Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
42 barista magazine someone's house (hey, with Apple Maps, you kind of never know) turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. At Calusa Coffee Roasters, Steven Hodel, a travel-professional–turned–coffee nut, just happened to be in the middle of roasting a batch of Brazil on a cherry-red Diedrich, and was happy to geek out with me a little about sourcing and roasting before he had to turn his attention back to first crack. A bag of his single-origin Kenya made its way into my carry-on, the pineapple and brown-sugar goodness I would drink at my next Airbnb. TAMPA, LAKELAND, ORLANDO Tampa—and I am as surprised to say it as you probably are to hear it—is really rad. Good food, a fun and creative arts scene, tons of weird little one-off shops and bars to explore, and did I mention the weather? Maybe the coolest thing of all is the bustling success of Buddy Brew, the city's mainstay specialty haven and the kind of spot for which the word "community" exists. The local indie is expanding fast, with a fourth store in the works and a Brew Truck available for hire, and yet still proudly advertises—and follows through on the fact—that a roaster is available to speak to at the West Kennedy Boulevard shop, every weekday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. It kind of doesn't get much cooler than that. Things do stay quite neat in Lakeland, Fla., however: A cute little Main Street–type town pretty much smack in between Tampa and Orlando, the village boasts a growing coffee obsession all its own. On one side of town is the Scandinavian-inspired minimal elegance of multiroaster Concord Coffee, a little slice of Portland, Ore., hidden away from street view on (perhaps a tad ironically) South Florida Avenue. In addition to stellar espresso and brewed coffee, the shop's specialty drinks are a must: Despite being caffeinated almost to the point of collapse, I could not put down my delicious Lakelandia: A shot of single-origin washed Ethiopian espresso from Tampa's King State Coffee Roasters, fizzed up to perfection with fresh seltzer water. Just down the street from Concord is the brand-new Patriot Coffee Roasters, an outgrowth of Lakeland's local Black & Brew Bistro and the continuation of a specialty-coffee journey currently under way by brothers/best friends Chris and Mike McArthur. Chris is head roaster, operating out of a beautifully restored A collaborative spirit drives everything about Axum Coff ee Roasters in Winter Garden: Not only has the company paired with a neighboring brewery on special coff ee beers, but Axum also donates all its profi ts to fund good works and charity. Head roaster Neal Faul, pictured, recently organized the area's fi rst la e art throwdown, which was a huge success.