From January 24 to February 2, 2020, my husband and I went on a west coast to east coast cross country road trip. Besides some sightseeing and food trip, we also stopped for some coffee. My husband is a dark roast coffee drinker who prefers his coffee black. On the other hand, I’m more a tea drinker and mocha lover.
On this trip, we started from San Francisco -> Death Valley National Park -> Las Vegas -> Grand Canyon National Park -> Flagstaff -> Albuquerque -> Amarillo -> Oklahoma City -> Memphis -> Nashville -> Knoxville -> High Point. We didn’t stop for coffee in all of the places we went through but only those which were highly recommended.
In San Francisco, we enjoyed coffee from Blue Bottle, Philz Coffee and Peets. At Costco, we were able to buy 6 cans of Blue Bottle Cold Brew Coffee which seems to be exclusively in San Francisco. His verdict on this cold brew coffee in can is it’s surprisingly refershing with smooth taste and hints of citrus flavor. He said it can quench any thirst and give you the caffeine you need for the day. Besides the cold brew coffee, he enjoyed their New Orleans Coffee Float. He loved the sea salt ice cream which balanced the flavors all around. As for Peets, I enjoyed drinking their Chai Tea Latte. My husband enjoyed the Arabian Mocha Java blend which has rich flavor and full bodied with hints of cocoa. As for Philz Coffee, we were intrigued with their Mint Mojito, which is non-alcoholic and perfect for those who love coffee and mint.
In Albuquerque, we stopped by Cutbow Coffee which was named best coffee in New Mexico. The owner, Paul Gallegos, used to work for Peet’s Coffee. The coffee shop is quaint, beautiful and has a homey feel. My husband tried 4 of their blends with one of them as the Panama Geisha which is one of the most expensive blend in the world. For his origin flight taste, he had Guatemala, Eagle Nest and Papua New Guinea. The Guatamela blend which is good for espresso, is not citrusy, has balanced bitterness and hints of chocolate. The Eagle Nest blend which is a combination of 3 coffee from Guatamela, Kenya and Sumatra, is complexed and layered with hints of citrus and smoky flavor. It’s good as espresso or cold brew. The Papua New Guinea blend has bright and clean flavors with a bit of citrus. It’s quench thirsting like drinking juice instead of coffee. It’s perfect for cold brew, pour over or french press. As for the Panama Geisha blend, the owner had him try it as iced coffee. It’s really worth the money you pay for as it was delicious.
In Oklahoma, we headed to downtown Oklahoma City and dropped by KLLR Coffee Roasters. The place seems to cater to the businesses around the area. Parking is not free so beware of that. The place looks modern and simple. I had my chai latte while my husband had his espresso. My chai was forgettable and while his espresso was nothing to brag about. We still bought a bag which was yet to be opened.
In Nashville, we dropped by Crema. Love the decor and merchandise of the shop. It’s more inviting than KLLR. The coffee was better than KLLR. The chai still didn’t hit my standard. We didn’t buy any coffee as we already had enough bags in our stash.
In Knoxville, we had brunch at the French Market where my husband found another coffee which he loved. It’s one of the common brand which he never tried before, Lavazza. Nowadays, the Lavazza Perfetto is a staple K-Cup pod in our cabinet.
That’s it! I guess we didn’t vist that much. Some are out of the way from our I-40 route that we didn’t stop by as it will add more hours to our trip. If you want to know more of the different coffee or want to share your own coffee experience, visit our instagram page @thecoffeedisciple . We welcome reviewers from all over the world.
Claudine on the Go 