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I Wana Moka. What to say about this place. For the longest time I avoided it like the plague, like any sound human being. The decor made me cringe with terror and think of a tacky ghetto coffee shop out in the middle of no where, trying too hard to stand out (believe it or not the pun was not intended). My first thought was that it was a place to draw in creepy perverts with the Hawaiian theme of bikinis and beaches. Not the best tactic in Bellingham to say the least. Anyways, when I finally went, because someone recommended it to me (not because I was looking for some half naked barista to oogle, ya perv!) it was surprising. Beside the normally dressed, beautiful, kind baristas, the coffee was great! Fidalgo Bay Roasters makes great espresso… and I’m not a guy who gets fruffoo drinks that cover up the coffee taste. I like double short americanos, no cream, but a little room so I can sip off the crema while driving before it dissipates and not spill on myself. Fidalgo coffee is great. Now, typically I go in the mornings, so obviously I can’t vouch for every barista but my experience has been delightful both in taste and in interaction. The baristas I get coffee from pull good, timed shots with even crema. Typically not a lot of channeling (if they don’t clank the tamper on the portafilter (some do)) and they quickly drop the shots into the hot water so they don’t die (this is normally called a “long black”, when the shots are over the hot water. Rather than an americano when the hot water is poured over the shots). Again, my taste from I Wana Moka is delightful! And most enjoyable on a crisp fall morning before 7am! The only complaint I have about this place is the poorly designed and marketed shack. Many of you probably have the same thoughts as I first did, and probably stay away because of that! It would do everyone a favor if the owner would rebrand and renovate the place to keep up the rep of himself, the employees, and Fidalgo Bay. I guarantee that would bring I Wana Moka the attention it deserves and bring them more business. Overall rating: 5 my cup of joe in the morning is worth it!

Halo Espresso Bar – Menu with Prices – 3024 Hurontario St, Mississauga

I hate doing this. As someone who works in “specialty coffee,” I don’t like rating other shops – especially negatively. I’m always on the look out for new specialty coffee shops because coffee is always a learning experience and an adventure. And I believe in supporting independent “specialty coffee” shops. I want to be at shops that not only pulls amazing espresso shots, but that the baristas show passion in their coffee. I was really excited to visit, having seen it on Instagram. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in Halo – a place that brands itself as a “specialty coffee” shop on Instagram. I have now been there twice, because I thought I’d give them another chance. While today’s visit was better, Halo has ultimately let me down. Coffee shops need to be able to dial in their espresso shots – meaning that their espresso is calibrated to bring out a balance of flavour. The first time, the shot was so bitter that I couldn’t finish it. The second time was much better, but still very sour. A shop’s espresso doesn’t have to be completely perfect – coffee is always a battle to find the perfect flavour. But this was just poor quality. The staff on my first visit was quite cold, but the barista that served me today was quite nice. They weren’t very passionate about coffee though. That love for coffee really goes a long way for a coffee shop. This was not a place that was serious about their coffee. It showed in the staff’s interactions with me, and the quality of the espresso shot. It’s ok for a shop to be mediocre in its coffee. But I expected much better from a shop that brands themselves as “Mississauga’s own independent specialty coffee shop”. I don’t like posting negative reviews, but Halo gets a thumbs down from me.

Coffee Junction Menu with Prices 401 Harris Ave, Bellingham

The worst customer service I’ve ever had anywhere. I am not a complainer or even a fussy customer, but wow, for the first time ever I really was so pissed and offended. We got coffee here before our train trip. There was one barista; she was alone and busting her ass, so I gave her a 40% tip. After taking a couple sips of my coffee and having to open it and check to see if there was actually espresso shots in it (or if maybe she had forgotten them) AND having my sister taste it to see if I was just being a coffee snob, I brough it back to the barista to see if I could get a new drink, because mine tasted like water. She extremely rude and defensively said “it’s an americano… it has water in it.” I very politely explained, “yes, but it doesnt taste like coffee at all.” At this point she stopped making eye contact with me, said “what do you want?” Trying to not to be ‘that customer’ I asked for a drip, thinking that was a good deal because it was half the price. She didnt even respond to me, as she got it. I asked if it was ok if I still get a pump of hazelnut in it. She said “yup” still not looking at me, put the pump and a lid on it, handing it to me, I said thank you, then she told me it would be $1.90. This is where I started to get pissed. Clearly confused and upset I said “I’m sorry, you’re going to charge me…?” In a super condescending voice she laughed our, ” I cant just give you free coffee.” (Which she had literally just done, topping off the mans cup, in front of me). I tossed my card on the counter. She ran it and had the nerve to toss it back. I didnt have the time or restraint to give her a piece of my mind so I left. I will NEVER get coffee here again. Not because their coffee is gross, but because I have never experienced such hostility from someone when I’m nicely and apologetically asking for a replacement for an item I PAID FOR. Luckily all the train employees were fantastically nice and really redeemed the experience. But wow.

