College towns and coffee joints go together like peanut butter and jelly. This is good news for Jason and Amy Silberschlag, founders of Cartel Coffee Lab, whose Tempe-based roaster and coffee bar is mere meters from Mill Avenue. Open less than a year, they've earned legions of adoring fans, both for their straightforward approach to coffee and their Clover 1S, which set the gold standard for coffee machines. The Clover brews coffee to order, one lovin' cup at a time. But it's not just the eq
By Wynter HoldenWe're down to the wire now, kids. Yes, there's just 6 more shopping days left until Christmas, and if you're shopping for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa gifts, you're similarly screwed. Hopefully, you've already bought your niece or nephew the "It" toy they've been coveting and purchased your Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon goodies online, because holiday shipping deadlines are tighter than a pair of Spanx at this point. But there's always someone on the list who's irritatingly choosy (remembe
Cartel Coffee Lab sits in a cozy little cove behind East Side Records in Tempe, and the ambiance of the place is half the fun. Comfy couches, second-hand art tables, and black and white drawings adorn the walls, along with a plethora of handmade signs that say things like "Hang up your cell phone while ordering or we'll call in The Raptors!"
The coffee selection is pretty cool, too -- patrons can pick from coffees made with beans from El Salvador and Guatemala to fresh-brewed Brazilian-bean Bl
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:
Feathered Bastard:Shawna Forde, Alleged Kid Killer, Extremist, Phoenix Tea Party Attendee, and Ghost of Tea Parties Future
Up on the Sun:Rose Johnson, Devastation, Angels and Outlaws, Chandler Cinemas, and Third Friday Over the Weekend
Devastation 2009: Street Fighter IV Attracts the Country's Top Fighters
Cho
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let's have one last look at the blog posts from this week:
Caffiend: Cartel Coffee Lab's Iced Toddy
Open Casting in PHX for Next Food Network Star
Christopher Gross' Chef's Tour: A Recap
Behind the Bar: Dave Johnson at Sol y Sombra
Follow Michele Laudig on Twitter
Jose Gonzalez
Let your kids run wild at your own risk! For about a year and a half, Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe has been slinging some great java. They definitely have put a premium on serving up quality coffee out of their funky strip mall home. They're so crazy about coffee that they host occasional latte art showdowns between valley baristas.The laid back vibe of their digs appeal to us, too, and we always look forward to catching barista Melissa Marriott's cheeky signs.
So what, exactly, is the "Coffee Conspiracy" at Conspire coffee house in downtown Phoenix? We can let you in on one thing -- this offbeat mom-and-pop shop uses the house blend of Tempe's Cartel Coffee Lab for its brews, so CenPho folks can enjoy Cartel's heady roast blends without having to drive to the east Valley. But Conspire is more than just coffee -- as we pointed out in this week's cover story on freegans, the coffee shop also serves as a hangout for neo-hippies, local artists, anarchists
E. GrovesThe El Salvador"What's your specialty drink?" and "What's the most caffeinated coffee you carry?" are pretty common questions at a coffee shop. Usually, baristas will give a specific answer: at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, they recommended the iced toddy. At Gold Bar Espresso in Tempe, we were encouraged to try the Mocha Especiale. But at Village Coffee Roastery in Scottsdale, asking "What's the most caffeinated coffee you carry?" netted the answer: "It's always just gonna be coffee."
It's a coffee Renaissance in downtown.
Just got the lowdown from the guys at Tempe's Cartel Coffee Lab that they're opening a second location in the heart of Downtown, at 1st Street and Washington (right across the street from the new CityScape development). The timing is hazy, because they have some construction to do to get the space ready, but hopefully they'll set up shop by the end of the year.
Cartel joins an ever-growing roster of hip coffee hangouts in the area -- two R
