James "the Professor" H.'s Profile

Huge servings of delicious coffee in a comfortable atmosphere. An education about Rwanda its coffee terroir.

Good coffee from Jim's Organics. Great little scone with jam on top. Read other reviews for the mixed response to the raw offerings. One concept I very much like is the sliding-scale meal -- a set menu for which each customer can pay on according to his/her own available wealth.

Fair trade, organic, AND commmunity-focused. All of my Appleton relatives recommended this cafe, and I can confirm that it is the place to be. It is in a new location on College Avenue. The coffee is excellent, the menu a bit more varied than a typical cafe. The atmosphere is very comfortable and the staff is both friendly and professional.

The coffee is excellent. I enjoyed a Nicaragua brew that was roasted to perfection by La Java Roasting House in Green Bay

I was running late for a meeting and driving a car without A/C, so I spent only a few minutes here, and had the iced coffee. It was brewed perfectly -- not a common find.

I give it high marks for serving fair-trade and organic coffee, but this cafe has quite a few other things to recommend it. First is the roaster right in the front window. Second is the free wi-fi, with clearly-stated expectations about its use. Third is the ample seating -- booths and tables and a counter with stools. And of course, friendly people behind the counter!

This was my first visit to the center of Beverly, and I will have to go back when I have time to walk around. It seems to have plenty of good eateries and shops -- what a downtown should be. The parking reminds me of an old Garrison Keillor joke: every space on Cabot Street has a meter, but the side streets are free.

I usually Yelp only fair-trade coffee shops. Open City qualifies, in my opnion, because it serves direct-trade coffee from my friends at Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC. I was surprised that this is not made easier to learn in the shop itself -- I had to dig on the web site. The site is very educational, even explaining the rationale for choosing direct trade over fair trade. The shop could more to promote the connection to farmers.

Although other reviewers seem to have a wide range of experiences, we found the atmosphere to be terrific (it was very nice being there early on a cool summer morning), the staff very attentive, and the food both healthy and tasty. The place is large and overlooks Rock Creek park.

One reviewer commented on the very dark roast, and I tend to agree. The roast used for house coffee is appropriate to espresso, but for the large cups with breakfast, one of Counter Culture's medium roasts would be better.

This shop gets points for accessibility, too. Restrooms are in the basement, so a chairlift has been installed. And kids are clearly welcome, as there is a stack of high chairs right by the bar.

Meeting friends for dinner in Providence (at Andrea's -- a great spot), I was pleased to see this cafe nearby. A student had suggested it a long time ago, and I had forgotten to go look for it. (My students are required to scout coffee shops for me -- at least in my coffee class they are!)

I like that the place celebrates its particular brand of patriotism with a U.S. flag in the steam of its coffee-cup logo. Very clever. I like the voting for causes, too! On my visit, I noticed that of the four causes, three were about even, with the Democratic party bin in distant fourth. So, the patrons seem to be progressive in in a way that is more community-minded than partisan.

Anyway, back to the shop. It gets five starts from me because I only review shops that I can give my best rating. I had a cappuccino that was quite nice and served in a properly-warmed cup. The baristas were nice and knowledgeable.

The dessert offerings were very limited (as the baristas readily admitted), but we had some fairly-traded chocolate bars that were out of this world. I might drive back over there just for the chile-cherry chocolate bar. Unbelievable!

Blue State gets extra points for walking the walk -- not only promoting lefty causes but also supporting local businesses and making its operation as socially and environmental sustainble as possible. Good show!

Like everyone else, I love the love seats at CableCar, but I won't object to the recent upgrade.

It is one of the best places I know to sit and surf, and of course the coffee is delicious and fair-trade (last I checked -- that is a prereq for my 5-star rating!)

Friendly and helpful staff, though management could stand to add a person or two for the busy closing time on a nice summer day.

My list is usually restricted to places that focus on coffee, so this was a bit different, because my family came here for a light dinner. (Which was delicious, inexpensive, and served promptly.)

I did have a black, iced coffee. It could have been brewed slightly stronger to compensate for the melting ice, but it was quite tasty. And after dinner I had a frozen cappuccino in the ice cream/market section of the shop.

If you are on the Mass Turnpike, this is a great alternative to the nearby Stockbridge rest area -- the first as you come in from New York.

When you are there, ask the staff about the coffee -- they serve only Dean's Beans! It is roasted in Orange (fairly close by) and is fairly traded and organic! Please read my web site to learn why this matters.

This place is terrific -- spacious and cozy at the same time, with free wifi (I'm using it now). It is in a vibrant, walkable downtown area with a lot of other attractions nearby. I walked here easily from the DoubleTree hotel.

Service is very friendly, and local folks young and old really seem to enjoy the place.

Fair trade and organic coffee is on offer, though it is only a few of the dozen or more varieties, and it might be a special order.

If you are in downtown Lowell, this is a great place to try.

So, it looks like 2007 was not the year for Bruegger's on School Street.

I have never been to any Bruegger's before, and I did not read the reviews from last year before I came to this one. I think that management got the message from last year's postings on Yelp. So, you folks who came here in 2007 did a good job!

The walls are freshly painted, the clientele are well dressed -- two pin-stripe suits in here -- and a guy is sweeping what looks like a new floor right now. I was not in the mood to eat, so I cannot comment on the food, but the place has plenty of staff, and they are nice enough.

This close to the center of Boston (a block from Boston Common), this is a place with FREE wi-fi, plenty of seating, and fair-trade coffee. The vast windows provide a glimpse on a little pocket park and the to-ing and fro-ing of people betweeen the financial district and the Common.

All of the coffee is fair-trade, and they have educational materials about why this matters.

I can see that this would not be a great place for a date or a fancy meal, but if you are looking for a clean, comfortable place to get some work done and have some good coffee, give it a try!