i had a delicous cortado this morning at the taproom. it’s my new favorite drink!

– ryan

taproom coffee

1963 hosea l williams drive ne r106
atlanta, ga 30317
404-464-5435

we are so excited that a great coffee shop opened up in downtown kirkwood! taproom coffee opened it’s doors a couple of weeks ago and is the perfect addition to our neighborhood. they serve specialty coffee, craft beer and snack foods (including charcuterie boards from spotted trotter, soft pretzels from holeman & finch and delicious pastries from mae’s bakery.)

the location is very spacious and comfortable. the vintage seating and lighting works well with the reclaimed wood and soft color palette. it was a definitely a relaxing environment for drinking coffee and/or beer.

taproom coffee started as a kickstarter project from the guy who ran the espresso bar at empire state south. we feel very fortunate they chose kirkwood to open up such a cool place. taproom is open from 7am to 10pm and serves counter culture coffee along with a rotating list of 12 craft beers on draft.

on a side note, i had never had a cortado until visiting taproom. i have to say it was one of the better coffee drinks i’ve had! it’s espresso cut with milk, so similar to a cappuccino but less milk. it was quite tasty and highly recommended!

– ryan

taproom coffee

1963 hosea l williams drive ne r106
atlanta, ga 30317
404-464-5435

from our instagram feed!

– ryan & gub

i recently tried out starbucks new line of handcrafted sodas. i had a buy-one-get-one free coupon, so i sampled both the spiced root beer and the golden ginger ale.

i would have to say i was unimpressed. the sodas were light on carbonation, so they tasted a little flat from the get go. more carbonation would definitely have helped. the spiced root beer was a little too spicy and not enough root beer tasting and the golden ginger ale was a little bland.

i like the idea of a handcrafted soda made without corn syrup, however i doubt i’d order one from starbucks again.

– ryan

there is a new crepe & coffee shop in inman park called julianna’s. it’s in the basement of a 110+ year old home and features a quant little setting for some caffeine and sweets. besides crepes, julianna’s also serves dancing goats coffee and sells local goodies, including handmade soaps from mama and local jams & jellies!

i wouldn’t say it was the best crepe i’ve ever had, but julianna’s has a super cute atmosphere and is a great option if you are craving some sweets!

– ryan

julianna’s coffee & crepes

775 lake avenue ne,
atlanta, ga 30307
404-436-1825

over the last year or so we’ve tried quite a few of batdorf & bronson’s locally-roasted coffees. we tend to stick with single-origin, central & south american beans for their crisp and fruity flavors. these coffees also brew really well in our chemex setup, so it’s fun sampling new varieties!

here are the beans we tried along with their batdorf & bronson descriptions:
costa rica: cerro del fuego – crisp & fruity; pineapple, honey, macadamia nut
mexico: organic el triunfo – creamy & bright; orange blossom, caramel, chocolate
nicaragua: isabelia – balanced & sweet; black cherry, cocoa, cinnamon
guatemala: antigua – elegant & intense; chocolate, rum raisin, caramel
columbia: estrella del sur – citrus blossom; vanilla, almonds, dried fruit
columbia: monserrate – gala apples, blood oranges
dancing goats blend – bold & toasty; almond, chocolate, and spice
skye’s mountain blend – velvety & lush; raspberry, herbs, sugar
nicaragua: finca san jose – tropical & jasmine; lush body, hints of fruit punch sweetness

our favorites were the monserrate, which was one of their voyager coffees, the finca san jose, and the el triunfo. none of these are available regularly though, so we tend to go with the cerro del fuego and estrella del sur when we buy batdorf & bronson beans.

you can find these delicious coffees at the dancing goats in decatur or the new dancing goats in ponce city market. the decatur location has a wider selection of beans however.

– ryan

dancing goats decatur (better selection)

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

our starbucks gold card arrived in the mail; how fancy! the card has some actual benefits (i.e. free refills, exclusive coupons, free drinks every 12 purchases, etc.), as well as the coolness factor of paying with the exclusive card.

achieving gold was fairly painless, although definitely more involved than most rewards programs. it took 30 transactions using registered starbucks gift cards. if you pay for your drinks separately, you’ll get there pretty quickly. we just reloaded a card we got for christmas and always paid with it. the starbucks app helped track our rewards and pay for drinks, which was handy. If you know someone who also loves coffee, you may give them gift mugs for the holidays.

we will let you know if it was worth the effort!

– ryan & gub

a new doughnut shop opened up in oakhurst called revolution doughnuts & coffee. well, it’s somewhat new, as you can tell from how little clementine is in the photos. this house of sweets can be found on college avenue next to ale yeah. they offer coffee drinks and hand-crafted doughnuts made from scratch daily using organic flour and locally sourced ingredients. their flavors are truly unique as well, including: salted caramel (with optional bacon!!!), jalapeño lime, blueberry, vanilla bean, orange pistachio, nutella cream puffs, banana cream pie sliders, apple fritters & more! you won’t find such flavors at dunkin donuts.

we’ve had these delicious treats a few times now! i would say they aren’t quite sublime doughnuts caliber, however they are still tasty and for the convenience, you won’t find any better near kirkwood! plus revolution was a kickstarter project, so support your local business and go try some tasty doughnuts!

– ryan

revolution doughnuts & coffee

908 west college avenue
decatur, ga 30030
678-927-9920

there’s a new dancing goats in town with a huge porch and a small, but appetizing, lunch menu! it’s also the first business to open at ponce city market, atlanta’s exciting new city project from the creators of the chelsea market in nyc.

ponce city market is the largest adaptive reuse project in atlanta’s history! the massive project involves restoring the historic sears, roebuck & co building in the old forth ward with lots of new restaurants, businesses, residences and surrounding parks. as of now the plan is to open spring 2014.

take the virtual tour!

– ryan

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

starbucks recently started selling their blonde roasts in whole bean bags at both grocery stores and starbucks outlets. they sold whole bean bags of their christmas blonde last winter, so i’m glad to see year-round options available.

i’ve also discovered if you order the blonde roast at a starbucks, you actually get a hand-brewed pour-over style cup of coffee! they don’t even charge extra for the hand-brewing, like other coffee shops do.

be sure to check out our previous posts on light roasted coffees as well as pour-over brewing!

– ryan