coffee shops of new orleans.

{their humorous honesty makes me believe it}

while we were in new orleans, we, of course, stopped by quite a few coffee shops.  along with getting my caffeine fix, i absolutely love experiencing the different flavors & personalities & practices of coffee shops everywhere.

the winner of best cup of joe was, hands down, spitfire coffee in the french quarter.  this tiny little store has room for their brewing & grinding equipment, a little storage showcasing all of their fancy brewing techniques & ingredients, & the register.  no room for chairs here.  but who doesn't want to walk around the french quarter with their delicious cup of coffee?

while walking along magazine street in the lower garden district, we stopped in another store for a late morning pick me up.  the coffee was not the best i've ever tasted, so i'll let it remain nameless.  {no desire here to hurt someone's reputation.  it's all just opinion anyway, right?}  i did, however, absolutely love the the brutally honest personalities of these baristas.  it's pretty much what every person who has worked in a coffee shop wants to say, but never deemed it appropriate to actually say.  until this place.  awesome.

{AND they had maple bacon coffee beans!
i hope it is as fantastic as it sounds.}

one morning, blakey & i stopped by a coffee shop in the central business district with a beautifully modern vibe.  long skinny lights hanging over the coffee bar, white tables with rustic wood bars, & a huge poofy cloud light fixture.

while blakey was at his second work presentation of the trip, i headed to an adorable bakery to read & relax & enjoy the day.  bittersweet confections is a lovely store with cupcakes & petite fours & cookies & chocolate dipped strawberries & a nice cup of lemon ginger iced tea.  i couldn't bring myself to try one of the sweets on my week away from baking, but the smell of confectioners sugar was a familiar sense of home.

love love,

kjp.