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From the category archives:

Coffee Shop Reviews

Tres Amici @ The Bunker Review

by Mike on October 15, 2009 in Coffee Shop Reviews

Tres Amici @ The Bunker

Tres Amici @ The Bunker
1907 N 19th St
Tampa, FL 33605
813-247-6964
Overall Rating: Four Out Of Five Coffee Cups

The Ybor section of Tampa, is known for their restaurants, bars and a wild pirate festival called Gasparilla. But there are a handful of coffee shops in the area. One of them is Tres Amici @ The Bunker, tucked off the main thoroughfare like a hidden gem.

This summer, Ybor was short one coffee shop. The Bunker closed for remodeling. Luckily, it reopened recently and I couldn’t wait to head back over there to drink more coffee, I mean do research for another review.

When I visited last spring, the coffee was good, but the quality of service, specifically the accuracy of orders were sub par. This time the results were much better.

I walked through the front door, and noticed the interior looked almost exactly the same. It’s slightly eccentric looking, has laid back and relaxing feel, the of place that is perfect for small meetings or just hanging out with friends. It’s always clean, well stocked and the people behind the counter are always friendly.

After a long day at the office last Tuesday, I needed a caffeine IV. I started off with a shot of espresso. A clean, crisp aroma flowed from my shot. It had a nutty, earthy smell that perked up my tired eyes. The taste was strong, bold, very dark and nutty. I’d go as far as to say it was my favorite shot of espresso that I’ve had since I made a brief stop at Intelligentsia this summer in Chicago.

I followed that up with a hot Mocha. It was delicious. It had a warm chocolate aroma that reminded me of Hershey Kisses. The taste was mellow, not overflowing with chocolate. It almost tasted more like a Latte with chocolate. The espresso in the Mocha had a mature, serious taste, but wasn’t too dark or too sweet. The only thing that I didn’t like about it was the paper cup that it came in. Prior to remodel the drinks were in regular coffee mugs.

In addition to a wide selection of coffee drinks, they also serve breakfast foods and light food food throughout the day. If you’re there in the evening and aren’t in the mood for coffee for some crazy reason, they do serve beer and wine.

The Bunker is open Sunday to Tuesday 7:30 am to 4 pm and Wednesday to Saturday 7:30 am to 11 pm. They were very generous by staying up late last Tuesday to accommodate my Meetup group.

If you’re in Ybor, you have to check this coffee shop out. It’s one of the best coffee shops on that side of Tampa Bay. I will warn you though, the chairs are way to comfortable, the music is relaxing and the coffee is delicious so you’ll want to go back there on a regular basis.

Visit them on the web at http://www.yborbunker.com/

{ 8 comments }

Old Town Cafe Review

by Mike on October 5, 2009 in Coffee Shop Reviews

Old Town Cafe

Old Town Cafe
Palm Harbor, Florida

If you’re in Palm Harbor, Florida and looking for some good coffee, delicious food and friendly staff, then Old Town Cafe is worth checking out.

It’s not the type of coffee shop that roasts their own coffee, or just focuses on the coffee, but for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been visiting their regularly on my lunch break.

Old Town Cafe has a relaxing, laid back atmosphere with a bit of a coastal Florida feel. There’s an indoor dinning area that has a comfortable coffee house feel. There’s an outdoor area that’s perfect for the days when it’s actually not one hundred degrees in Florida.

During my first venture there, I tried their iced coffee. It was above average, but because it was iced coffee, I had a hard time pulling out any of the individual flavors or anything like that. I’m looking forward to going back and trying their regular coffee when it isn’t ninety plus degrees outside.

I’ve also sampled their Mocha. The chocolate was just about perfect – rich flavor and full of sugar. My sweet tooth loved it. The espresso had a well defined taste that was dark, nutty and complimented the chocolate flavor well.

Old Town Cafe gets their coffee beans from Baby’s Coffee, a company out of Key West, Florida. Their claim to fame is that they’re the southernmost coffee roaster in America. In the near future, I plan on further investigating their coffees directly.

