Arizona Coffee

Ugly Mug Coffee Company has introduced a new look and feel. The Memphis company was featured on The Dieline blog (a site about packaging design). They have also released a new web site which is very classy.

Congratulations to Jason Calhoon of Tucson for his winning performance in Las Vegas at the Southwest Regional Barista Competition. He is the new southwest region champion (and first ever). Now he goes on to Minneapolis for the big contest.

The Arizona Republic today has a list of 9 cool coffeehouses.

• Copper Star Coffee
• Drip
• Willow House
• Steve’s Espresso
• Rare Earth Coffee and Wine Bar
• Coffee Buzz
• Jolta Java
• Mama Java’s Coffeehouse
• Mokarabia Coffee Bar
• Mandala Tearoom

Has anybody been to the new REV Coffee Cafe?

http://revcoffeecafe.com

It looks like they have two locations. My friend Brian Shaler said he went by one of them on Sunday and it was closed for the weekend.

620 E. Roosevelt
Phoenix, AZ 85004

3245 W. Ray Road
Chandler, AZ 85226

Your local Starbucks closes at 5:30. That might be a good time to visit one of Arizona’s great independent coffee houses.

Someone I’ve known in the local tech industry emailed to let me know he will be playing music on March 7th at Inza. If you like Acoustic Guitar and coffee, it sounds like a sure bet.

Details: http://www.matthewmoranonline.com/music/2008_03_07_show/

The Arizona Coffee Forum has been buzzing lately. If you hadn’t noticed, the forum is open to new registrations now. It has been closed to new registration for 6 months. New members only see a small portion of the active forum. If you’re good, you’ll be granted access to the rest of the categories.

So if it’s your first time, register, and join in the conversation! We’d love to have you as a part of our daily discussion about coffee.

This job offer is for a new coffee shop opening in Tucson: They are looking for FT Manager and F/PT Baristas.

Waverly’s Coffee and Espresso To Go is opening in late March in Central Tucson (Craycroft neighborhood). Our goal is to bring the real Northwest coffee experience to the Southwest coffee lover. Our products are superior and our menu creative and delicious. Our main philosophy is 1) Make Happy Customers and the money will come and 2) Serve a great product and have fun at work and you will make Happy Customers.

(more…)

It’s worth noting that next week there will be a barista competition in Las Vegas. In the Arizona Coffee Forum there is a debate brewing about this event. Primarily because there is little awareness about the event.

I’ll get to the facts:

February 25, 2008: SWRBC Judges Certification Workshop
February 26-27, 2008: Southwest Regional Barista Competition

Hosted By: International Las Vegas Restaurant Show
Location: Internationl Las Vegas Coffee & Tea Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada

The 2008 Southwest Regional Barista Competition documents are available online at: http://www.scaa.org/about_regional_next.asp#Southwest
You can also download a PDF flyer here.

For more information you can email Michelle Campbell (mcampbell at scaa.org) or Brent Fortune (brent.fortune at gmail.com).

An interesting video from CBS News. Via www.murkycoffee.com

A local coffee cart business is for sale. Here is the description, if anybody wishes to learn more leave a comment.

For whom:
Established coffee businesses looking for market penetration and exposure,
Entrepreneurs looking to build an empire from ground level,
Or coffee lovers who would like to make money selling coffee.

For sale:
Turn-key espresso business complete with La Marzocco espresso machine, two espresso grinders (one mostly new Mazzer), Bunn coffee grinder and brewer, with all other essential gear, and some optional goods too.
The cart reaches 10 feet by 3 feet with wings, does not require plumbing, but does require a 220volt power source. It’s operating indoors, but comes with a canopy for outdoor use.
The business location (north Scottsdale) is available and recommended, but the business can be moved if necessary.
Espresso training is negotiable.

For why:
I’m not ready for small business ownership, much less when my wife’s running a small business too.

For how much:
$13,000.

For info and inquiries:
Leave a comment and Arizona Coffee will pass your information along to the seller, or contact the seller through the Forum.

A reader named Ryan emailed me and reminded me that I had not visited Tempe recently. Saying I needed to try the South Tempe coffee shop circuit.

Tempe is home to about 12 independent coffee houses. The three I visited today were Steve’s Espresso, Bunna Coffee, and Solo Cafe. Each are within a few miles of each other. There are others really close to here, but three is enough for one day.

I captured photos at each, and sampled lattes, mochas, macchiatos, and iced coffees.

As I went, I reported my findings on Twitter. I’ll have a full report up soon about each place.

Lynette Woode writes:

Hello, I would like to add my coffee shop to your list of coffee shops in Prescott, AZ, if possible.

We are Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Wine Co. Our address is 1957 Commerce Center Circle, on the corner of Prescott Lakes Pkwy & Willow Lake Rd. our phone is: 928-776-4104. We are an Espresso Cafe. Thank you,

Lynette Woode

Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Wine Co.
1957 Commerce Center Circle #B
Prescott, AZ 86301
Phone: (928) 776-4104

If there is one thing I hate to see, it is a good coffee shop go unnoticed because you can’t see it from the road.

Is a good location enough or is high quality signage all that matters?

What are some good techniques for saving money on signage?

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 22nd. We’ll have a get together to celebrate Arizona Coffee’s 3rd birthday, and have a general celebration of coffee!