let me tell you a story about me and coffee. it started with wawa cappuccinos in the 9th grade, when it was cool and terribly grown up to drink something resembling coffee, even if it was absolutely fake and probably made from a powdered mix. (that was in the days before *bucks came to havertown.) like most people my age, my coffee taste has changed and grown up a bit as i've gotten older. and as my taste matured, the coffee industry itself has grown up a bit. no longer is *bucks seen as the highest quality of coffee you can find... at least, not if you really know anything about the coffee industry.
for the ignorant, let me educate you briefly about the "third wave" of coffee. (don't feel bad if you are just learning this; i am new to the scene myself.) actually, I am just going to quote wikipedia here, since they are the source of all knowledge. you can read more if you'd like...
The Third Wave of Coffee refers to a current movement to produce high-quality coffee, and consider coffee as an artisanal foodstuff, like wine, rather than a commodity, like wheat. This involves improvements at all stages of production, from improving coffee bean growing, harvesting, and processing, to stronger relationships between coffee growers and coffee traders and roasters, to higher quality and fresh roasting, at times called microroasting (by analogy with microbrew beer), to skilled brewing. Third Wave Coffee aspires to the highest form of culinary appreciation of coffee...With dreams of our own coffee shop still lingering, the rachels of 1302 have set out on a mission to find the best coffee in philadelphia. Just a couple of weeks ago, we may have hit the mark, thanks to our new coffee connoisseur friend Jake. But let me tell you about some of the runners up along the way, in case you're ever in our great city with a hankering for a good cuppa joe...
and the winner is...! seriously, the best coffee we've ever had. ever ever. thanks ultimo, you have made us really happy coffee drinkers. if we ever open our own coffee shop, we can only hope to hold a candle to your greatness.
