cafe ran as a non profit and had the perfect seating layout. I spent too much time here and never thought I could love another coffee shop as much. I would go to Phoenix and be incredibly annoyed that nowhere was as good. Then one fateful day, I entered MY spot to find it was no longer what I had fallen in love with. It was under a new temporary name and business model (goodbye good feels of the non profit), the kitchen was shut down, and someone dared to change the seating arrangement!! I kept coming back in hopes that for some odd reason (mostly due to the temporary name) the pervious owners would show up again and be like, "Gotcha!" Finally, a new sign was put up reading "Single Speed" and the chairs and tables were rearranged like 10 more times.
Even though I was honestly (and weirdly) devastated, I realized this was still the spot I brought all my friends who were visiting from out of town. Let's be real, Single Speed still has great coffee, a centric location, and friendly baristas. Their refill system is also the easiest for a socially awkward person as myself. When you go to fill up your cup of brewed coffee there is a little jar that says, "Refills 50¢" and you realize, "Woah, I can just serve myself instead of harassing a barista to take more of my money or to fill up my cup while they are actually trying to make complicated espresso drinks!!" It's also just a very obvious refill policy, instead of some places, where after a year of being a customer I'm finally informed they give one free refill if you ask for one. Admittedly, this is probably my fault for not reading the menu closely enough, but when I'm over-caffeinated I need obvious people! Single Speed is the reason I refuse to use my quarters anywhere besides the refill jar. If you're downtown with some extra quarters and looking for good cup of coffee, you know where to go.
Bookman's Cafe: As a kid, my dad would take my brother and me to Bookman's all the time to search for the new scifi or Thich Nhat Hanh book he wanted. My favorite location had a cafe in the front right next to all the sheet music. I don't think I ever bought anything from there, but I was oddly fascinated with the idea of a Bookman Cafe. Before I could ever get a job to finance my coffee addiction and actually buy anything from the cafe it closed down. How would my life unfold without this opportunity in the future?! Then I moved to Flagstaff where, great news, there is a Bookman's Cafe!! It's one of the few coffee shops open past 6pm, so if you also spend your time working into the night and would like to not be a complete hermit, then Bookman's Cafe has you covered. You can also use Bookman's credit at the cafe! I have never been more incentivized to trade in my books or CDs, than when coffee is involved (but I actually never have because my brother works at the library and thought he would expect me to donate books to children, but great news, he fully supports trading in for coffee). Bookman's is the place to head when you want to study late or your friends pay you back for gas with Bookman's credit (my friends do this)!
Kickstand Kafe: My favorite coffee place in town! It seems to be a hard balance between pleasing my picky coffee tastebuds (I'm not that into any coffee with a slightly bitter taste) and also the annoying, financially responsible side of me. Usually coffee shops can do one or the other, but lo and behold, Kickstand Kafe does both. I got pretty into cold brew a few years back and then quickly out of it because most coffee shops were using concentrate they purchased, which usually left my mouth with a hint of cigarette butts, then charging $5 for a little cup. However, Kickstand in fact does make their own cold brew with a special roast made for cold brewing and the only thing it leaves is me wanting more! Also, it's so well priced that sometimes I feel like I'm a sleazy character making some kind of shady deal where I know I'm obviously getting the better bargain.
My current favorite drink is the Smooth Jazz, coffee with two shots of espresso, cinnamon, and honey. I would stay for hours ordering one smooth jazz after the other if I didn't know that was bad for my health and my bank account. Honestly, I find this to be a great reflection on my self control. Bonus: if you are into eavesdropping or people watching, like I am, then Kickstand is a gold mine. Since Flag High is right down the street, many a teenager comes in to hang out. High schoolers are way more enthralling then the rest of you boring adults because they don't care about who hears them and they are not as curmudgeonly, so everything is exciting. For example, when it snows, while the proper adults are like, "Oh, I wonder how this will affect the roads?" the high schoolers are racing out to go take pictures of themselves trying to catch snow on their tongues and also demanding the boys in the group stay behind to watch their pile of snacks. I dunno. I see some kind of commentary in there and it's sweet. If you enjoy great tasting/priced coffee with a side of social commentary, then you belong at Kickstand.
