Where’s The Best Coffee In Tallahassee Florida?

As a Tallahassee Realtor, I’ve gotten used to drinking coffee often! It’s a way of life now.  Meeting real estate customers, working with wireless technology and preparing real estate offers on the tablet, working long hours and grabbing a boost mid-day all cause me to look for Tallahassee coffee shops fairly frequently.  A few years ago, I didn’t even know what a Barista was, let alone where to find one. After reading the definition, I thought I was one around my house,..until I discovered Starbucks that is!  I’ll never forget my first visit to Starbucks, and it was not in Tallahassee, it was in New York City, just outside Trump Tower.  I was on vacation, and I got my first Chai Latte, while standing next to Sheryl Crow and her very fit bodyguard. I’m not sure how much it cost, but it increased my awareness of a “movement” taking place around my Tallahassee, FL home.

About two years later Tallahassee got it’s first Starbucks coffee shop. Before Starbucks you could grab a cup of coffee at this other new place, Brueggers (in the same parking lot at the Carriage Gate Shopping Center) and experience “Rain Forest Nut” coffee and other blends – I was more excited about the bagels to tell you the truth. Even before that, old-timers in Tallahassee gather at Brueggers every morning, having made a slow migration from the Sing Store “deli” at Bradfordville, Tally’s Grille, and even Nick’s Café downtown. My guess is, these folks who have been served good black coffee for years didn’t really care about titles like “baristas” at these fine locations.

Tallahassee does have, however, a large student population. Trends begin and follow with these young outliers. With their decades, (more than one), of experience come demands for the finer things in life like whipped milk, steamed non-fat skinny latte concoctions made in copper distilleries with buttons, switches, steaming vats and extraneous projectiles hooked to whips and blenders, all contraptions that I am sure are used to produce moonshine at night!

So now, Tallahassee has cafés, coffee shops, baristas and the battle of the brew is on! You can find delicious cups of steaming, or freezing desert with espresso shots that would keep the non-caffeinated up for three days. I’ve recently visited Atomic Coffee which, to me, smelled the best of all I have visited. Since New York city, I still crave chai latte, and Red-Eye in midtown Tallahassee has the best to me. Other great spots for the artistic, trendy crowds are All Saints Café near FSU and the Capitol. The French pastry lovers should try Au Peche Mignon. Vegan? Try Sweet Pea Café on Tharpe. Adventurous? Try New Leaf Market for a taste, then buy your coffee beans in bulk – become your own barista!

Fair-trade coffee shops are popping up all over town – Call me and let’s try a new brew!Notice I didn’t include Starbucks in any hyperlinks…It’s because I believe in supporting local businesses and their “baristas!” There are probably many more I have not tried.

What’s your favorite?  Want to find coffee shops near your home? Search neighborhood amenities, walk scores, grocers and coffee shops by using the FREE Tallahassee Market Insider – search by zip and look for restaurants, parks, gas stations, schools and yes coffee restaurants!