Coffee Rant #2

So, I realized that a countdown to the nom-est coffee would have been more exciting, but I got way too-excited and too ambitious (I was originally going to do it all in one post). Also, I realized numbering them off is a bit silly, since the numbers don't necessarily reflect how I rank each coffee. My preferences tend to fluctuate between 1-4 depending on mood and location. Nonetheless, here is the continuation of the Coffee Rants:

3) Sightglass Coffee: Somewhere between Blue Bottle and Ritual, Sightglass offers some pretty legit coffee. Apparently, the dudes who started it used to work at Four Barrel and before that Blue Bottle. Also, I believe that the peeps at Four Barrel were originally from Ritual, and the Ritual peeps actually came from Blue Bottle. So, basically every local roaster has worked or can be linked to every other local roaster...and it all goes back to Blue Bottle. Ha! Anyways, back to Sightglass. Every now and then I like to say that it's almost on par with Blue Bottle, but there are a couple of factors that keep me from this:

• I've only had "real" Sightglass once: But that once was definitely an amazing experience. I was lucky enough to head over there when they just started roasting their own beans. Try a Costa Rican. It's freaking awesome. However, I tend to blame the location for my lack of appearance there. SOMA: the bane of my existence. There is NOTHING there except for a few good restaurants. I'm sure it will blossom and boom in the next few years, but for now, walking down an empty street on a Sunday afternoon is a bit too eerie for me.

• I had a bad experience with Sightglass at Hapa Ramen: So, I don't want to blame Hapa Ramen, but the iced Sightglass coffee was kind of...really unsatisfying. The fact that it was served from a tub-type thing should have tipped me off. Don't get me wrong, serving agua fresca from aforementioned containers is totally cool, but maybe not so much with coffee. Trying to put this lightly, but basically it tasted like a bastardized version of Blue Bottle's New Orleans Style Iced Coffee. Conclusion: If you're at the Ferry Building, go to Blue Bottle.

4) Philz: This place has such a soft spot in my heart. A little less pretentious than the others, Philz is the place where you'll want to get your daily coffee, and the baristas will actually remember your face. They'll also help you choose a blend if you're having trouble! Another reason that makes them special: they offer various blends (>20?), that are mostly not single origin. So, we're talking 2-7 different beans per blend. Not conventional, but you kind of take Philz as it is. Like I said before, I go for what tastes good, and this stuff is definitely noms. People either love Philz or hate it. I'll leave that decision to you, but try it at least once.

P.S. I've actually seen Phil at the Berk location pretty often. He seems to hang around his coffee shops a lot. Or maybe it's because that location just opened about two months ago. Try to spot him! He's always wearing a fedora.

Sightglass Coffee Bar and Roastery
270 Seventh Street @ Folsom
San Francisco, CA

Philz Coffee
1600 Shattuck Ave. @ Cedar
Berkeley, CA
In the Mission? Go to the one on 24th. It's near Slocombe. Hella other locations around the Bay. Check for the others on the website.