A gift from a narcissist

If a man has a big mouth regarding a particular topic (see where this is going?), sooner or later, someone will call his bluff.  I talk a big game, but where do I get my coffee?  What follows is a list of my favorite java joints; my favorite roasters are Stumptown, Barrington and Novo, so my mental divining rod sniffs these places out and catalogues them for future needs.

Cafe Fixe
Located in Washington Square in Brookline, the decor is simple and the coffee is beyond reproach.  They offer pour-overs (an individually brewed mug of coffee), meticulously crafted shots of espresso (you'll see what I mean) and affogatos (coffee with some ice cream, nothing like the glorified milkshakes of my prior invective), to name a few.  The mugs are preheated for pour-overs, to prevent the shock of hot coffee in a cool mug from destabilizing the drink.  This is the kind of expertise you'll find here.  The owner noticed that I draw a glass of water from the self-serve tap whenever I come in, so he always gives me a glass of ice water with my espresso and Greek yogurt (served with Lincolnberry jelly).  Thoughtful, right?
Interesting side note; the bathroom here is awesome.  Very clean, minimalist decor (as is the whole store) with Tea Tree scented liquid hand soap, and you don't have to wait forever for the water to heat up.  They have usurped Starbucks' previously held title of "My favorite coffee shop bathroom".  For all my grievances with the latter shop, I must say, they hire pretty good contractors to do their bathrooms; this confirmed what I already suspected, that Starbucks specializes in toilet water.

Thinking Cup
This place, located on Tremont St. near the Boylston T station, received a write-up in the Boston Herald for their pour-overs.  The interior is very warm, and the table surfaces feature laminated nineteenth and early twentieth century newspaper articles, reporting Civil War battlefield updates and antique advertisements for samurai swords, among other things.  I always order a pull of Stumptown's Hair Bender, being a creature of habit.  The pastries look amazing, too, for those so inclined.


Area 4
This place opened a few years ago in Technology Square, Cambridge, near Central Square.  Area 4 has two distinct operations in one establishment; a bar/restaraunt, and this exquisite coffee shop.  Their "coffee director" (the first time I'd heard of this well-deserved title) is something of a wizard, whom I'd seen in the newspaper article lauding this shop.  He gave me a sample of a pour-over of a Guatemalan blend, and I was sold (well, the cup of coffee was sold...to me.  You get it.).  My brother ordered a cold brew, which I sampled, and was enchanted.


Voltage Coffee and Art
Located somewhat near Kendall in Cambridge, Voltage sells coffee, and they sell paintings.  They are both works of art.  For those trying to ween themselves off high-calorie coffee drinks, Voltage has some very complex, creative beverages that scratch the itch and don't need 600 calories to do it.  This is an update, as I was pressed for time when writing this yesterday (Saturday) and trying to list beverages from memory, and it sucked.  So, click here for the Voltage menu.  Being that this is an English class, I assume we can all appreciate a drink called the "Atticus Finch".

My tastes are quite simple, so I ordered their Guest Espresso (a Barrington Roast, nom nom) when I checked the place out.  My brother ordered the Eclipse (coconut & ginger simple syrup) -- vivacious!