Don Senneville and Jim White
What better place to regroup than Janey’s Coffee Shop and Bodega! A quiet, very small booth that snugly seats two has an important history. It is the home of very competent baristas, flat whites, killer pastries and Queen and Spirit in the Sky playing throughout. It was almost a spiritual experience. Good vibes and coffee. We leave the Monks Booth on a mission.
To continue the theme of following the quest for enlightenment, we decided to start our pilgrimage at the Wagon Wheel Cafe, where we enjoyed cowperson coffee, white toast and downhome advice. From there we proceeded to the Divine Bakery, which by virtue of its name, gives clarity to what was an excellent espresso and pistachio macaron.
Feeling much more enlightened we then proceeded to the Indian Village. Herein lies the heartbeat and soul of Cave Creek. Since 1972 Bart and his staff have lived the evolution of Coffee Row with only a swamp cooler and a Mister Coffee. His historical wisdom and chicken chimichangas are beyond comparison. A quick Mexican coke and we are off to the Seed Cafe at Civana in Carefree. What a journey. We now can finalize our caffeinated quest in the peaceful environment of the Seed Cafe. So familiar and comfortable.
Think See’s Candy Store or an Ice Cream Shop in Finland. We tossed down a chia seed date ball, filled our water bottles with “naturally brilliant water” and headed home. We think it may be Happy Hour by now.
Most importantly, Ella the barista has returned to the Village Coffee Shop and Creperie from The British Isles. You will remember from our last article, we interviewed her upon her return and find her influence has taken root at the Creperie. She now has an English accent, no tan, and prefers tea. We thought we spied a small tattoo of The David. Once she has reacclimated we will update her allegiance.
In the meantime, we heard that an opinion writer for a famous newspaper claims that Starbucks has invented so many coffee drinks they don’t have the staff to make them and get them to customers. It may be that things are getting out of hand. Don reports that he had an iced latte with two sugars the other day at a local coffee shop (not Starbucks). He hopes he’s not causing trouble. The problem may be the sugar. Jim still believes that iced coffee drinks are not real coffee, but rather a nod to conspicuous consumerism. Like owning a Rolex. To escape this lure of fancy cafes, we need to go to the lake, see Alabama, barista and bait manager, and maybe stop at Raven’s View in Tonto Hills, another outlier cafe, on the way back to Carefree.
We have also heard from several loyal locals who experienced the Forêt Cafe in Flagstaff, which we reviewed in a previous article. Thanks for your omelet pictures and funny observations of the back streets of Flagstaff. Another friend of The CUP sent us a review of the Seed Cafe at Civana. More to follow. Anyone been to Little Snitch? We can’t seem to get there when it’s open, so we just go to Preston’s instead and wait for Happy Hour.
Stay “Carefree and Caffeinated” and please keep sending us your thoughts and recommendations to The CUP at [email protected]
