I'm sitting at my usual coffee spot, Peet's on 12th and Broadway. I'm always asked why I go 9+ blocks from the office to get my coffee when there are a few cafes close by. The short answer, it's not easy to get a well made cup of coffee. The "artisanal" coffee roasters over at Blue Bottle apparently can roast a mean bean, but their baristas can't make a good cup of coffee. Always luke warm, always tepid. I've given them maybe 3-4 tries at different times to make sure it wasn't one particular barista. Still no luck. World Ground makes a decent cup of coffee but only if a particular person is there. Urban Blend is ok but only on a nice day. It has this open air configuration that's not too comfortable on colder, windier days.
This particular Peet's seems to hit my sweet spot. There's ample seating inside and outside, plus there's a decent mix of folks here. And no matter who's working, the coffee seems to have a certain consistency of quality. There's something to be said about the quality controls that come with being a multi-million dollar corporation. The ladies at the table next to me are lamenting the "corporate" feel of the place but don't seem to have a problem sitting here for 30 minutes drinking their blended lattes and shooting the shit. I personally have no issue with corporations if they maintain quality. Starbucks used to be good but the day they started rolling out the "press a button" coffee machines, I stopped being a regular customer. I have no problem with the automation, it's just the coffee doesn't taste as good as before. You just can't beat a well made hand pulled cappuccino or latte.