Snapshot from Vegas #6

On the Hunt for Good Espresso/Coffee/A Decent Caffeine Fix

Conclusion?


To put it bluntly, there are very few places in this world that offer better tasting coffee than what is available in Portland. The Las Vegas' coffee scene could learn a thing or two. Starbucks happy tourists have plenty of options for fulfilling their fix given the overwhelming prevalence of Illy coffee in many of the city's tourist hot spots. Some might liken Illy to Italy's answer to Starbucks, and though they boast that the freshness of the coffee is unmatched, there really is no way of knowing how long the beans you are drinking sat in their vacuum sealed aluminum containers prior to ending up in your cup.

Our personal opinion: meh. We began our stay trying americanos and espressos in coffee shops, cafes and fine restaurants but after a few days we gave up. Despite that familiar smell and some truly posh digs, I'm afraid we ran into a few too many 4.5 oz. double shot pours. I tried consoling Evan, telling him we should take it as a compliment that we make, serve, and have access to some of the best coffee in the world. Literally.

He fired back that perhaps a trip to Italy was the only way he'd find coffee like the coffee he likes at home.

I shut my big fat mouth hoping I'd get lucky.


But alas, only one thing could ease Evan's woes. Before he even unpacked his bag, Evan was headed to the cafe, tapping his heels together and chanting "there's no place like home" upon discovering the newest arrival courtesy of Courier Coffee Roasters. Organic Indonesian Bajawa served as his first post-vacation cup, and made for an uplifting welcome-back-to-the-good-life coffee experience. He noticed the body first. It wasn't simply that it was the first French Press coffee he'd consumed in nearly a week. This coffee has some body of its own. A surprisingly pleasant, clean, and crisp finish allowed for herbal aromatics to linger long after each sip. Drinking coffee this good made him feel as though all was right in his world again.

Translation?

It's good to be back home.