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Best Coffee House, Downtown Phoenix

Lola Coffee

It's easy to see why there are now two Lola Coffee locations on the planet. This new hang is a spin-off from Lola's original location, and, much like the spot on North Central Avenue, the downtown coffee shop is an intimate place to share designer coffee that's roasted in-house, home-baked goods, and herbal teas. It's also the perfect venue for busy bodies to knock out work stuff or homework. And you can look all stylish doing so, thanks to the polished concrete floors and tables. By the way, each location is steps away from the light rail, so feel free to partake in a Lola Coffee crawl almost anytime.

Best Coffee House, North Phoenix

Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse

Courtesy of Fiddler's Dream Coffee House
We stumbled upon this one-of-a-kind coffee shop, on the grounds of the Phoenix Friends Meeting space at the southeast corner of 17th Street and Cactus Wren, on our way to a west-side concert. We were so taken with the cozy, SoCal-esque, post-hippie ambiance that we went back the following weekend to check it out more closely. Turns out that, in addition to good, strong, no-nonsense coffee, espresso, hot and cold teas, and pastries, this place also serves some of the best vibe in town, anywhere. That's because Fiddler's Dream is an all-volunteer organization that's been around for 23 years, and its staff is devoted to giving local performers a chance to strut their stuff on stage, free of charge. The cafe's Open Stage Night, each Thursday from 6:15 to 10 p.m., is about generosity but also results in some fun, down-home entertainment, too. The Dream offers a smoke-free, alcohol-free, all-acoustic environment that's unlike any other hangout around. Fiddler's Dream is our dream now, too!

Best Coffee House, West Valley

The Bad Ass Coffee Co.

This really is some badass coffee they are brewing up in Surprise, using 100 percent Kona coffee beans grown on Hawaiian volcanoes. It's a cozy shop with an aroma that will please any coffee connoisseur's taste buds.The store's name, so the legend goes, comes from the bellowing donkeys (a.k.a. asses) that hauled the delicious coffee beans down the mountainsides. The gourmet coffee shop adopted its name in honor of the asses' badass work ethic.You won't find donkeys — or asses — at this shop, just friendly customer service and a delicious selection of coffee blends served hot or cold, at the counter or at a convenient drive-thru. Most of their specialty drinks can be made sugar-free, including a rich, blended caramel vanilla latte or the Snickerlicious, a concoction of dark chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel.

Best Coffee House, Southeast Valley

Coffee Rush

The funny thing about Coffee Rush is how easily we stop being in a rush every time we come here. The staff is relaxed and friendly, without that don't-bother-me-I'm-gabbing-with-co-workers attitude found at certain other coffee shops with burnt coffee and myriad locations. If you're a regular, they'll start your favorite chai or Caramel Nut Latte before you even get to the register. The pretty man-made lake out back makes the Chandler location a great place to chill out with a Mocha Frost and work on your laptop or catch up with friends. Coffee Rush's menu is basic, with no ridiculous triple venti nonfat double deluxe moch-whatchamacallits or supposedly healthy low-fat pastries. They simply have quality coffee available in a few dozen regular and sugar-free flavors, offered hot, iced, or frozen. If you're craving a nosh to go with your java, don't miss out on the Greek owners' specialty — gooey, sweet baklava with walnuts or pistachios.

Best Coffee House, Mesa

Inside the Bungalow

For the second year in a row, Inside the Bungalow gets our accolades for being the coolest place for strong, tasty coffee in Mesa. The java here is robust and potent, with house blends strong enough to put a spring in one's step without leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. But Inside the Bungalow's appeal doesn't end with the coffee — the building itself is a renovated historic home just off Robson and Main streets, with a quaint little tower jutting up above the shingled roof. There's a spacious patio with umbrella tables to shield patrons from the sun, and plenty of room for coffee talk inside, too — three rooms with hardwood floors, one including a cozy fireplace. With the homey, old-world charm and heady roasts at Inside the Bungalow, who needs a drive-thru? Not us.

Best Coffee House, Tempe

Cartel Coffee Lab

The competition for best coffee house is steep in Tempe, but really, for us there's no contest. We love Cartel first and foremost for its wicked-strong espresso — more than worth the laughably long wait — and then for the vibe. You won't find anything frap-like here, no smoothies or even much in the way of food. Just coffee and the people who love it. We also love the industrial-inspired furnishings, the changing art exhibits (lately we've fallen for the rickrack/strawberry basket ensemble hanging from the ceiling) and the chance to run into some of our favorite folks in town, which inevitably happens on a visit to Cartel's Tempe outpost.

Best Coffee House, Scottsdale

Sola Coffee Bar

We'd heard so much hype about Sola Coffee Bar that we didn't want to go. There was no way the place could live up to expectations. But it did. Simple and spare, serving our favorite Cartel coffee and spinning the Black Keys (literally — on vinyl) this is one groovy coffee house. There's organic agave nectar on the counter next to the milk and sugar, but the vibe is decidedly laid-back — our sweet barista gave us tea leaves to sniff 'til we'd found just the right one that made the perfect peach iced tea for an impossibly hot day. Even considering the weather, we couldn't help leaving Sola feeling just a little bit cooler.

Best Cigar Shop

Ye Olde Pipe & Tobacco Shoppe

For Rick Hopkins, owner of Ye Olde Pipe & Tobacco Shoppe, cigars have been in the family for more than 30 years. Since beginning work at his father's downtown 'gar shop at 15, Hopkins smoked his first stogie at 19 and eventually took over the business in 1996. From best-value bundled cigars to premium puffs like Padron and Romeo y Julieta, beginning blunters and aficionados alike can find their supreme stick by chatting with friendly staff or strolling the humidor, then light up in the shop's large, non-membership smoking lounge, where they can sign up to smoke and socialize at Ye Olde's next monthly cigar-tasting event.

Best Head Shop

Traders Smoke Shop

The sheer size of Traders Smoke Shop gives it an advantage over the competition — the shop's located in what was formerly a furniture store, so Traders has more than 500 square feet and two big showrooms to display their wares. Such wares include dozens of hookah-tobacco flavors, a stockpile of bladed weapons, and stoner T-shirts that say things like "Hooked on Chronics worked for me" and "Keep on the grass." But it's the staples of any good head shop — stuff to smoke and things to smoke it in — that really sets Traders apart from other Valley head shops. Not only does Traders stock more than 20 kinds of specialty tobacco, but it also carries a plethora of "herbal incense," containing JWH chemical compounds and known as "legal weed" or "synthetic marijuana." And for those who need equipment, Traders' "glass room" houses hundreds of custom blown-glass pipes, hookahs, and water pipes, all of high quality and reasonable price.

Best Home Brewing Supplies

Brew Your Own Brew

The Brew Your Own Brew store isn't very big, but somehow it manages to have everything a home brewer needs in stock. It has the equipment (air stills, fruit mashers, fermentation vats), and it has a wide selection of ingredients, from fruit pastes for wines and yeasts for beers to "make-your-own" cheese kits and starter liquids for homemade sodas. BYOB even carries a variety of colored glass bottles, new bottle caps and wine corks, and adhesive labels. There's a selection of books near the register on home-brewing wine and beer and knowledgeable associates on hand to wax enthusiastic about your brewing project and to offer advice. And if there were any doubts that Brew Your Own Brew is serious about the homebrew craft, one step inside the "grain room" will dispel them. Here, you can buy bulk grain for making your booze, including base malts, flaked oats and rice, maize, barley, and even unmalted wheat berries. If you want to home-brew wine or beer but aren't sure exactly what you want to make, a stroll through Brew Your Own Brew will probably give you dozens of ideas.

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