Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
41 www.baristamagazine.com While there's something to be said about the experiential sensual pleasure of doing as the locals do, there is hope for anyone looking for something a little more…interesante. Of course, Panther Coffee was one of the trailblazers in town, and continues to boost the area's still- burgeoning coffee consciousness by pushing single-origin coffees, made-to-order brews, nitro cold brew on tap, and—one of my favorite ideas ever—an East Coast–West Coast espresso flight, offering a side-by-side demitasse of espresso with deep chocolate and nut notes next to a shot of something bright and fruity (respectively). Grabbing something iced on the way out of Panther, I headed south into the heart of downtown, where owner Chris Johnson at Eternity Coffee Roasters can be found pretty much on the daily, roasting on a lovely San Franciscan in the shop's front window. Eternity has an exclusive partnership with a pair of farms in Colombia (one called Finca La Eternidad—hence the roastery- café's name), as well as bringing in other origins. As one of the city's first specialty microroasters, they've been in a unique position to really ease the neighborhood into "far out" origins like Burundi. Forging west to the college town of Coral Gables— home to the University of Miami and so close a neighbor as to be considered a semi-neighborhood of that city—I discovered more than the beautiful Art Deco and high- end shopping the area's known for: The tiny, tucked-away multiroaster shop Café Curuba is an absolute pearl. Why shouldn't it be? Its owner, Debbie Rabinovici, is a gem herself. After several years studying filmmaking in New York and working in coffee in Brooklyn, Debbie moved back home to Florida to open her dream shop, where the hospitality is the only thing warmer than the expert brews and house-made pastries. Curuba, along with nearby neighbor (and totally bumpin' brunch spot with a beautiful Strada) Threefold Café offers customers on-point local brews from Panther, as well as featuring coffees from the brand-new Per'La Specialty Roasters, a microroastery just southwest of Coral Gables. Per'La is the two-man band of longtime buddies Paul Massard and Chris Nolte—Paul with his Q-grader certificate and more than 10 years' coffee experience, and Chris with business savvy and background in staff education. The duo is fresh-roasting quality single origins and specialty blends for wholesale on a brand-new Loring, in a spot they will surely grow out of sooner than later. Saying adios, Miami, I headed north to Ft. Lauderdale, where pulling into the driveway at what I was afraid might just be Opposite page, at top: Patriot Coff ee Roasters founder and head roaster Christopher McArthur works on a profi le at the roastery in Lakeland. Bo om, le : Single-origin espresso du jour is a treat at Gainesville's Volta. Bo om, right: Tucked in the East End Market, Lineage Coff ee Roasting' small bar is big on fl avor. Baristas make expert drinks from beautiful single-origin off erings in the shared space. This page: At Bold Bean Coff ee's roastery in Jacksonville, a recent Thursday Night Throwdown brings baristas from cafés near and far together for an evening of laid-back fun. "We've got such a great coff ee community here in North Florida," says Jamie Rice, manager of Bold Beans' Beaches location. "It's beautiful to see all these folks in one place."