Coffee from Coffee Lovers for Coffee Lovers

If you've every visited the Tampa Bay, FL area, you know one thing: we have no good coffee.

For years I have whined, cried and complained about how there isn't a single destination in this entire gigantic city where you can get a good, wholesome, amazing cup of coffee. Other major cities have a variety of local, good coffee shops. We have your choice of: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.

Coffee Beans from Brazil before Roasting

Ah, how hard it is to live in Tampa, FL.

Until now.

There is a little tiny coffee shop called Buddy Brew near downtown Tampa. Here's their story:

It starts with love. Deep, passionate, resounding love for....coffee. Creating it, roasting it, drinking it, enjoying it, smelling it, and sharing it with the world.

The owners of Buddy Brew started roasting coffee out of their house because.....well, because they're coffee freaks. What started as a simple hobby slowly turned in to a business. They started giving their roasted coffee out at office parties as Christmas gifts and pretty soon people wanted to buy it from them.

Fast forward several years later and now they have their own shop. In the front of the shop there is a giant coffee roaster where they roast fresh coffee beans by hand almost every single day. The roasted beans come right out of the roaster and right into a bag and sold to the customer. Can you say, Starbucks sucks?

I had the honor of watching Dave (owner and mastermind behind Buddy Brew) roast a batch of Brazilian coffee today and it was one of the most romantic and sensual experiences I've ever had (don't tell my wife).

He took us through the journey of the coffee bean, what it looks like once it comes into their shop and the process he conducts to bring the bean to life. Typically, Dave puts his beans through a "Full City Roast" which basically beans they're not burnt like Starbucks and taste better than the coffee you probably get at 711 (you can admit it, I know there are plenty of you out there that get coffee from 711).

The whole roasting process took around 16 minutes and it was simply amazing to witness. Not until this moment did I view coffee roasting as a true art form. Every single moment matters in the process to ensure the perfect coffee bean....which becomes the perfect cup of coffee.

Full City Roast Complete - look at those gorgeous beans

Dave cooled the beans down once they were done and then took the beans and put them right in a fresh sealed bag for me to take home. Can we talk about how sexy this is? Have you ever witnessed something like this?

It starts with roasting, but it doesn't end there. Buddy Brew takes the art of coffee to another level by employing a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America who makes all their drinks (ya, this chef is making coffee).

There isn't a generic "at home coffee pot" in the place. Everything is done via French Press, Aero Press or good old fashion steeping. The end result of all this roasting, grinding, steeping, and pressing is one of the most delightful and remarkable cups of coffee you will ever experience.

The coffee + the cool owners + the roasting + the chef, should make coffee lovers and coffee virgins alike rush immediately to Buddy Brew. I promise you won't regret it.

And as far as Starbucks goes...well, let me just put it this way: now that Buddy Brew exists I have no reason to ever step foot in another coffee shop again, even if they do have Frappuccinos.

Microwave Chicken Nightmare

There we were in JFK airport...starving, famished, miserable.

As we wandered up and down the terminal in search for food we became more and more depressed as we walked by horrible options....KFC, McDonald's, and some off brand coffee place no one's ever heard of. I had just gotten off a 9 hour flight so I wanted something good, wholesome and completely satisfying.

Advertised photo of Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

After 20 solid minutes of searching we gave up an ended up at Au Bon Pain (keyword Pain).

I'd never been to Au Bon Pain before, but it looked like a wanna be Panera Bread with soups, salads and sandwiches. I had no idea what to order so I went with what was being featured on a big poster outside the restaurant: Chipotle Chicken Sandwich. I like Chipotle and I like Chicken so it seemed like a logical selection.

We stepped up to the counter and I ordered my Chipotle Chicken Sandwich. The way that Au Bon Pain is set up allows you to watch them make it so here's what happened next (I'm not exaggerating).

1. Employee takes sliced white "chicken" out of refigerator from under the counter.
2. Employee puts "chicken" in a coardboard bowl and puts in domestic microwave (like the kind you have in your kitchen at home - yes I'm serious.)
3. Employee takes bread and asks me "You want this toasted?" I respond "...uh doesn't it come toasted?" she says, "Yes". Ok...then I'll have it toasted.
4. Employee puts two pieces of bread in generic toaster (like the one you have in your kitchen, for real)
5. Employee asks me if I want the  coleslaw on the sandwich. I ask, "why do I want coleslaw on my sandwich". She responds, "Well it's Chipotle coleslaw so that's what makes it a Chipotle sandwich." I respond, "Oh...so there's not any spicy Chipotle sauce on it....there's just coleslaw?" She answers, "Yes". Ok...then I guess I'll have the coleslaw
6. The "chicken" is still in the microwave. An airport employee walks up with a cup of coffee that apparently she had gotten early at Au Bon Pain. She hands the old Au Bon Pain cup to the employee over the counter. THE EMPLOYEE STOPS THE MICROWAVE AND PUTS THE COFFEE IN WITH MY "CHICKEN" to reheat it for the airport employee. 
7. The "chicken" is finally done and so is the coffee. Now it's time for the bacon.
8. The Employee puts the chicken on my half toasted bread and drains the "chicken" juice in the trashcan and then puts the cold bacon IN THE SAME cardboard dish that the chicken was in and puts it back in the microwave. Have you barfed yet?

The real Chipotle Chicken Sandwich. Can you say "Yum"?

9.  Employee takes out the bacon and flops it on top of the "chicken" and then puts the half toasted bread on top.
10. I ask, "is there cheese on this or is it just the bacon, chicken and coleslaw"? She tells me there is no cheese and then regrettfully offers to slap some provolone cheese on for me.
11. I pay and the cashier proceeds to tell me that she loves the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich and she's tried everything on the menu and it's the best thing. "Ok I believe you"

We fight through the crowd in the terminal and finally find a dirty table which we attempt to clean and then take a seat. I unwrap my overpriced Chipotle Chicken Sandwich. By now I strongly had considered throwing it right in the trash since all of the ingridents might as well have come from the trash.

But, since I paid  $8 for it and I had eaten in hours, I felt obligated to eat it. What did it taste like? Like it came out of the freezer section of my grocery store and was served on limp barely toasted bread. Translation = crap.

How are restaurants like this even in business? Ok, I know it was in the "airport" but still bottom line was that this was an Au Bon Pain and they charged $8 for microwaved junk that probably cost them a nickle and it was advertised as a romantic experience.

It's disgusting to see restaurants that have so little care for what they do charging people when good, amazing restaurants that put passion, love and inspiration into their food and service can sometimes barely survive.

Shame on you Au Bon Pain. At least now we all know why PAIN is in your name.