• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Coffee Compass

Your Guide for Craft Coffee

  • Home
  • About
  • Archive
  • Map
  • Contact
  • Shop

Three Shops Changing the Phoenix Coffee Scene

December 10, 2016 By Michael 1 Comment

It can be tough selling a hot beverage in the desert. Against all odds, roasters like Cartel, Press, and Peixoto have long championed locally-roasted coffee in the Phoenix area. But a new wave of cafés are introducing the Valley of the Sun to out-of-state roasters, adding a depth and diversity to the Phoenix coffee scene. On a recent trip to Arizona we visited three Phoenix coffee shops changing the local scene. 

Kream Coffee

Kream Coffee in North Central Phoenix may only have a single-group Synesso, but that doesn’t stop them from brewing up a serious arsenal of coffee. Whether it’s from nationally known roasters like Ritual and Onyx or regional favorites like Tucson’s Presta Coffee, every coffee at Kream is brewed with care and precision. Also, Kream shares the space with For the People design shop, which makes for some fascinating window shopping while you sip your cappuccino.

Futuro

If we’ve ever been to an appropriately named coffee shop, it’s Futuro. The sleek, ultra-modern interior feels like something out of a 70s scifi movie, only with really good coffee. Futuro serves coffee from acclaimed Canadian roasters 49th Parallel, and boasts a veteran staff of baristas with an impressive array of experience. Whether it’s the sparkling hibiscus tea served with espressos or the Danzeisen Dairy milk used in Futuro’s blanco (all drinks are named in Spanish), its the subtle details that make Futuro memorable. We ordered more coffee here than we planned and we expect you will to.

Fourtillfour Coffee

While technically in Old Town Scottsdale and not Phoenix, Fourtillfour Coffee deserves a nod for bringing San Francisco-inspired coffee culture to the Valley. The vibe here may be classic cars, complete with a Craftsman tool box condiment stand, but the menu is all Bay Area. Wood-fired bread from nearby Noble Bread is sold by the slice, and Four Barrel Coffee is the exclusive coffee provider for both espresso and autodrip. Although the the café itself is barely a room, a large porch makes Fourtillfour a perfect place to take in that beautiful Arizona weather.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit

Related

Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: Arizona, Four Barrel Coffee, Kream Coffee, Phoenix

About Michael

Michael Butterworth is a coffee educator, consultant, and writer. He cofounded the Coffee Compass mostly as an excuse to visit more coffee shops. For consulting enquiries please visit butterworth.coffee.

Previous Post: « The Official 2016 Coffee Compass Holiday Gift Guide
Next Post: Gear Review: Handground »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angie Diamond says

    December 29, 2016 at 11:28 pm

    I love to hear about the various coffee shops across the nation! It’s amazing the different presentations of their establishment owners think up. I particularly like the creativity FourtillFour Coffee uses with the tool box and garage door. Thank you for sharing,

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get Fresh Content

Sign up for Free Updates from
The Coffee Compass.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021