Ritual Coffee Roasters – Menu with Prices – 1300 Haight St, San Francisco

College student here and I always come to this cafe but the baristas are unfriendly and inattentive. When asking a question, I was told by one of the baristas to “order at the register” and I was asked if I “can wait,” which I gladly agreed. This is my THIRD time at this cafe and the service depends on the person. The coffee is a solid 7/10 and I’ve ordered their lattes, but I feel like it depends on the person who is making them. Once I had a latte in which the espresso was still sitting at the bottom and the milk was at the top! Also, I typically order almond milk and on one occasion, the barista had forgotten. Because of a milk allergy, I found out that day by feeling sick, which was honestly not fun. One thing that they have never done was ask for my name for my drink. Also, it would be nice too if some of the baristas didn’t try to ring up customers as quickly as possible…. Ironically, they often they treat older customers with more respect, attention, and patience. It is unfortunate, because I have plenty of younger friends who would have enjoyed coming here FOR THE COFEE. However, with service this disappointing, I hope this review serves as a warning to fellow students. If you are a young 20-something or go to University of San Francisco nearby, please please please, I urge you to go elsewhere for coffee! This is not a place for friendly service.

Firehouse Coffee – Menu with Prices – 2185 Cubit St, Eugene

I will start this off by stating that I have been a barista for 3 years so I can get picky about my coffee, but I’m genuinely disappointed in the service I received today. I get it, making q complicated drink can be annoying, especially when it’s blended, but the barista who served me was rude and rolled her eyes at my requests. I asked for a medium blended snickers with almond milk, and a mix of bold and smooth espresso. She charged me 50 cents more for asking for mixed shots, which is absolutely ridiculous. If someone were to come through my coffee shop and ask for half-calf (half decaf half full calf espresso shots) I’m certainly not going to make them pay extra unless they ask for an extra shot. I know that perhaps this isn’t the barista’s fault, but no where on the menu was I informed that I’d be charged more for asking for mixed shots. I feel as if she did it because she could. I also requested almond milk, because I am severely lactose intolerant. I took 3 sips before I was in agonizing pain for the better part of my 2 hour commute to Portland. My drink definitely contained dairy, which I understand as a barista is sometimes an honest accident and it can get mixed in somehow, but after how rude the barista was to me, I don’t feel like making a real excuse for her. I definitely will not return if I see her working. The other ladies have been incredibly kind, and always make my drink correctly, but this experience has turned me sour. The price for a medium blended snickers with almond milk and mixed shots was $6.50, which is nearly a large blended drink at Dutch Bros and is MORE than a venti frappe at Starbucks. I no longer recommend this shop.

The Coffee & Tea Exchange – Menu with Prices – 3311 N Broadway, Chicago

Preface: have inside secrets that I’m only telling now because I moved out of state and miss CTX every. single. day. 1. This is the FRESHEST ROASTED coffee in Chicago. If you time your visit right, the coffee beans scooped for you by the friendly staff will still be warm from the GD roaster. 2. CTX has been selling high-quality, low-cost bulk tea since before I could read. Don’t be blinded by the massive amount of bulk coffee – try the tea. It’s SO GOOD and SO CHEAP. 3. NOT ONLY are drinks cheaper here (coffee OR tea based…including matcha)- but you’re getting more espresso than you would elsewhere. Most places give you 1 shot for a small drink, 2 for a medium or large drink (so you’re just paying for more milk and less buzz). CTX’s standard protocol is SM: 2 shots, MED: 3 shots, LG: 4 shots. UH THAT’S RIGHT. 4. CTX respects the bean. Their coffee is roasted in perfect harmony with the flavor profile of the region and soil of origin. Do you like caramel notes? fruity acidity? peanut butter mouthfeel? Not sure what you like but you know you hate Colombian coffee? Tell them. They’re there to help guide you to coffee bliss. And you know what? They enjoy it. When you finally find your perfect bean/roast/blend, a barista in purgatory gets to stop re-foaming milk for the perfect dry cappuccino. 5. They do all this without being snobby or pretentious. If you work at CTX, you genuinely enjoy helping people, making their day a little better, putting them at ease while you do the heavy lifting, and guiding them to caffeinated bliss. So ask questions, try a little of everything, and don’t forget to TIP the hardworking humans serving you. TL;DR: Best coffee in Chicago, and possibly the world. Tip your Baristas.

