CoffeeShopCritic Blog!

Worlds Most Expensive Coffee. And its Not Starbucks!

2007-06-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

Now there is an unlikely sentence. Yep, Starbucks doesn't offer the world's most expensive coffee beans. That award actually goes to a Costa Rican brew which just won the 'Taza de Excelencia' (means 'excellence cup') competition with their Aserri beans, and are now selling at the equivalent of $21.35 per pound. Not bad eh? So next time you think of that $12 bag of Starbucks think, hey, it's not THAT expensive...

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2007/june/23/nac02.htm

When is discrimination, discrimination?

2007-06-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Starbucks recently settled a discrimination suit against one of it's disabled employees. The woman who brought forth the claim has been diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. The reason the suit was filed is because the employee had her hours cut and was publically berated for not being able to perform basic routine barista tasks.

So here's the issue, did discrimination overtly exist in this case? I want to make something very clear before disecting the discimination issue, I am against the manager berating the employee. I believe that shows poor leadership and lack of personal control on the managers part.

The discrimination claim bothers me, as a manager for an educational publishing company, I manage people everyday to try and get the absolute best performance out of my employees. I feel that the interview process is a isolated situation for discovering if the employee can meet your working style. With that being said, I have hired disabled employees for various roles, but nothing that would compromise their working capabilities and that is exactly what happened in the Starbucks discimination suit. The manager that hired the woman manufactured a role for her to work that didnt need to be created. Then when the old manager left the starbucks a new manager evaluated the positions and realized that the disabled person needed more resposibility to warrant her time spent and money paid.

If you were hired into a company and were directly responsible for increasing sales, increasing customer satisfaction, and eliminating wasted expenditures or your job was on the line, you would do what you were hired to do. Unfortunately in a capitalistic economy, you must take of yourself before others. This is exactly what the newly employeed Starbucks manager did. She accessed the situation and felt the need to cut the hours of the employee and unfortunatley became a victim to a discrimination suit. Minus the berating of the discrimnated employee, I think the manager handled the situation correctly.

The irony is that businesses every day discriminate against our own citizens by outsourcing manufactured labor because of the cheaper costs. The businesses are doing exactly what the manager did... Cut cost for increased profit.

Class action suit anyone?

Burgers and Folgers?

2007-05-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you that like Folgers coffee, you are in luck. Why? Because Wendy's has jumped on the premium coffee bandwagon by starting to offer Folgers premium coffee in all of its North American stores. So now you can chow down on your favorite Wendy's burger while sipping on a tasty Folgers cup of coffee.

Interesting they decided to partner, and not make their own premium brand, like McDonalds and Burger King have done. So which fast food chain is next to offer premium coffee? In-n-Out featuring Maxwell House? I wonder...

Coffee Everyday Can Keep the Doctor Away!

2007-05-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

A new study reveals that men who are at risk for gout can lower their chance for the disease by 40% by drinking coffee six times a day. A common form of inflammatory arthritis, gout usually strikes people in their large toe. Men are affected by the disease more often then women.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. About half the American population indulged in it at about 2 cups per day.

It also is important to note that apple juice, beer, and tea were also tested but showed no significant correlation to the decrease of gout.

This proves once again why we should endulge ourselves in this wonderful beverage.

Bikinis. The new coffee shop marketing idea...

2007-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, believe it or not, a coffee shop in Oregon is making their staff wear bikinis all summer! And its paying off - their sales have doubled to $1000 a day! Its actually part of a Haiwaiian Tropic promotion called 'Bikini Days' there - including free samples and advertising on coffee sleeves. Pretty good idea right? This would definitely work for coffee shops in San Diego too! All they need is to offer pina coladas and it would be the perfect hit ;)

Starbucks vs Ethiopia

2007-05-10T00:33:00.001-07:00

With the race to diversify coffee selections the need for unique coffee blends has become quite challenging, just ask Starbucks. The phrase "Shirkina Sun-Dried Sidamo" was used to title a Ethiopian coffee. However, Starbucks has found itself a fight and must pay licensing fees to the country of Ethiopia to use the title and their coffee. With this "partnership" Starbucks claims that it is paying a premium price for the coffee and that they are doing their part to become a responsible company. Take a look at this video and we will let you decide.

