Liberty Market has said it will begin serving Barista Milk in early September and eliminate whole milk. It looks like they’re having it sourced locally, according to Joe Johnston.

Sola Coffee Bar seems to swear by it. It is served as a choice there, with usually a markup (but it’s worth it).

Giant Coffee serves Barista Milk (they said they were the first in AZ to serve it, but as far as I know that’s incorrect).

Seth Mills, who is a coffee roaster at Cartel Coffee Lab says “We ran into some issues with Strauss barista milk. We initially loved it, but its difficult to steam and can taste chalky…”

One of the first sources of Organic Barista Milk was the Strauss Family Creamery.

So, have you tried it? What do you think? Which shops are serving it?

Lola Coffee
4700 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 265-5652

If you are interested in competing, you should contact Brian Clemens by phone at (480) 221-9775 or emailing brian at cartelcoffeelab.com. There will also be an after party at Press Coffee, which sounds fabulous, and so you’ll want to make sure you go.

I missed out on a lot of fun, but hope to make it to the next one. The winner at this event was Steve Kraus from Press Coffee. You can see an awesome photo of his drink taken by Ron Cortez.

Patrick describes it like this:

It’s located opposite the Harkins Theaters on the north side of that building, 2530 West Happy Valley Road. They’re having a grand opening on Friday but are open all this week and have been doing soft opens last week.

Their website is: http://www.elevatecoffee.com

Seems like a nice place, gets their coffee from a place in Seattle, has free wi-fi, good seating options, etc. They’re still fine-tuning their coffee and baristas, but the cappucino I’m having right now isn’t half bad.

Update: It appears they have a video showcasing their shop, so here you go:

Elevate Coffee
2530 West Happy Valley Road
Phoenix, AZ 85085
Phone: (602) 341-5480
@ElevateCoffeeCo

Latte Art Competition at Echo Coffee

When: SATURDAY, August 21st 7-10pm.
Where: Echo Coffee in Scottsdale
Cost: $3 entry fee. 5 minutes to make 2 drinks.
More details: 2902 N 68th Street, #135 Scottsdale 480-422-4081
http://www.echocoffee.com/barista-jam-2010/

Latte Art Throwdown presented by Phoenix Cooks – Let’s show them how we roll!

When: Saturday September 4th 9am-3pm
Where: Phoenix Cooks, held at J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge
Cost: $30 entry – Includes 2 tickets into the Phoenix Cooks event ($150 value) MUST COMPETE!
More details: Phoenix Cooks is an annual event showcasing the talent of great local chefs. There will be great food, classes, the latte art throw down, and much drinking. The $30 entry fee is ONLY for those competing. $30 fee will get you 2 tickets into the event, and you must compete.

After Party at Press Coffee

When: Saturday September 4th RIGHT AFTER Phoenix Cooks
Where: Press Coffee – Across the street from J.W. Marriott/PHX Cooks Event
Cost: Food/drink for purchase
More details: Steve from Press is holding a get together for the coffee community after Phoenix Cooks. Probably lots of coffee too be consumed! Will be a great time for building into the coffee community.

Press Coffee hiring baristas for new Scottsdale Quarter location….seriously, if you don’t have the passion and or experience, don’t bother! Opening 10/14 training starts prior to the date listed…!

You can contact Steve at steve at presscfw.com.

And yes, they’re opening a second location at Scottsdale Quarter! I’ve heard a little bit about this, and can’t wait! It’s literally 5 minutes from my house! More on this next week after I get additional details.

We’d like to hire and train two baristas. There are two criteria which must be met: (1) you must have a passion for coffee and (2) you must be excited about the prospect of serving others from the heart. If that describes you and you’d like to work in a lively environment with a quality brigade, please contact joe at libertymarket.com

Ground Control recently purchased the Guatemalan Coffee of the Year as judged by the Pacific Coast Coffee Association’s 10th Annual Pete McLaughlin Single Origin Cupping Competition. 50 Cuppers scored this coffee as the best from Guatemala for the year. It Q Scored at 89.75.

The coffee has a nutty caramel aroma. Hot it has tastes of dark cherries, as it cools a caramel nuttiness hits the mid palate and ends in rich cocoa powder. It’s a superbly balanced mouthful of sweetness, flavor and acidity, easily showcasing why this was the judged the coffee of the year. On tap as our single Origin Espresso.

