The Brew Dog Blog

Finding Good Coffee When On The Road

Issue No. 9, by Ethan Cullingworth

We’ve all experienced bad coffee. Or, at least, coffee we really, really didn’t like. Sometimes at friends houses, sometimes when branching out a bit, but especially when traveling I feel like.

The terrain is unfamiliar, the café’s un-scouted, and baristas not tried. There’s the option of a local grocery store, but the chances of getting some genuinely nice coffee are scarce at best. What does one do?! 

Having been in this situation multiple times myself, I’ve found some tips and tricks that tend to be rather effective. 

The Scouting

Sprudge, if you aren’t already familiar, are a longstanding and well-renown name in coffee. They travel across the globe interested in all things coffee, and have fantastic information and articles well worth checking out. 

I mention this, because the chances of them having found the best café’s in whatever city you’re visiting, are rather high, and I will explain more below.

Use Your Locals

• Ask your friends, they’ll only recommend their best (or worst) experiences they've had when traveling.
• Try your local barista’s! If anyone will know, it’s probably them.  
• If you really enjoy grocery store bought coffee, ask any of your local stores and see if you can find it where you’re going.

Use The Internet:

• If you type in the name of the city and then ’Sprudge’ after, there will probably be a hit worth your time and money. 
• If not, I use the terms ‘third wave’ and ‘specialty’ in my searches. If there are photos of nice latte art that is also a decent indication of good coffee. 
• Coffee Review will find most of the best coffee out there, so any mention of or by them should be top notch. 
• Visiting social media pages and online reviews are worth glancing over, and they can help you figure out if a particular spot has what you’re looking for. 

Explore:

• Ask the locals! They know the city best, after all. Especially the local baristas.
• You find locals by going out and exploring the new environment you’re in, the more you make your way around the more people you meet and more things you see.
• Take a dip down some side ways and alley’s, often times you find the best in the city in a tiny hole in the wall.
  

Lastly

The best way to find out if the coffee is good is to try it! Making connections with people and supporting local business is just as good as that much needed cup of bean juice.

And dare I say it, perhaps a break from caffeine might be just what you need.

But, you probably have your Aeropress anyway.

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