Impress Your Friends with Coffee Art

2007-05-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, coffee geeks are impressed with doing cool stuff with coffee and the foam on top of it. I know this all to well after working in Starbucks before!

Anyway, I just found this cool website explaining how to draw some cool patterns in your coffee while pouring, called 'Latte Art'... check it out, very interesting! First person that can draw an english flag on their coffee gets a special prize from me ;)

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Latte-Art

New Study Alleges Coffee Promotes Hair Growth...

2007-04-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

A new study that will be released Friday, April 27th, will provide new information suggesting that Coffee has certain enzymes that lead to hair growth and the slowing effects of degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. This new research is being provided by Dr. Ernesto Illy, who is the International Coffee Organization Promotion Committee Chairman and Honorary Chairman to premier Italian espresso company, illycaffe. Dr. Illy brings eighty-two years of scientific research the International table. The publicity that these findings will receive fulfill Dr. Illy's main goals of promoting his personal research and providing coffee lovers information to help people enjoy and appreciate the authentic Italian coffee experience.

Vintage TV Coffee Adverts/Life With Crap Coffee

2007-04-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Coffee really wasn't really that big or very good in the 50's and 60's. I guess people were just happy with watery un-buzzable coffee back then. Just take a look at these vintage TV coffee adverts I found on YouTube. Can you imagine life back in those days with no good coffee and having to watch embarrasingly cheesy commercials for 'coffee' and having to rely on Folgers 'fresh-perked' or whatever that means? Check these out... very strange!

Fresh-Perked? What's that mean?

Drive-in Movie Coffee/What the hell is that kid eating anyway?

Difference, Difference? Weird...

Hold it Soon? Even weirder...

Zanzibar in Upcoming Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk!

2007-04-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Not only do Zanzibar brew a good cup of coffee, but their food is great - so good that they have just been nominated as one of the 18 featured places on the 'Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk', on Tuesday April 17th, from 5-9pm.

Tickets are only $15 and you get samples at all participating restaurants. Come hungry and check it out - and congratulations to Zanzibar! Here's all the details:

http://pacificbeach.org/visitorinfo/calendar.cfm

Coffee Shop Karma Anyone?

2007-04-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered why people seem so happy in a coffee shop? Perhaps its the moment you walk into your favorite coffee shop and the smell of fresh ground coffee beans sends your senses into overdrive, you know you have entered another world, away from the hussle and bussle of life - and you really can't help but smile.

Or perhaps you smile because you see some great friends who are regulars there - and they always pet and make fuss over your dog - coffeeshops truly are increasingly becoming life's little escape pod. And they are appearing everywhere lately - true, you could go to coffeeshops 20 years ago, but its taken the birth of the 'Starbucks culture' and appearance of true coffee aficionados to help create this whole new coffee-karma world. And with the advent of wi-fi internet, coffeeshops can now the perfect place to focus on work, away from the hectic office.

So go ahead, order that caramel latte and banana nut muffin, and sit back relax - take a book that you have been meaning to finish, or my favorite - people watch. Coffeeshops bring all sorts of people together - the local artist who sells their work there, the aspiring local musician, the people in search of their morning coffee buzz to get their day started, and the pet lovers that enjoy being somewhere there dog is actually welcome and encouraged.

So next time you go to a coffeeshop, smile, if you aren't already! Its infectious - and who knows, you may even meet your soul mate there. Yep, its true, more and more people are meeting their certain special someone at a coffeeshop. Next time you see someone smiling at you, why not say hi? You never know what might happen! And for those of you that haven't been in a coffeeshop, or those that don't go very often, go out exploring, and you will soon find your own little piece of coffeeshop karma!

Caribou Coffee is going to Court

2007-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

There are often fine lines in coffee shops around the nation between Managers and Barista's. Do you know the difference? Hundreds of managers in Caribou Coffee sure don't. Thats because these managers are seeing themselves more barista's than bosses, which entitles them to overtime benefits. The conflict comes on behalf of Minnesota's laws suggesting that all employees, except manangers, should receive overtime pay for hours beyond a regular workweek.

Caribou Coffee is however fighting back stating that "it has properly classified its store managers as exempt under the (Fair Labor Standards Act) and Minnesota law." In summation it looks like Caribou Coffee will join the ranks of countless other American corporations that become part of class-action lawsuits.

