I really enjoyed Coffeeneuring this year (for those not in the know, please see the challenge description over here at Chasing Mailboxes). It was not without its challenges - I'm obsessed with my neighborhood and all the little shops and cafes in it, so it was a bit challenging for me to get to places that were beyond the 2 mile radius! That said, I did sneak in one neighborhood shop that was a wee bit further than the others. If you love hyper-local business and ever happen to be in the neighborhood, though, do be sure to check out Nelly's, Walls & Keogh, Tiesan Cafe, and Bibi's. My other major coffeneuring challenge was overcoming my fear of taking awkward photos in coffee shops. I don't know that I totally overcame that challenge, so please excuse the poor photography.
Without further ado, here's my control sheet:
Control One
Date: 10/6
Shop: Brother Hubbard
Address: 153 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Website: www.brotherhubbard.ie
What I ordered: Black Coffee
Notes: It was super crowded inside, even with all the outdoor patio tables taken. So, since it was a sunny day, I got a coffee to go and took it down to the Ormond Quay boardwalk to drink along the Liffey. Brother Hubbard makes an excellent cup of joe, and this was easily the best coffee from my entire coffeeneuring experience. It probably helps that they serve Has Bean coffee and grind it to order.
Total Mileage: 2.9
Photographic Evidence:
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| Boardwalk on the left. Ha'penny bridge in the distance. |
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| Brother Hubbards = tasty |
Control Two
Date: 10/8 (Tara Rule)
Shop: Cake Cafe
Address: Pleasants Place, Dublin 8
Website: www.thecakecafe.ie
What I ordered: Black Coffee and a Brownie
Notes: I love Cake Cafe. It's adorable. And delicious. And called CAKE cafe (#teamcake). All of the outdoor tables have their own bike rack. It's in an alley. For all of these reasons I wanted to include it in my coffeeneuring list, but it's (lucky for me, not for coffeeneuring) just around the corner from my house. To up the mileage, I rode through Rathmines to pick up a coffeneuring co-conspirator at her house. Cake Cafe is always packed, so the secret is to not go on a weekend. Since I needed this to count for Coffeeneuring, I exploited Tara's Rule and went on a Monday.
Total Mileage: 3
Photographic Evidence:
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| Cake Cafe |
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| Mismatched toile china = :) Also, I realize the hypocrisy of ordering a brownie at Cake Cafe, but this was a kickass brownie. |
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| The outdoor patio alternates one section bike racks, one section tables. Bike racks are almost always filled to the brim. |
Control Three
Date: 10/13
Shop: 3fE/Foam Cafe
Address: 54 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1/24 Strand Street Great, Dublin 1
Website: www.3fe.com / www.foamcafe.ie
What I ordered: Latte
Notes: I wanted to try Third Floor Espresso because I've heard so many good things, so I recruited my friend/coffeeneuring co-conspirator Julia and we went to find it. We failed at finding it. After checking the address one million times, we came upon a door that offered us both tattoos and body piercing AND watch repair, but not coffee. Not to be defeated, we wandered the neighborhood until we found a good coffeeneuring option. Foam Cafe drew us in with the spangly signage, and turned out to be a gem of a find based on the artwork alone. We had an adorable seat under the stairs. 3fE will happen another day.
Total Mileage: 4.2
Photographic Evidence:
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| Not Third Floor Espresso |
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| It was cute inside |
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| Spangly sinage, bikes. |
Control Four
Date: 10/21
Shop: Fixx
Address: 13-17 Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Website: www.fixxcoffeehouse.ie
What I ordered: Chai
Notes: I became a regular at Fixx when I first moved to Dublin because I was homeless/without internet and they're one of a handful of shops that don't limit your wifi use to 20 minutes. They also make an excellent chai, and have a secret bathroom door. Can you find it in the photo?
Total Mileage: 2.5
Photographic Evidence:
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| Chai |
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| Sneaky |
Control Five
Date: 11/4
Shop: Java Espressobar & Kaffeforretning
Address: Ullevålsveien 47, 0171 Oslo
Website: Unknown
What I ordered: Espresso. At $6.50, it was by far the cheapest menu item (Norwegians have an embarrassing amount of money).
Notes: I chose this shop off a yelp search simply because Kaffeforretning looks like coffeeneuring. My friends couldn't really recommend anything that wasn't 711 because they all make normal-people salaries and not Norwegian salaries. I was going to get a daily pass on Oslo Bysykkel (http://www.oslobysykkel.no/oslo_bysykkel.asp), but it would have cost me 2.5 espressos, so I borrowed my friend's membership card instead (his yearly membership costs 3 espressos). Remembering how to bike on the right side of the road was the hardest bit.
Total Mileage: 3.1
Photographic Evidence (crappy cellphone photos this time, sorry):
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| Norwegians are rich beyond my wildest dreams. |
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| Coffee made here. |
Control Six
Date: 11/10
Shop: The Art of Coffee
Address: Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2
Website: www.theartofcoffee.info
What I ordered: Cappucino and a goat cheese ciabatta
Notes: I've been wanting to try this shop for a while because the building is just silly. It's a giant glass pagoda in the middle of a residential/old industrial area. It's also right on the grand canal, so the view from my seat was of swans and houseboats (including, as possibly seen in the photo, some bizarre confederacy supporters). I also like that I can get to this shop from my house almost exclusively using just the Canal Way Cycle Route (which I'm obsessed with).
Total Mileage: 3.5
Photographic Evidence:
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| This building amuses me greatly. |
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| Nice view, and near school. I'll be back between classes. |
Control Seven
Date: 11/11
Shop: KC Peaches
Address: 2829 Nassau Street, Dublin 2
Website: www.kcpeaches.com
What I ordered: Hot Apple Cider
Notes: KC Peaches is across the street from the library and has a student discount. Wins all around. Plus, they have this ridiculous display of baked goods. I met some friends for Thanksgiving dinner planning, so apple cider seemed an appropriate choice.
Total Mileage: 3.3
Photographic Evidence:
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| She's working a chip and pin machine, not texting. |
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| Awful photo of baked goods including my reflection, glare, and the camera strap. |
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