If you’re hungry, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long. They serve everything from bagels, to salads to Cuban Pressed sandwiches. I can’t get enough of the Chicken Philly sandwich and hope they move it from just being a featured special, to a regular part of their menu.

As an added bonus, they’re environmentally conscious with their cups, straws, and bags are made out of corn and their to-go boxes are made of sugar cane. That’s always worth a few additional points in my book.

If you’re in the area, I’d recommend checking it out whether you just want coffee or a whole meal.

Old Town Cafe is located at 1019 Florida Ave, in Old Palm Harbor, FL 34683. Call (727) 483 – 9722 or visit http://www.oldtowncafepalmharbor.com/ for more information.

They’re open everyday from 7am to 7pm.

{ 5 comments }

The Next Generation Of Coffee Shops: Cafeazy In Manhattan

July 28, 2009 Coffee Shop Reviews

If you’re in Lower Manhattan, there’s going to be a new coffee house to check out this Thursday and Friday. Cafeazy is a coffee house created and operated by nine teenage entrepreneurs.
Tucked away within the financial capital of the world, Cafeazy will provide a snug and cozy atmosphere to escape the hustle and bustle of [...]

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What I’m Drinking – Barnie’s Coffee And Tea Iced Mocha

June 22, 2009 Coffee Reviews

The Drink: Iced Mocha
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 coffee cups
I moved down to the Tampa area about a year ago and I’m just now getting out and starting to explore the area’s coffee shops. Next on my list was Barnie’s Coffee And Tea.
It’s not exactly a local coffee shop, it’s more of a regional [...]

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What I’m Drinking – Starbucks Cappuccino

June 11, 2009 Coffee Reviews

The Drink: Starbucks Cappuccino
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cups
The first drink that I ever tried at Starbucks was their cappuccino, I must have liked it because over a decade later I still go back to Starbucks on a very frequent basis. The last cappuccino I had was from McDonald’s and it was acceptable, but [...]

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Review Of The Bay Coast Coffee Market

June 8, 2009 Coffee Shop Reviews

The Location: Bay Coast Coffee Market
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Cups
If you’re ever in Clearwater, Florida and can peel yourself away from the beach, make sure to stop by the Bay Coast Coffee Market. I’ve been to many coffee shops, but this my new favorite, at least in Florida.
I discovered the Bay Coast [...]

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Krispy Kreme – More Than Donuts

May 4, 2009 Coffee Reviews

I live just a minute or two from a Krispy Kreme, but I haven’t been to one in years. Last weekend I was feeling lazy, I mean wanted to do some research for the blog, so I finally stopped by.
When I think Krispy Kreme, I think fresh, mouthwatering donuts, but not coffee. However, like any [...]

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What I’m Drinking – Coffee Masters Jungle Java Blend

April 27, 2009 Coffee Reviews

Last week, I was dealing with a very serious coffee problem. I had bought a sub par coffee that was making me have thoughts about giving up coffee completely. Luckily, Coffee Masters stepped in and Fedex’ed me 12 ounces of their Jungle Java Blend to reminded me how much I loved coffee.
It all began when [...]

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The Bunker Review

April 10, 2009 Coffee Shop Reviews

Earlier this week, I was over in Ybor City for a meetup at the The Bunker, a coffee and wine bar. It’s the way I imagine a coffee bar should be – relaxing atmosphere, great coffee and some pretty good food too.
The last time I was there, I ordered an Iced Latte and Iced Mocha. [...]

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East Lake Cafe Review

April 6, 2009 Coffee Shop Reviews

Yesterday, I stopped by East Lake Cafe in Palm Harbor, Florida. It’s mainly a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, but they also have a quarter of their dinning room dedicated to coffee.
As far as the food, it was exactly what I needed on a Sunday afternoon. I ate an omelet that was delicious and their [...]

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