So, we ask the question, are these managers entitled to overtime benefits? You can review the entire article here... Caribou Coffee Article

Also when you get a chance lets us know how you like our website... CoffeeShopCritic.com

Ning. Will you Marry Me?

2007-04-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. Ever heard of Ning.com? Its a social networking web application that allows you to design social networks, complete with members, blogs, videos, photos and more! Its so amazing that we decided to use it as our social network partner. We were going to use Myspace and blogger.com, but thats yesterday's news. And ning does both of these, better!

On each of the coffee shop review pages at CoffeeShopCritic.com you will now find a link to join the coffee shop's online community, powered by Ning. There you can join and become a member, read blogs, upload photos, chat with other members and get involved with the blogs! Here's an example: http://caffecalabria.ning.com.

So join your favorite coffee shops right now! We are sure you are going to like using the social networks!

And big kudos to the guys at Ning.com! So how about it? Will you marry me? I really can't live without you...

Help Save Toronto...

2007-04-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

In the city of Toronto, there is bloodshed in the streets, trash is piling up around the city, and major road work is needed. What is the cause of these problems... the cities coffee bill. You see, Toronto made the strategic choice to have free coffee inside their City Hall building, with an annual cost of $20,000 dollars, instead of buying an extra police car. Now a logical person can deduct that the corrolation between death and coffee is pretty shaky at best, but the premise remains true. Canadians love their coffee!!!

Its hard to place a price tag on the value of Coffee, but its easier to see the impact of its non-existance. So lets take a look at potential newspaper headlines in Toronto if Coffee becomes extinct:

1. "Millions of Torontians Finding New Ways to Wake up."

2. "Dentists Form Unions."

3. "Toronto Voted World's Cleanest City."

4. "Toronto Crime Rates at all-time Low."

Eventhough Im having fun at Toronto's expense, isnt it great to know that Coffee is here to stay and that our governmental leaders value its existence over violent crime... Drink up!!!

Small Coffee Please...Wait, I Mean A Short Espresso...

2007-04-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

The coffee culture has changed in America. Ten years ago it was Folgers in your cup, now it’s a tall skim double-shot vanilla latte with whip. This change in language didn’t happen over night, but rather the constant infusion of coffee with our everyday lives. In fact, how many coffee review websites have you personally seen over the last decade?

In 2005, we consumed nearly 11 billion dollars worth of "high-quality" coffee according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America. We have changed our palettes from drastically over the last few years, but what does this mean? Nothing... Just expect to see more chain fast-food restaurants to roll out their "premium blend" and expect more companies to change from Maxwell house to pre-packaged Starbucks.

This post is not meant to lead a revolt against your local Starbucks, but instead remind all of the coffee drinkers out there that your Grande soy vanilla latte is still just coffee. Embrace your future, remember the past, and tip your cup to another change in culture around the world.

Holiday Inn Causes Coffee Drinkers To Look Again.

2007-04-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Several organizations in South America have taken steps to protect laborers in the coffee fields around the continent. One organization, known as Rainforest Alliance, has taken pro-active steps to insure higher "environmental and social standards including biodiversity conservation, worker protection, healthcare and education for children of farm workers."

This heightened awareness has caused major American companies to follow suit by purchasing coffee through the Rainforest Alliance. One company in particular, Holiday Inn, has ensured that visitors staying in their hotels across the country will enjoy this unique coffee blend. Holiday Inn is the largest hotel chain to adopt this social policy and hopefully not the last.

American companies such as Kraft Foods, Procter and Gamble, Wal-Mart, Target, Sam's Club, Whole Foods, and many others have chosen to carry Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.

Bottom-line is that anytime we can uphold our social responsibility to the people of other nations and enjoy a fabulous cup of coffee - it quickly causes us to "Look Again"

Beware of Fake Wi-fi Networks in Starbucks!

2007-03-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I hate online hackers and 'phishers' who try and steal your credit card details. How would they like someone stealing their credit card and running up a $1000 bill at Walmart? And things are getting worse. Even coffeeshops aren't safe now!

