We've all been there before.
Standing in line at the fifth Starbucks on the 3-mile drive to school or work. Like any coffee shop, there are plush chairs, laptops and hurried businessmen. Even though up-tempo pseudo-jazz music is being piped through the speakers, there is something missing from this posh, elite Mecca of the Macchiato.
That something could be ambiance, originality or real music. Or perhaps it is just the absence of a mocha made with real, honest-to-God chocolate. Though Starbucks, Coffee Plantation, the Coffee Bean, Gloria Jeans and the like are all beloved institutions, the true coffee connoisseur would be doing himself or herself a real disservice by missing alternative Tempe gourmet roasters off the beaten path.
Three of the best, lesser-known java huts are Xtreme Bean Coffee Company, Gold Bar Espresso and The Muse Coffeehouse.
Xtremely tasty
As Tempe's one and only 24-hour coffee shop (well, at least on weekends), Xtreme Bean Coffee Company, 1707 E. Southern Ave., provides late-night party fuel to crowds of weekend ravers. With massive drink sizes, including whopping 32-ounce iced beverages, low prices and vast selection of caffeinated favorites, Xtreme Bean is ideal for students on a budget or late-night partiers in need of mass quantities of cheap, tasty espresso.
Some of its signature drinks include the caramel royale, a succulent, sweet latte; the colossal frozen frappes; and the Cafe Mocha X made with half and half, Ghirardelli chocolate and chocolate shavings.
Xtreme Bean's large, efficient interior includes a workroom with separate study kiosks, as well as two other rooms with tables, couches and benches. There is often live music on the weekends and occasionally during the week.
As with any good coffee shop, Xtreme Bean has a wide array of pastries, including bagels with homemade cream cheese spreads.
Xtreme Bean is open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays and from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the week.
For more information, call (480)820-0333 or visit www.xtremebean.com.
A golden experience
Gold Bar Espresso is the best selection for the true coffee lover. With delicious gourmet coffee, and the best mocha on the planet, Gold Bar leads in the taste category.
Tucked into a tiny space in a shopping center on the busy corner of Southern Avenue and McClintock Drive, Gold Bar's owners have managed to create a peaceful indoor haven out of trees and foliage, unique wrought-iron chairs, intriguing lamps, plush couches and little, wooden tables. With a display case teeming with delectable layer cakes, carrot cakes, cheesecakes, vegan cookies and other delights, Gold Bar is quite possibly the best place to curl up with a good book, a delicious Ghirardelli mocha and a slice of moist cake.
The shop features live jazz music from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday nights, and occasional other shows, but never plays recorded music. It also provides free wireless Internet and is open from 6 a.m. to 11p.m. every day.
For more information, call (480) 839-3082.
Musings
For sheer atmosphere, it is tough to beat The Muse Coffeehouse, 1032 S. Terrace Road. With art as its theme, The Muse has a palpable ambiance to complement its remarkable espresso beverages. Each table is a mosaic masterpiece complete with elegant wrought-iron chairs. There are paintings, photos and even cased jewelry on the walls. The shop is large, open, quiet and ideal for the intellectual art-savant needing a caffeine boost to stimulate creative genius.
Located just east of campus, The Muse makes an ideal place to study away from the hectic clamor of coffeehouses on Mill Avenue, and with far better beverages than the overpriced campus brewers.
The gourmet espresso drinks range from White Chocolate Mint Mochas to Almond Roca Lattes, Black Forest Lattes, German Chocolate Mochas and the intriguingly named Coconut Monkey. As any good coffeehouse, the Muse has occasional live music. It even has a bookcase with some good reads just in case the trusty textbooks are left at home.
The Muse is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
For more information, call (480) 967-8471.
Reach the reporter at katie.kelberlau@asu.edu.