Porto Rico Importing – Menu with Prices – 201 Bleecker St, New York

I would have give this coffee shop 5 stars. They put 4 express shot in my $4 ice latte. It was the best ice latte I ever had. However, the customers service is surprisingly awful. I would give them 0 star for customer service. Their so called baristas is the worst I have ever seen. The barista is even worse than the ones who work in Starbucks. I am not sure they are even qualified as a barista. I was taking photo of my coffee. The barista got freak out and said don’t take pictures of him and told me to delete from my phone. I don’t know who he think he is because I was taking photo of the “coffee”. Just like the other reviewers on yelp, this coffee shop has 0 customers service even they have great coffee. They’re very unlike other coffee shop. First, They don’t offer a comfortable environment for you to stay. No seats inside of course. Apparently they want the customers to pay the money and go away. Second, this place is not credit card friendly unlike other coffee shops in the city. They have old fashioned machines. They prefer cash. Third, the environment is dirty. You can actually see the dusts around the cashier area. The only good thing about this coffee shop is the good coffee with cheap price. I would still come to here next time but I would just close my eyes and ignore everything and get my coffee out of here.

Nook Coffee Bar – Menu with Prices – 2930 Bristol St #B105, Costa Mesa

Today was one of those rare mornings where I had time to indulge in coffee that was not from a kcup or an Alterra bag, made at the often-used, and probably not cleaned often enough coffee machine at the office. I decided to stop by Nook for the first time. Unlike during lunch hours, there was ample parking available as other businesses at the Lab were closed. The Nook had a welcoming ambience, with the morning sun streaming through the floor to ceiling glass windows. A barista said hello and I ordered a Spanish latte. I also wanted to order food and was looking for a menu when someone else walked in. He seemed to be a regular as he was greeted warmly by the barista, who then proceeded to ring me up for the latte. When I said I wanted to order food and asked if there was a menu, he quickly pointed to the plastic case containing bagels. I felt like I was being rushed, presumably so the regular customer could be helped. Anyway, I ordered a jalapeño bagel and paid for it. In the meantime, the barista prepared the regular customer’s drink. I don’t think he had even started mine yet. 5 min later, my food and drink were ready. I thanked him, but he didn’t bother to look up from his phone. As I left, I even said, ‘Thank you again! Have a good day’. Even that didn’t seem worthy of a glance away from his phone. It was like he didn’t hear me at all or was just ignoring me. Definitely different than the way he greeted and helped the regular customer who came after me. I have gotten better, much friendlier service from baristas at SBucks, Dunkin’ Donuts or any other chain coffee shops. I wish the barista was nicer. It was a such a quiet and beautiful morning and I didn’t think I did anything to be treated differently from the customer who came after me. It was not like they were busy either. That being said, both latte and the bagel were delicious! I would get both again but given the service I would first seek out other coffee shops before coming back here.

Howlin’ Hounds Coffee – Menu with Prices – 712 S 16th St, Omaha

I stopped by here earlier today with my wife for my morning coffee. We were headed into Omaha for the afternoon and so I had my wife pick a coffee shop in town on Yelp. She ended up choosing Howling hounds and so we put it into the GPS and headed over. Whenever we walked in we were greeted by the barista and then told it would take a little while because the five girls sitting at the bar hadn’t ordered yet. It did take a little while before he got to us and he was certainly a talkative guy. They asked him about some stickers behind the counter and he launched into a respectful but still political talk. In between that and getting the drinks he also took the time to talk to my wife and myself, asking where we were from and other questions. I ultimately did ask him which brewery we should go to in Omaha and found his recommendation to be good. In any case on this day I decided to order a latte. While he was talking to the girls I heard him mention that all of his drinks had 3 shots and that he sourced his coffee from a place near Ithaca, NY. My drink was done pretty quickly and was handed over to me. It ended up tasting pretty good with the coffee tasting rich and the milk taking off any edge that it would have had. The bottom line for me is that I would stop by here again in the future. Our barista was certainly a friendly and interesting guy and the coffee was pretty good too.