I read an interesting article today about the increasingly common (and alarming!) trend of hackers setting up identical named wi-fi network accounts at coffee shops. These appear to be legitimate and collect your credit card details when you want to pay for your wireless access at the coffee shop. But they are actually fake and steal your credit card details! Its happening more at coffeeshops like Starbucks where you have to logon and pay for wireless access. Grrr.

My solutions? Either sign up and pay for your wireless account from home before you get to Starbucks, and just simply login when you get there. That way at least they don't get your credit card details if you fall for the scam!

Better yet. Don't even go to coffee shops like Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf where you have to pay for wireless internet! Go to one of your local neighborhood coffee shops, and chances are they will have free wireless - no need to even logon or put your credit card details in! And that way you support your local coffee shops too instead of the corporate coffee shops! ;)

20th Coffee Shop Review - Cream

2007-03-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

20th New Review! Yep, its our 20th featured coffee shop in San Diego! And what a great coffee shop our 20th is! Cream coffee shop in University Heights really is one of the best I have been to in San Diego - definite 5 stars. Check out the review and let us know what you think!

New Featured Coffee Shop - Caffe Calabria

2007-03-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

New Review! Our newest coffee shop review on coffeeshopcritic.com is Caffe Calabria. This great coffee shop in North Park is for serious coffee lovers - they even roast their own beans! Take a look and let us know what you think.

Regret not saying hi to that cutie in the coffee shop?

2007-03-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Always find yourself wishing you would have talked to that cute guy or girl in the coffee shop or local bar? Worry no more!

Because for 'shy' people like you there is a new service in San Diego and other cities. It's called Kizmeet, and it allows 'missed connections' to try and find each other, just like the section on CraigsList. Its actually pretty good - they even have a san diego coffee shop section, which seems to be getting popular.

I'm sure chances are pretty slim of the other person reading the post, but I actually made a post on there recently to see if my 'missed connection' replies... so we shall see if she replies! Anyway, check it out!

http://www.kizmeet.com/missed-connections/coffee-shops/san-diego/

New Featured Coffee Shop - Pannikin

2007-03-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

New Review! Here is our latest coffee shop review on CoffeeShopCritic.com - yep, we are keeping them coming! This time, its Pannikin coffee in La Jolla - its actually one of the oldest coffee shops in San Diego.

CoffeeShopCritic.com website update too - its growing and evolving, particuarly the homepage. We are going to start really promoting CoffeeShopCritic.com soon and get some good traffic there. Plus look for the CoffeeShopCritic MySpace page coming very soon! As per usual, feel free to comment and give feedback!

McDonalds Premium Coffee Review

2007-03-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

McDonalds and premium coffee are two words that I would have never associated together. However, after McDonalds has sat and watch Starbucks take the world by storm with its premium coffee, they recently decided to launch their own premium coffee and get in on the action. So I decided to take the plunge and order myself something that I never thought I would order from McDonalds - premium coffee!

My McDonalds premium coffee review:
Well, considering the old McDonalds coffee tasted like scalding hot mud, it didn't really have to try that hard to get better. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised - and this is coming from someone who drinks a lot of Starbucks and premium coffees in local coffee shops. It actually had a reasonable 'roasted' flavor to it, although it tasted a little watery still. And the main problem with McDonalds premium coffee? The fact that you can't actually drink it for 10/15 mins unless you have a heat resistant tongue. Yes, its that damn hot. It is much cheaper than Starbucks though - only $1.09 for 12 ounces (a Starbucks 'tall' size) - Starbucks charges $1.50-75 for the same size.

Overall, McDonalds premium coffee still doesn't compare to a good Starbucks Sumatra or Verona blend, but I personally thought it was better than the very over-rated Dunkin Donuts coffee, which seems to have got a cult following on the east coast. And its light years ahead of McDonalds old coffee, and that crap they serve for coffee in other fast food restaurants like Jack in the Box or Carls Jr. Good job Ronald - how about making all your burgers 'premium' too next ;)

Rating: 7/10 (i'm 'kinda' lovin' it I guess)

New Featured Coffee Shop - Living Room, La Jolla

2007-03-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

New Review! Our newest coffee shop review is now up - this time we feature Living Room, La Jolla. Its one of about 5 of these coffee shops in the San Diego area. Its a little pricey there, but other than that, its a pretty good coffee shop! Let us know what you think.

