Subject: Coffee

• Friday morning laugh

  August 17, 2007

• Farewell, Willow House

  October 25, 2007

• Baristas, Bartenders and Bouncers: Jason Silberschlag at Cartel Coffee Lab

  May 6, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Lisa Dowd at A Shot of Java

  June 13, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: The enigmatic Xoe at Fair Trade Café

  July 4, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Bill Sandweg at Copper Star Coffee

  July 18, 2008

• The Willow House gets shut down

  August 15, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Jenifer Stern at Mama Java's

  August 22, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Russ Kaskalla at Xtreme Bean

  September 12, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Joe Boos at Coffee Rush

  September 26, 2008

• Bartenders & Baristas: Pre-Halloween Hobnobbing with Michael Murphy

  October 17, 2008

• Mill Rats

  December 7, 1995

• Second Helpings

  June 13, 1996

• Second Helpings

  July 11, 1996

• Bean a Long Time Coming

  Starbucks, the high-powered gourmet coffee-house chain, finally finds grounds for expansion into Arizona

  August 29, 1996

• Second Helpings

  October 17, 1996

• Know Doubt

  Long-awaited Know Qwestion CD answers all skeptics

  February 19, 1998

• Espresso Yourself

  The best essay--and 10 bucks--wins this Glendale coffee house

  May 21, 1998

• Sticks and Scones

  The Scones try to overcome the cover-band stigma and earn respect for their classic-sounding originals

  March 4, 1999

• Best Place for Coffee and Dessert Under the Stars

  Coffee Talk
  48 North Robson, Mesa
  480-844-2353

  September 21, 2000

• Best Iced Tea

  The Coffee Plantation
  Biltmore Fashion Park
  24th Street and Camelback
  602-553-0203
  (and other Valley locations)

  September 21, 2000

• Best Coffee House

  The Muse

  September 20, 2001

• Getting down--and dirty--at Nita's Hideaway

  Letters from the week of June 13, 2002

  June 13, 2002

• Second Cup

  August 8, 2002

• BEST COFFEE HOUSE FOR KIDS

  Mama Java's Coffee House

  September 30, 2004

• BEST BUZZ

  Espresso Martini at AZ 88

  September 30, 2004

• Club Directory

  November 25, 2004

• Phoenix Phoodies: Jeff at Lux on a Mission

  By Sloane Burwell Jeff Fischer isn’t your ordinary barista. After 20 years in the hospitality industry, he and his wife took ownership of Lux Coffee Bar, so that his wife could pursue her life’s dream of owning a coffee shop. Under his watchful eye and warm smile, Lux has emerged as more than a spot to quell your caffeine jones. It’s true – Lux is ground zero for downtown movers, shakers, hipsters, ne’er do wells, a Mayor and city council member or three. But it’s also a second liv

  November 14, 2008

• Playground PHX

  March 5, 2009

• Pop Culture: Java Pop

  By Martin Cizmar It’s 10:45 a.m. and you’re thirsty. Do you go for a cup of coffee or a bottle soda? Either you’re drinking coffee in the middle of the say like a cop with 30 years on the force or you’re drinking soda before noon like some punk kid who got up at 6:30 to catch his school bus. Java Pop could end this eternal dilemma with their organic, fair trade coffee soda. Unfortunately, while the idea seems good, the result is pretty unpleasant.

  November 24, 2008

• Caffiend: Coffee Plantation's Eye Opener

  The first time I ever made coffee in my life, I almost killed somebody. It was my sophomore year in high school, and I was the "singer" in a punk/metal band called Legion of the Dead. The guitarist asked me to make coffee at practice one day, and, never having made coffee and with no frame of reference, I filled the coffee filter to the hilt with coffee grounds. The guitarist took one sip of the black brew and gasped. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

  December 8, 2008

• Phoenix Phoodies: Jason Silberschlag of Tempe's Cartel Coffee Lab Serves a Winning Cup of Coffee

    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

  December 12, 2008

• Caffiend: Iced Coffee from Lux

  Iced coffee from LuxAnybody who's ever stepped foot into Lux coffee shop on Central knows the weekend and weekday morning scenes there can be chaos, with caffeinated hipsters and business-types all tapping away on their laptops or reading the morning papers. There's a reason they consistently flock here -- Lux's coffee is rich and super-charged. This week, we had a taste of the most supercharged coffee on their menu -- the iced coffee, with two shots of espresso.Lux's Iced CoffeeLooks like: A da

  February 23, 2009

• Caffiend: 24:7 Coffee Energy

  Cold coffee drinks have been a cool commodity since Starbucks introduced its Frappuccino line. Since then, makers of energy drinks like Rock Star and Monster have added cofffee-type drinks to their line of products. The latest energy drink to jump on the iced coffee bandwagon is 24:7 Energy. Let's see how it stacks up.Looks like: Something pretty bland. The can is a dark caramel color with limited decorations.Smells like: The aroma of a coffee filter, a couple days after a pot of coffee's been b

  March 16, 2009

• Liberty Market: The East Valley’s Answer to La Grande Orange

  November 20, 2008

• Kristin Allen-Zito

  Spit take

  July 13, 2006

• Coffee O.D.