Counter Culture Coffee – Menu with Prices – 85½, Spring St, Charleston

This is strictly a training center for most of the Charleston coffee shops that use Counter Culture as their wholesale distributor for coffee. What’s great is how in-depth the training is for getting baristas properly ready to provide quality service. I’m fairly new to the barista game only about 2-3 months in, but feel like I was given the right tools in providing quality service for my customers. Counter Culture also provides free courses that you can attend at this center as long as you’re employed with whichever coffee shop you’re associated with. Those courses help you build towards being knowledgeable in not only coffee brewing but techniques to understand differences between superior quality and what’s considered subpar. I understand on early morning’s every Friday they do coffee testing free for the public so if you’re ever in the area, this is the place to find great coffee and how/where to purchase their products throughout the Charleston area.

Coffee Code – Menu with Prices – 1030 Rosecrans Ave, Fullerton

Iced hazelnut coffee anyone? This is the first time I’ve tried hazelnut coffee with ACTUAL coffee ice cubes in it. I absolutely LOVE this place. Like everything about it is awesome, from the atmosphere to the amazing coffee. To be frank, not many coffee shops open super early in the morning. However, Coffee Code has my back because they open at 6 AM everyday (except for Sundays). Other coffee shops normally open at 7 or 8 AM. Due to this, I end up going late to school. Thank God for Coffee Code and their opening hours, as well as phone call orders. One thing forsure is that the iced hazelnut latte is specifically the only item I order because hazelnut latte is just BOMB. What makes Coffee Code noticeable and very likable is that they also provide a great pastry selection, along with super friendly and amazing service! My two favorite baristas (Jurie and Elizabeth) are really warm and inviting, and willing to bring the best customer service to you. It’s refreshing to have friendly baristas in a hipster place when that is not always the norm. Additionally, I really love the combination of the vibe, the amazing drinks, and how inviting this space feels. The interior is also bright and modern space with several seating options including outlets for those hardworking students LOL. Overall, it is definitely a great place to work, read, chat. Thank you Coffee Code for the days I needed (still do) iced hazelnut latte. You guys really know how to bring delight to customers. I would say this makes one of my favorite coffee shops in Fullerton ?

Lakota Coffee Company – Downtown – Menu with Prices – 24 S 9th St, Columbia

There’s great food and coffee here but the baristas are a bit rude to customers if they don’t exactly know what they’re talking about. I ordered a cold brew not realizing that they don’t actually have that at this location but the barista at the register was helpful in fulfilling my order with an iced coffee instead (and that was absolutely okay). But, he did not tell me that there wasn’t actually cold brew so I didn’t grab my drink when they called “iced coffee”. When I didn’t come pick it up by myself, he was kind enough to bring it to me and he said “here’s your iced coffee” to which I questioned “cold brew?” because that was what I thought I had ordered. He dismissed my question and walked away mumbling a comment along the lines of “iced coffee IS cold brew” which I know it’s not. It isn’t made the same. What bothered me most is that he went to his coworkers to talk about me. He probably was not aware but I overheard him and I felt embarrassed even though I didn’t think I had said anything wrong. In Memorial Union on MU’s campus you can get Lakota coffee from Wheatstone Bistro and they offer cold brew. It’s definitely different than the iced coffee. It’s smooth and almost tastes like caramel. It is also served with a smile!

Relevant Coffee – Menu with Prices – 1703 Main St Suite A, Vancouver

Went there for the first time the other day. And the baristas were super passive aggressive. As we were trying to order another barista was trying to make our drink as we spoke, but we finished each drink with milk substitutes. And the baristas were annoyed, because they were making it with regular milk when we didn’t even pay yet. They were also trying to rush us. It was 1pm and there was no line and 4 people sitting inside. They shouldn’t be making drinks as someone is trying to order. The lady at the counter only smiled when I gave a tip. Maybe the baristas all had a bad day? Idk. Overall, sadly not going back. Customer service is important & I had high hopes for this place.