My Faith in Milwaukee Coffee Talent has been -yet again- diminished

wendityme — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:01:58 GMT

In follow up to the Milwaukee Coffee blog I posted about a week ago... a recent visit to Anodyne in Bay View resulted in... well, a most disappointing experience. Something about the oldies station combined with sweat-pant-clad soccer moms really deters from the atmosphere. I understand, they can like coffee too (even if they pronounce espresso with an "x")... and by all means please do so, but I'm so used to seeing those types at Starbucks and Alterra... and with that, well, I've become "a snob". I associate the soccer moms with crappy coffee drinks that don't taste like coffee... and actually have heard the phrase "this doesn't taste like the cappucino I get at the gas station... this is awful!" on more than one occasion. Coffee is bitter-sweet, people. Not syrupy. If you like syrup, please flock to your local quick-mart for a machine-generated crappacino...

That aside, my latte did not consist of espresso-roasted beans. Rather, some other roast... perhaps Columbian... or Brazilian? If you're out of espresso roast, please say something... don't just substitute the nearest bean, for god's sake!

So, my loyalty is now only to the Anodyne on Brady St. The Original. The Best. Too bad I have to deal with all of the Brady Street yuppies that have taken over the area... and the parking.

Oh, how I miss the old days... Changin' Times... the wiccan spell shop... Rochambo's smoky second floor with a view of the gravel parking lot across the street... and scary Pierre - what ever happened to him???

...but I digress.

I will most likely end up at Hi-Fi... provided they have enough room. Too many wi-fi-ers, not enough seating. At least they use Alterra Coffee to its fullest potential... and I've never gotten a non-espresso, espresso drink :)

Milwaukee Coffee Shops

wendityme — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:05:02 GMT

I've been frequenting area coffee houses for about 15 years and have seen a sad falling trend in quality of coffee and companions. The bigger local establishments are going the way of Starbucks... becoming more trend than substance.

Alterra, although providing fantastic roasts to the Milwaukee area and beyond, has lost the true meaning of the coffee house - great coffee and great espresso in great company with great music. Nothing is more irritating than to pay $4 for an espresso drink only to get a watered down, weak tasting cup of what should be coffee-filled happiness. I have noticed, however, that all of Alterra's staff appears to be of the same ilk... appearing that the hiring staff is concentrating more on looks than talent... and if you should complain about your drink, you're met with grimacing, snotty faces looking down their noses at you. Come on Alterra! Get some Barista's in there that can make a good shot of espresso, and TRAIN THE OTHER ONES to do it! If they can't be taught, then get them away from the espresso machine. Why should I bother complaining about a drink when they're just going to make me another one that tastes equally as bad? The number of times that I've been forced to choose coffee over a latte when I really want one because "that guy" or "that girl" is making drinks tonight has become more frequent than not.

Stone Creek, although a fundamentally great company who is all about the community and their staff, has a product that I just cannot get behind. I want it to be good, I really do, but every time I order a drink there, I'm disappointed. They lack flavor and substance... and sadly that goes for just plain old coffee too.

The only places you can get a really good cup these days seems to be HiFi, Node (if you can stand the smoke) and Anodyne (formerly Brewed Awakenings)... who has been consistent for the 15 years that I've been going there. I've never had a bad drink there... or bad food either. Although they've changed names since the "old days", their coffee is still outstanding, the atmosphere is as it should be, and the staff is nothing but pleasant and arty in a good way. Seldom have I been met with pretentiousness at Anodyne... I've always felt welcome there and continue to do so with a visit to the new location in Bayview. The place was dead... which makes me think that there's something wrong with the coffee-shop goers in Milwaukee. Are they a dying breed? Only wanting sweet, syrupy tasting coffee drinks that barely have any coffee flavor to them like those of Starbucks notoriety? If so, what a sad commentary...

Blog entries for wendityme

My Faith in Milwaukee Coffee Talent has been -yet again- diminished

Milwaukee Coffee Shops