Are you Kidding? Seen on Java Jones Bulletin Board

2007-03-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had to do a double take on this one. I found the following notice posted on the bulletin board in Java Jones, Pacific Beach. Does anyone else think this is funny or is it just me...

LOST!
We have lost our pet turtle. She is 25 pounds. Please return her - we miss her. Call 858 xxx xxxx.

Are they serious? I had a good mind to call them up and say try looking on your front porch! Just how far can a turtle get? Funniest thing I have seen in a while!

Anyone else got any 'Funny Bullet Board Posts' to beat that? Feel free to comment!

New Featured Coffee Shop - Kahve

2007-03-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

New Review! I should be outside in this beautiful 80 degree weather, but nope, i have been doing the Kahve coffee shop review. Anyway, its a very unique coffee shop in Mission Beach and it actually has no 'inside' area. Check it out and let me us what you think!

New Featured Coffee Shop - Turquoise Coffee

2007-03-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

New Review! Our latest coffee shop review to be added to CoffeeShopCritic.com is Turquoise Coffee in Pacific Beach. This is an appealing coffee shop that makes a good quiet alternative to the nearby often very busy but good coffee shop Java Jones. Check it out!

Find Starbucks Easier (as if its that hard anyway!)

2007-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Just in case you don't know which of the 5 local Starbucks coffee shops is closest to you, or if you don't want to dare risk drinking at a local coffee shop when you are travelling and just HAVE to find a Starbucks instead, then this is for you.

Our wonderful caffeine friends at Starbucks have introduced a cool way to find your nearest Starbucks by using a text message. Searchers simply include their zip code in a text sent to MYSBUX and a list of stores will be returned. Not bad eh?

Now whats my ZIP code again?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003594482_starbuckstext01.html?syndication=rss

New Featured Coffee Shop - Claire de Lune

2007-03-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

New Review! Our third new review of the week - this time its the very popular and colorful Claire de Lune coffee shop in North Park! Check it out and let us know what you think.

New Featured Coffee Shop Review - Twiggs

2007-02-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

New review! Our newest reviewed San Diego coffee shop is Twiggs, in University Heights.

The sad news is that, effective tomorrow, that Twiggs will be offering no more live music there, which was a great feature of this coffee shop. Apparently they had a clause in their lease saying they weren't allowed to play live music all along, yet they got away with it until now. Oh well, its still a great coffee shop!

From Coffee Enthusiasts to Weekend Road Warriors...

2007-02-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Well... it has been a week since the intial launch of CoffeeShopCritic.com and we are excited to finally start making a difference in the online community. With the millions of sites that are created everyday, we wanted to be different. The difference is that we have created a site that drives online visitors through the physical doors of the coffee shops, but more importantly, helps the online visitor make an educated decision in choosing where they might take their business. We knew one thing for certain... and that is we did not want to become a yellow pages for coffee shops, but rather a place for people to engage in the community aspects that we have incorporated into the foundation of CoffeeShopCritic, like the different myspace profiles and blogs (that we are soon to have). We wanted to create a resource for the local coffee enthusiasts and the weekend road warriors. We hope that you enjoy what we have created and we look forward to expanding this service to every coffee shop market throughout the United States.

New Featured Coffee Shop Review - Brickyard

2007-02-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

New review! Great little coffeeshop called Brickyard, a few minutes walk from the gaslamp district downtown. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Congratulations, its a baby CoffeeShopCritic.com!

2007-02-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well, its finally happened. CoffeeShopCritic.com is now live, after 2 months of 'in the oven' time! We have just pushed it live after 2 crazy weekend days of intense finishing up work/labor. Complete with emergency run to Best Buy to fix my wireless card yesterday!

Special thanks go to Gelato Vero coffeeshop here in San Diego where it all happened over the last 2 days. It really is like I've just given birth - I am physically and mentally exhausted! And this is only just the start of things....

So go check it all out, and let us know what you all think! We are proud of our new arrival... and we are off to get a much needed beer or two to celebrate!

