Today was mostly all about leftovers, so I thought instead that I’d revisit an old topic from this here blog: coffee.  Where DC was an independent coffee desert, Ann Arbor is replete with coffee options.  In addition to a terrible coffee machine in my office, there are at least 4-5 coffee establishments within the same number of blocks from my office – a far cry from the days of Starbucks and the Coffee Man.  At the same time, though, we’ve been ramping up our home coffee production in an attempt to save money.  So, here’s what we’re loving:

At home: beans from Comet Coffee or Zingerman’s, as close to the roast date as possible, ground in our Burr grinder (now powered by a hand drill!) and brewed in the Chemex, then carried to work in our JoEmos.  This week we’ve had an Ethiopian Sidamo from Zing, and before that a Kenyan Wamuguma from 49th Parallel Roasters, picked up at Comet.  Expensive, but cheaper than buying coffee every morning, even at the $2 latte price.

Out: Comet Coffee.  There’s no competition, no comparison.  Tucked away in Nickels Arcade, it’s enough out of my way that I can’t get there often – except those mornings when I get off the bus early so that I can make the stop.  Love the space, love the knowledgeable baristas, love love love the coffee.  If only there were more seating – but that’s probably part of what makes it so dear.

Of course, if Comet’s not in the cards, there’s always Zingerman’s (Deli, Next Door, Coffee Company, or in our neighborhood grocery store), Mighty Good, Espresso Royale, Revive + Replenish, Cafe Verde, Sweetwaters, that place in the Undergrad, that place in the lobby of the Executive Residences, or a handful of Starbuckses – and that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.  Oh, and beans from Roos Roast.