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Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer

Amethyst Coffee Shines in Denver

February 25, 2020 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

Amethyst Coffee

At five years old, Amethyst Coffee is making its mark on Denver’s thriving coffee scene and the industry as a whole. On a recent trip to Denver, I discovered this first hand when I visited the first of their four locations — a retail space in a strip mall on Broadway. The space is warm and the staff exudes a certain hospitality that leaves you feeling happier than when you walked in. That is on purpose, explains co-owner Breezy Sanchez.

“Really good hospitality are things that people would never notice,” she says. For Sanchez, that happens behind the scenes– the goal is to read what each guest needs and to meet them where they are. …

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: Amethyst Coffee, colorado, denver

Nashville’s Crema Opens new Duke Street Location

November 25, 2019 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

Crema Duke StreetIf you’ve ever been to Nashville and had the inclination to find a good cafe, there’s a good chance you came across Crema in your search for the best coffee in town. Started by Rachel and Ben Lehman 11 years ago, Crema has grown to be one of Nashville’s most beloved coffee shops. In those years, they’ve also gained national notoriety and have become zero waste with the aim of eventually being carbon neutral.  One of the hallmarks of Crema is their careful approach to growth, which is why the opening of their second location–nestled on Duke Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in East Nashville– is so exciting and remarkable. …

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: Crema, Nashville, tennessee

Slow Down at Tempo in Nashville

December 10, 2018 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

Tempo nashville Nashville residents will recognize Nolensville Pike as one of the best and most diverse areas to eat in the city. You can find cuisines ranging from Kurdish to El Salvadorian along the stretch of road south of downtown. Recently, the Solis family added a new destination to the lineup – Tempo.

Tempo is a coffee shop that Javier and Yvonne Solis, along with their kids, Zylah and Uriah opened this September. The family is originally from San Antonio and Houston and the offerings at the shop are distinctly Texan. The coffee is sourced from Greenway Coffee in Houston, they make homemade tortillas (the dough is shipped from San Antonio) for their breakfast tacos, and they always have cold Topo Chico on hand. They also source…

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Greenway Cofffee, Nashville, tennessee

Stay Golden Shines in Nashville

September 25, 2018 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

Stay Golden Nashville

The Nashville coffee landscape gained a distinctive cafe and roastery this August in Berry Hill. Stay Golden is the latest project from Sean Stewart, Jamie Cunningham, and Nathanael Mehrens. Last December, they began working with parent company, DesignWorks on the concept and enlisted many familiar faces from the Nashville coffee community to be part of it. The trio have all worked in various parts of the Nashville coffee scene for the last several years, Steadfast Coffee being their most recent project. Cunningham said this concept is an evolution on their thoughts on coffee and hospitality and a “resurrection and completion of ideas and past projects.”…

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Nashville, Stay Golden

Retrograde Coffee Moves Nashville’s Coffee Scene Forward

August 7, 2018 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

Retrograde Coffee

Driving along Dickerson Pike in East Nashville, you can’t miss the brightly colored mural that has been added to the landscape. Take a closer look, and you’ll see the gold lettering and green interior of Retrograde Coffee.  After a swift ninety day building period, the café opened on July 14. Before Retrograde’s opening, there wasn’t a cafe in the neighborhood. The community’s response has been positive– in the short time since they’ve been open, they’ve already established a base of regulars….

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Nashville, Onyx Coffee Lab, Quills Coffee, Retrograde Coffee

Cafe Review: High Brow Brew in Franklin, TN

July 8, 2014 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer Leave a Comment

IMG_1884_mochaJust a few years ago, the Westhaven community in Franklin, Tennessee was a pasture outside of town. That land is now home to High Brow Brew, a new café serving Counter Culture Coffee….

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Counter Culture Coffee, Franklin, High Brow Brew, tennessee

Cafe Review: Crema in Nashville

June 17, 2014 By Kathleen Hartsfield Spicer 4 Comments

Crema in Nashville

A brisk 7-minute walk from the Country Music Hall of Fame, tucked away in a rather unlikely location near a Shell station, is Crema, Nashville’s premier micro-roaster. The dirt parking lot is reminiscent of some Tennessee back road and the building is unassuming. Upon stepping into the café, however, that impression disseminates with the greeting of a friendly barista and the scent of roasting coffee. Crema is both café and roastery, and the space is home to the operation behind their award winning coffee….

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Crema, micro-roasters, Nashville, tennessee

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