Update & More Love For YouTube

2007-01-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

You might start thinking that I own shares in YouTube or something, judging by how much I have talked about them lately! Anyway, I have uploaded the first coffeeshop interior videos to YouTube - and they look great! We are about 85% done now with the website, its definitely taking way longer to finish than I initially thought. And Brian is sure eager to get coffeeshops signed up! Anyway, keep your eyes peeled. February 1st launch is looking tough, but hopefully it won't be much longer!

Coffee Coffee, I love My Coffee (videos)!

2007-01-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

In a genius brain wave last night, I decided to build a new section for CoffeeShopCritic.com, featuring funny and cool coffee videos!

And no you can't see it yet ;) Lets just say there are plenty of hilarious coffee videos out there on YouTube! I would have included more, but too many had the f-bomb word in them. Shame.

Look out for the ones I have chosen, in particular a crazy coffee song, and a rather shameful fake coffee charity video.

Things are progressing well, even though having the Chargers lose on sunday was a real setback to my productivity ;) Hopefully we are on course for a Feb 1st launch of the website, with our first coffee shops signed up shortly after!

Historic Day...

2007-01-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

See the funny thing is, Brian really doesn't like the taste of coffee that much. Crazy huh? But he wants to get into it. And today it finally happened. Thanks to a flying nun. No she really wasn't flying - its the name of Santos coffeeshop's signature drink. And he actually liked it! It's probably due to the fact that it has caramel syrup and sweet condensed milk in it... actually it is pretty tasty - and it has 3 shots of espresso in it! Brian's first coffee buzz is coming right up ;)

Oh, and we have also added a email subscription box to this blog, so you can receive updates in your email. Cool eh? Just put your email address in to the right, and click 'subscribe'. And you will witness the formation of coffeeshopcritic as it happens!

Happy New Year & Back On Track!

2007-01-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Finally back in San Diego now and we are pressing ahead with finishing the CoffeeShopCritic.com website! We had anticipated launching before christmas, but we want to make sure everything was just right and not rush things. Over the holidays we thought of some great new additions that we are working on right now. Hopefully we will go live by the end of the month... keep your eyes peeled!

An Englishman in (Christmas) New York

2006-12-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well, today I had a great cup of coffee. In fact, it was the best cup of coffee in... New York! (according to citysearch.com last year!). Yep, you guessed it, I am in New York for the holidays, visiting some of my american family that live out there. I was shopping in greenwich village and though, hmm, i really need a java fix and first of all thought that i just should find a starbucks - then i thought to myself 'am i crazy?? go find a cool coffeeshop!' So i asked in bleeker street records and 3 staff there told me unanimously to go to the 'grey dog' coffeeshop just around the corner - and they weren't wrong - it was great! so i sat there and wondered, one day, hopefully coffeeshopcritic will have an NYC version, so i can give the 'grey dog' a great review!

Drumroll Please... the CoffeeShopCritic Logo!

2006-12-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well folks, here it is, the long anticipated logo for coffeeshopcritic! We are actually pretty pleased with how it went (thanks go to the logo loft!). If you are in coffeeshops in san diego, expect to start seeing this logo around! I'm actually sitting in Java Jones in Pacific Beach right now, sipping on my cup of paradise blend, working on the website...

We would love to know what you think of the our logo - feel free to post comments! :) Until next time...

CoffeeShopCritic.com Countdown!

2006-12-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally writing the very first CoffeeShopCritic blog post! And I still don't even know what the final name for this will blog will be - hmmm, sounds like we should have an audience poll on this in the future!

Anyway, things are getting pretty exciting here. I am not going to disclose the full details of CoffeeShopCritic.com yet, but lets just say its going to be a pretty damn unique coffee shop website, blending elements of the real coffee shop world. We are going to start things in San Diego and expand to other regions.

We are working on CSC (thats going to be our lazy way of writing CoffeeShopCritic!) right now - I just approved the final logo that we had professional done for us. So next post, I will reveal the logo :) And bear in mind that we have already been working on this logo, website and business plan for over a month now!

Hopefully I will look back on this first post and think wow, that was really the start of something big... that you will all love and be passionate about just as much as we are!

We hope to launch the website beta version just before christmas, but seeing as this is just website business in addition to our regular jobs, its hard to really set a hard and fast date. In the meantime, feel free to comment - the more comments and suggestions about this blog and what to name it, the better!