Coffee Rant #1

Let me start by mentioning that I am by no means a coffee expert. I drink things, and if it tastes good, I like it. I didn't become a coffee lover until recently, and I blame various friends for it. :P

There are a bajillion San Francisco based roasteries, and I will try to rank and comment on some of the local coffee that I've imbibed. This will be the first of a line of posts covering coffee.

1) Blue Bottle: Words cannot explain how amazing Blue Bottle is. Subtle sweetness in every sip, I keep going back despite having experimented with other coffees. Blue Bottle is actually offered in various locations around the Bay, especially the College/Rockridge area of Berkeley/Oakland. But for the full experience, head to one of the "official" locations in SF. The Ferry Building is still my fave, since it was the first place I ever had Blue Bottle coffee. (And also because I just heart the Ferry Building and hang out there as much as I do in the Mission.)

2) Ritual: Definitely a close-second, Ritual offers some hard-core coffee. We're talking you drink coffee because you like the coffee taste. Like you would be fine with nom-ing on coffee beans. And, I mean that in the best way possible. If I'm in the Mission, I definitely head here to re-energize myself. Warning: As with any of the other coffee shops mentioned, the second you walk in be ready to face a room filled with macbooks, hipsters, and at times an air of pretentiousness. Just get past all of that and grab a Heavy Drinker card when you pay because you'll probably want to come back whenever you're in the area, so you might as well get your 10th drink free. And yes, I carry one myself along with a bright red Ritual business card. To be fair, one of my friends works at Ritual...so I'm not totally some crazy coffee chick.

(on the left)
Blue Bottle Coffee
Ferry Building Marketplace, Shop #7, 1 Ferry Building
Check out the other locations on their website!

(on the right)
Ritual Coffee Roasters
1026 Valencia St.
If you are in wine country, check out Ritual in Oxbow Public Market, 610 First Street. I like to call it the mini-Napa version of the Ferry Building. :)