3800 pounds of coffee purchased. For sale by the pound $15. It will go in our coffee of the day rotation and French press by request. It’s also our espresso.

Ground Control
14140 W. Indian School
Suite B1
Goodyear, AZ 85395
Phone: (623) 935-2604

I thought this was really sweet.

It is the 1st Annual Arizona Latte Art Competition.

When: September 4, 2010 from 9 am to 3 pm
Location: The JW Marriot (Desert Ridge) during the Phoenix Cooks event.

16 competitors ONLY!

Format:

• Free Form
• Baristas can bring their own pitchers
• 2 drinks 10oz cup (cups to be provided)
• Bracket Format
• Brackets will be chosen from a hat from a neutral party
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded!
• Competitors will be competing in front of hundreds of people
• Competitors to receive free DJ, food, drink and beer (id required)

To Compete: Send an email to AZlatteart@gmail.com

Entry Fee: $30 fee includes 2 tickets to Phoenix Cooks.

Barista Jam to follow at Press Coffee Roasters.

Sounds like a really nice competition, and Echo Coffee has a wonderful bar for observing.

Quick facts:

• $5 Entry Fee (the event is free to observe)
• 5 Minutes to make 2 drinks
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes
• When: August 21, 2010 from 7-10pm
• Latte Art Competition begins at 7:30 pm

I recommend calling Steve Belt at Echo Coffee to RSVP.

Echo Coffee
2902 N 68th St
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone: (480) 215-9490
Twitter: @EchoCoffeeAZ and @CafeCortez

The state of Arizona has very little in regards to quality specialty coffee, and even the direction and incentive to strive for those standards. We saw Cartel Coffee Lab as one of the only voices in the state that echoed those standards that we, as the coffee shop Avenue Coffee, grew into over the past year.

I see statements like this, and while true to a large degree (Arizona is a desert), it comes off sounding like nobody in AZ has passion. I’m sure that wasn’t the intention. There are a growing number of people starting and running coffee shops in Arizona that do have passion for the bean, and keep high standards. I could rattle off a list of shops right now that I think deserve praise.

So, anyways kudos to the crew at Cartel! Oh, and the Tempe location has expanded hours! Beginning August 10, 2010 hours are 7 am – 11 pm, daily. Which sounds fantastic because often after work I’ll want to go somewhere, but it’s too late in the day.

Update: Brian from Cartel Coffee Lab wrote in to let me know about the following:

“[Avenue Coffee] will continue with business as usual until a switch over date, even when the sign reads “Cartel” they will be accepting “Avenue” punch cards. They will have a program where instead of 10 punches = free drink, that the customer can redeem the punch card early for a free drink. They will be phasing out the large batch brewing and moving over to cup-by-cup brew via the Hario V60 with NO free refills, but again, this will all be done in due time.

There is going to be an anniversary party plus unveiling of Avenue as Cartel Coffee Lab – Campbell Avenue on August 9, 2010 (8/9/10).”

Gelato Dolce Vita
2743 S. Market Street
Suite 105
Gilbert, AZ 85295
Located in the southern part of San Tan Village, near Carrabbas, Outback, T-Mobile.

The little magnets hold the Tambaroo to your plunger, and make everything stick together, making cleanup easy. Watch this video if you want to know how it works.

Steve Kraus pouring a cappuccino at Press Coffee.

Now, instead of the “southwest” being defined as Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico it expands to include Hawaii, California, Utah, and Colorado!

This is great news, but also means those who choose to compete will have intense competition! If you’re interested, the announcement PDF is available here.

Oh, and the 2010 World Barista Champion is Michael Phillips.

• Lowered cancer risk
• Sharper memory
• 39% decreased risk of head and neck cancer
• Fewer cancers of the mouth and throat than non-coffee drinkers
• Drinking coffee can help prevent the neural degeneration associated with brain disorders
• Good for the cardiovascular system
• Lowers the risk of stroke by 19% among women
• A 60% cut in risk of aggressive prostate cancer in men
• Reduce the risk of developing liver cancer by 41%
• Protective against certain brain tumors, endometrial cancer, and advanced prostate cancer
• Source of antioxidants that prevent cellular damage

Your results may vary.

