Where’s the Coffee?

For a blog called The Daily Grind, would a reader not expect at least a few posts on coffee? Of course!

Some might recall the Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef” ad campaign from the mid-1980s, featuring the iconic Clara Peller. So, where’s the coffee?

In Williams, Arizona, elevation 6,762′ and population 3,176. One cannot but love any town whose elevation is at least twice that of its population. Route 66 (get your kicks on ….). One hour south from the Grand Canyon and forty minutes west of Flagstaff. The model town for Radiator Springs (Cars), or so I have been told. And, home to great coffee.

Brewed Awakenings Coffee Co. (https://brewedawakeningsaz.com) is, unsurprisingly, on Route 66, the main attraction in Williams. Mind you I had been searching for great coffee since arriving in Arizona on a Saturday, and this was a Thursday. It’s not as though Arizona does not have great coffee; just as example, Cartel Coffee Lab, based in Tempe, is fabulous. I “discovered” this roaster while waiting for a flight at Sky Harbor and have ordered more than a few bags of beans from them. The issue, if I call it that, is that we were staying in functional hotels with complementary breakfasts, including bottomless coffee served in impressive vats. With enough milk, this coffee was likewise functional. When we did go out to breakfast, the coffee served was not much better, smoother, but still flat, tasteless, there.

I had a good hunch about Brewed Awakenings; how could one not with such a clever name. On par with Central Perk, if not better. Let’s try a 12 ounce drip. Danger Monkey (https://www.singlespeedcoffeeroasters.com), from Flagstaff. Fabulous. Complex. Smooth. Cool water to a wanderer through the desert. An oasis from hotel coffee. Enlightenment? Maybe. Sit down. Grab a pastry. Take off your mask. Ponder the mysteries of the universe: a 55-day special military operation, the purpose of the UN, why “never again” never really means never again, why it rained more in Arizona during my short trip than in California for the last two months, why some managers are multipliers, and many, many more are diminishers, why great coffee is sometimes really hard to find). Read a book. Take your time. This is a sleepy town. There is nowhere else to go, besides shopping main street and soaking in Americana, clouds, and the endless Western sky.

Comments welcomed.