  Acoustic does not mean soft

  May 25, 2006

• Independents' Day

  Salon spotlights indie filmmakers

  December 25, 2003

• Cafe Olé

  Making a mountain out of a hill of beans

  August 14, 2003

• The Last Days of Gold Bar

  The doors are closing on the Valley's most eclectic coffee house.

  May 30, 2002

• Joe Dirt

  Make mine a venti -- and hold the pigeon poop

  April 19, 2001

• Gut Reaction

  September 30, 1999

• Phoenix Phoodies: Royal Coffee Bar

  Sloane BurwellDespite its modernist tendencies, Royal Coffee Bar's building was actually constructed in 1890. Hayes McNeil has hidden powers. If he's not at Royal Coffee Bar (www.royalcoffeebar.com, 209 W. Jackson, 602-374-8044), the modernist java joint in downtown Phoenix he co-owns with brother-in-law Vincent Huizar, he can be found on a job site, rocking the blueprints as a registered architect and partner in Plus Minus Studio (www.plusminusstudio.com). McNeil and his design firm have set t

  May 29, 2009

• Caffiend: Unlimited Coffee Gives Us a Black Eye

  E. GrovesUnlimited Coffee is a quaint little coffee and pastry shop on Glendale Avenue, just north of Seventh Street. Their menu includes scones, croissants, brownies, teas, and of course, coffee galore. We asked them for their most caffeinated brew, and they gave us a large "Black Eye." It turned out to be a half-liter of pure adrenaline.Unlimited Coffee's Black Eye (Iced) 741 E. Glendale Ave. 602-252-1200 www.unlimitedcoffee.com

  June 15, 2009

• Over-the-Hump Day

  May 14, 2009

• Caffiend: Jolta Java's Mexican Joltachino

  Locally-owned Jolta Java's beverage menu reads like a wish list for sugar freaks: caramel espresso blends, fruity tropical teas, Italian sodas, smoothies, and whipped cream on pretty much anything you want. We decided to combine our quest for caffeine with a massive sugar rush by ordering Jolta Java's Mexican Joltachino (with a slice of the store's homemade coffee cake on the side).Jolta Java: Mexican Joltachino14418 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale480-607-7771www.joltajava.comThe Joltachino is ba

  June 29, 2009

• Caffiend: Gold Bar Espresso's Mocha Especiale

  If you can drive just 20 feet past the Starbucks in the Basha's Plaza on the northeast corner of Southern and McClintock in Tempe, you'll find another gem of a coffee house in the same shopping center: Gold Bar Espresso. This cozy little corner shop touts itself as "simply the choice of the connoisseur," and its menu reflects an appeal to coffee snobs: lattes, cappuccinos, granitas, and breves are available alongside steamed hot chocolates, chai teas, and Italian sodas. Not only is every Gold Ba

  July 27, 2009

• Caffiend: Mocha Bianca's Depth Charger

  ​"This might make hair grow on your chest," the bald barista at Mocha Bianca tells me, as he prepares a mix of coffee and espresso he calls the "Depth Charger.""Of course," he continues, rubbing his smooth dome, "It hasn't worked on my head yet."Mocha Bianca is just a few miles from where I've lived in northwest Phoenix for the past eight years. Surprisingly, I didn't even know the place existed until my girlfriend noticed it on a drive to my local KFC last week. It's tucked inside a strip mal

  September 21, 2009

• Local Food Blog Review: Arizona Coffee

  If it's coffee-related in Arizona, it's probably been covered by arizona-coffee.com.

  November 2, 2009

• Caffiend: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Iced Pumpkin Latte

  ​'Tis the season for coffee shops to start peddling their holiday flavors. Christmas shoppers looking to stay wired while standing in long lines will be running for peppermint, pumpkin, and apple spice-flavored caffeine concoctions.  The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is one of many java outlets offering seasonal drinks. I wanted to try the ice-blended Spiced Pumpkin drink, which is what I ordered at the Tatum & Shea location, because it looked like a yummy frozen treat. But after the bar

  November 9, 2009