To enter to win, just leave a comment here, or on Twitter using the the hashtag #arizonacoffee. Your comment must be a funny joke or story. It can be original, or something you copied from somewhere else. Please keep it clean.

One winner, chosen at random, will be announced on June 25th. When you leave your comment, be sure to include an email address so we can contact you! Offer valid only in the United States. One entry per person. Thanks, and have fun!

They sell coffee makers, grinders, and Bodum products. Thank you for your support!

The Coffee Bump
5890 De Zavala Rd. STE 107
San Antonio, TX 78249
Phone: (210) 615-6611

Mitch from Press Coffee gives us a personal demonstration of their new Trifecta Brewing system, which is a brand new machine. Press Coffee has the first one in the state that is in a coffee shop. So watch the video!

The sales rep for Bunn was on hand at the time, and I asked him what they sell for. He indicated that a coffee roaster could get one for $2,499 but the street price is double that (I seriously don’t get that… why not just have one price?).

It’s a very simple machine, with a sturdy aluminum construction weighing 49 lbs. Visually, it isn’t the most amazing looking machine, but it reminds me of the Super Soaker… simple design without a lot of flashy parts. In that manner, it is very much different than the Clover.

If you visit Press Coffee, you should ask for a cup. It’s really nice and is making some very good coffee. I tried two of their coffees: a Sudamo and a Peruvian and both were excellent. Very smooth. And unlike a french press there is no “grounds” at the bottom of the cup.

Press Coffee Food Wine
5410 E. High St.
Suite 115
Phoenix, AZ 85054
Phone: (480) 419-6221
Twitter: @PressCoffee

They get their coffee roasted by Firecreek Coffee Company of Cave Creek, AZ. Thanks to Jon over there for letting me know.

Kickstand Kafe
719 N. Humphreys
Flagstaff, AZ, 86001
Phone: (928) 779-5393

I’m going to get a video of it in operation very soon.

Do people from Phoenix really spend more money on coffee than San Francisco residents?

Hat tip: Steve Kraus

Giant Coffee is now open… the coffee shop many people predicted would never open (rumors were it was supposed to open last fall some time — when it was nearly completely furnished). It is located downtown, near the art museum.

Photos: Giant Coffee

According to Matt Pool, the owner, they are using Four Barrel Coffee and they “brew only single origin for drip & pour over,” and they service “Straus organic milk.” The shop is equipped with a La Marzocco & other Fetco equipment.

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday from 7 am to 3 pm and beginning on June 15 daily from 7 am to 7 pm (7 days a week).

Congratulations to them on opening! You can follow them on Twitter at @giantcoffeeAZ.

Giant Coffee
1437 N 1st St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Twitter: @giantcoffeeAZ

I interviewed Ron Cortez of Cafe Cortez recently about part of his coffee operation and you can watch that video below.

You can follow Ron on Twitter or read his blog. Awhile back Ron was on LaFusion television and you can watch that video here.

Cafe Cortez has been in business since 1996 and roasts and consults with a large number of coffee bars. Ron Cortez also founded More Than Fair, which I’ve written about before.

Cortez Coffee Company
1030 East Vista del Cerro
Tempe, AZ 85281
Phone: (480) 968-8333
Twitter: @ronaldcortez

John S. wrote:
If you start selling coffee on the Internet, I will buy it to support Arizona!
John

Mike wrote:
Go Arizona. I support the new law.

Kathy wrote:
Hi, I was wondering if you sell your coffee by the pound and if so, how would I go about ordering? I’m from the Chicago area and wanted to send some business to AZ…so why not with my favorite drink?! Thanks!

Rebecca C. wrote:
How can I buy AZ coffee. Seattle is boycotting AZ because of the ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION BILL. Has no one read it? STARBUCKS is in SEATTLE. If they want to play this game, then I think those of us who stand with AZ should join their game…and play to win!

Marvin H. wrote:
Love your site. Didn’t know there were local brewers. However, it would be
nice if you had an East Valley section, and if you listed the approximate
location (major crossroads) next to each link. Going to each website to then
have to navigate and find their address is very cumbersome. Thanks and keep up the great work.

And in case anybody new is reading this that is interested in supporting Arizona coffee roasters, you can find my list here.

From this video, it looks like they’re roasting and creating a special Ethiopian blend and doing a media stunt to see what happens. I guess it’s working.

What’s the most you would pay for a cup of coffee?