My Coffee Odyssey - Coffee Slingers

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It is rainy and feeling more like fall this morning, so a trip to try Coffee Slingers seems perfectly appropriate. Maybe it is because of the weather or time of day but my first impression on walking in was, “Wow! This place is noisy!” The front wall is entirely windows and, with the lighting, it is pretty light in here. Coffee Slingers fronts onto Broadway in Automobile Alley in the central business district in Oklahoma City. Seating is not particularly comfortable which suggests the turnover is expected (encouraged?) to be quick. The customers strike me as downtown business folk having a quick coffee and business chat. There does not seem to be any food on the menu board which, I suppose, is a coffee shop plus; however, it does not seem like a coffee shop where one could go and get any serious reading or work accomplished. I suppose that means, by my narrow definition, this is not a coffee shop. It is a place to grab a quick cup of coffee. 

I was told that the brewed coffee would always be a medium roast so that is what I am drinking today. It was, I thought, a bit pricey. It was $3.79 for a cup and no refills. Hanging out for more than a cup (or two) would start to get expensive which, again, could be part of the business plan. As for the coffee, it was somewhere in the Okay – Good range, not the best on #MyCoffeeOdyssey adventures.

 

There are some upsides. There are no moms with little ones running about. If you like a Starbucks atmosphere but don’t like Starbucks it would be fine. If you work downtown or on Automobile Alley Coffee Slingers is convenient and certainly worth a visit. I do have to note, that as I sit here typing this the crowd is drifting out, the noise level is going down, and my experience is improving. I will need to revisit during my usual afternoon timeframe just to see. Would I meet you here for coffee? Are you buying? Then, yes. Give me a call.

Disclaimer: I am not a coffee connoisseur. I am just a guy who lies to drink coffee in coffee shops. I tend to think of my coffee in terms of Meh – Okay - Good – Great. Most coffee I drink is okay to good. It has to make an effort to get to Great or Meh. These are just my opinions. Take or ignore them as you wish. Read more about #MyCoffeeOdyssey at "How this all started."

My Coffee Odyssey - Vintage Coffee

Vintage Coffee

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Vintage Coffee reminds me a little of the coffee shop from years ago on Campus Corner in Norman. It is a bit on the dark side, has an eclectic, college campus sort of feel, and they serve really good coffee. In addition to good coffee there is a small selection of cupcakes and pastries for those times when you just must have something to nosh on. There are plenty of small tables spread among different rooms room one can read, work, visit, or just hang out. There are a couple of small “breakout” rooms that can be reserved for privacy. The baristas today are Joy and Ashton. They are friendly and the service is great. This is at least my third visit to Vintage and I can affirm that this is definitely a coffee shop.

Now, regarding the coffee. As always, I am drinking the dark roast, a French roast, if I am correct. The price is definitely right. It is $1.90 for a cup with free refills as long as I am here. That is a pretty good bargain. My coffee today was solidly in the Great! end of my simple coffee scale.

Vintage has not been overly busy when I have been here; however, I tend to visit coffee shops in the mid-afternoon which is not exactly prime time. The first impression is interesting. Don't be confused. What you are looking for is right through that green door. When I walked in the first time it almost felt as though I was walking into a private place of some sort. I suppose you are, in a way. Vintage makes you feel like you have escaped the world for just a bit. I really like this place. It has a comfortable feel that makes it easy to just be here. A big plus is that on none of my visits have there been any teens or people dragging small ones with them. Would I meet you here for coffee? Absolutely. In fact, if you called me for coffee, Vintage would be high on my list of suggestions. So, call me. I’ll buy you a cup.

Joy & Ashton

Disclaimer: I am not a coffee connoisseur. I am just a guy who lies to drink coffee in coffee shops. I tend to think of my coffee in terms of Meh – Okay - Good – Great. Most coffee I drink is okay to good. It has to make an effort to get to Great or Meh. These are just my opinions. Take or ignore them as you wish.

My Coffee Odyssey - Cuppies and Joe

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This is my second visit to Cuppies and Joe. Well, it is my third visit but my second coffee experience. On visit #2 they were so crowded there was no place to sit. On both occasions, I have been served by the same barista, Kate. She’s nice, friendly, and let me sample the brewed coffee to see which I wanted. (There’s more on the coffee below.) Her partner, Paige, also did a nice job. My first impression? When I walked in, it was like going to a friend’s house for coffee. There are cozy rooms that make one think living room, dining room, sitting room, and cozy little reading room. With a name that has “cuppies” in it, it is no surprise that there is a nice selection of cupcakes to go with your coffee. (I didn’t have one for this visit but I think I will take a couple home with me.) There is no big restaurant menu or food. There is good coffee and friendly, attentive, baristas so, you got it, this is a coffee shop and I approve! 

Now, what about the coffee? I ordered up a large for $2.00 and change because it includes one refill which is way better than that international chain out of Seattle. My first cup was a Haitian dark roast. For my refill, they had just brewed up a Brazilian which was delivered to my table. Both coffees were easily Good+ and the Brazilian might make it to Great. the Brazilian was the darker, more robust of the two.

If you have a good impression when you walk in you will be not be disappointed. It is a great place for coffee and perhaps a nice cuppie to go with it. Much of the crowd today seemed to have text books and notebooks spread out which, I suppose, reflects its proximity to OCU. Other pluses are no kids and (apparently) no high school teens. It’s a nice place to camp for a while and get some work done or just relax alone or with a friend. Would I meet you here for coffee? You bet! Give me call.

Kate and Paige

Disclaimer: I am not a coffee connoisseur. I am just a guy who lies to drink coffee in coffee shops. I tend to think of my coffee in terms of Meh – Okay - Good – Great. Most coffee I drink is okay to good. It has to make an effort to get to Great or Meh. These are just my opinions. Take or ignore them as you wish.