“Oh yeah, that’s the stuff,” I said after the first sip at one of the many, many coffees stops on the recent 7390-mile roadtrip, I took with my wife. It wasn’t a trip only for coffee, but getting coffee together in the mornings—black drip for me and dirty chai latte for her—was one of the ways we were able to enjoy being together this summer.
We, mostly, always enjoy being around each other, but on a trip like this, there are always a lot of logistics, family, and gravel roads to navigate. Sitting across from each other over a cup of coffee gave us time to talk to each other, ask each other questions, and just be together. I’m grateful and lucky to have a partner who doesn’t seem to get sick of me even after a ten-hour drive day. I can’t say I understand it, but it works for us.
Coffee is normally my thing, but over the past few months, it has become our thing. Here is the full list of coffee shops I visited over the past seven weeks. Expect more Bean Journal entries in the near future. The ones with the asterisk we experienced together.
Nuclear Bean Coffee Company, Moab, UT*
Durango Coffee Company, Durango, CO*
Queen City Coffee, Denver, CO*
Ruby Coffee Company, Stevens Point, WI*
Tucknee Coffee Company, Wausau, WI*
The Ugly Mug, Wausau, WI
Whitewater Music Hall, Wausau, WI*
Ledger Coffee Roasters, Monona, WI
Johnson Public House/Kin-Kin Coffee, Madison, WI
Cargo Coffee, Madison, WI
Lakeside St. Coffee House, Madison, WI
The Sow’s Ear, Verona, WI*
Grace Coffee, Verona, WI*
(N+1) Coffee, Verona, WI
Coffee Grounds, Eau Claire, WI*
Smith Coffee, Eden Prairie, MN*
Crooked Tree Coffee & Cakes, Great Falls, MT*
DOMA Coffee, Post Falls, ID*
Evan’s Brothers, Coeur D’Alene, ID
Wilder Coffee, Coeur D’Alene, ID*
Union Coffee, Hayden, ID*
New Love Coffee, Liberty Lake, WA*
Coeur D’Alene Coffee Company, Coeur D’Alene, ID
Tubbs Coffee Roasters, Hayden, ID
Hatch Beaker & Burr, Spokane, WA*
Burien Press, Burien, WA*
Timber Train Roasters, Vancouver, B.C., Canada*
Pallet Coffee, Vancouver, B.C., Canada*
Dancing Goats Coffee, Tacoma, WA*
Mane Street Coffee, Oakridge, OR*
Life’s Grind Coffee House, Galt, CA*
Season 6 of the Roast! West Coast coffee podcast is just around the corner. A whole new line-up of coffee professionals will be interviewed and some of our favorite Coffee Smarter experts will return. Stay tuned!
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If you’re specifically interested in coffee experiences in the San Diego area, check out the Bean Journal on The Coast News. Each week, I recap a visit to one of San Diego’s coffee drinking establishments.
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Coffee Road Trip
Wow, sounds like so much fun! What an experience. I love chai tea latte by the way. Gotta try the dirty chai, my first time hearing of it.