Obladee, Latte Da!

An open invitation to my still-brewing coffee blog, http://seed2cups.wordpress.com.  I'm a career barista who will be writing rants, raves, reviews, and doing extensive research into the world of coffee.  Coffee lovers of all knowledge levels and opinions are welcome to follow along and comment.  We learn from each other, after all!  You can get the blog updates via your LJ Friend's List by adding the RSS feed (just like adding a friend) here: syndicated.livejournal.com/seed2cu…

(Cross-posted everywhere; I apologize if I repeat on the 'ol Flist!)

Missouri Breaks Coffee House

Didn't really like the location of this place. I read that being on the wrong side of the road could be the death of a coffee house. This place definately didn't have a good location. It was back off the main road on the wrong side of a long building. It was hard to get to, only one or two entrances to the parking lot.
Although....
the coffee house itself had a nice, quaint little atmosphere. It was very homey. The mugs were hanging on the wall. The girl working was polite, don't know if she wasn't the brightest or if she was just that great with her customer service. Donovan said something about the kind of people you employ. Don't remember what, I'll either ask or it'll come to me. Heh.. nice choices!
Anyway, it was a nice little place. Just some of the basics. Had simple little snacks, I even noticed it made little sandwiches. I grabbed a take-out/delivery (another bonus, depending on the complete range of items offered to eat/snack on) menu, but havne't looked at it yet.

Over all, this place is a bit small, but has tables and chairs, as well as cozy chairs by a "fire place" and regular high-back "coffee house" styled chairs. Decent. Homey. Not a bad drink. Not bad...

Morning Light Coffee House

it's on 9th st, right here in great falls.

Not a bad little place. Donovan and I had met there on our first meeting thing. Didn't remember it much, so decided to go there again to actually get a glimpse at the place. I liked it. It was a lot busier than the first time we'd gone there. The counter was full. It was such a homey counter. Just a few really nice high chairs right at the counter. It was full of younger lookin' kids, probably high school seniors relaxing on the last few days of Winter break. Or perhaps it was younger college kids just hangin' out at a local coffee house. I really did like the atmosphere.
Another noticable thing about ML was the roaster right as you walked in. It just looked like the building belonged on this earth, this contintent, this town, that block for this one specific purpose. The almost warehouse type feel just, yup.. liked it. Anyway, I was talking about the roaster. It was right out in the open and you could see through a little glass window. It was just kind of cool, like you were part of something. The right behind you was the "weight station," if you will, for all the coffee blends, etc.
The girls working were really upbeat and just seemed to like their job.
This is definately a place I'd like to come more. A place I'd like to one day work. A place that, if and when I decide it's time, a place I'd like to own.

HOT SHOTS (Glasgow, MT)

I've been in here with my mom before, but I had the joy of going through the drive thru (for my second visit there) while I was in town last. The service is great and quick. That's what I hope people will someday say about my shop. The lady was in a great mood as well as my coffee just tasting great.
My drink of the day was a Rasberry Granita. For those of you who don't know me. I LOVE these. Most places use a blender to make this drink, but Hot Shots managed to score themselves a machine. YUM! I don't know what it is about these drinks, but I have loved them as long as I can remember.
Inside the little shop there are tall, glass topped tables with high backed chairs. I thought that was pretty cute. As for decorations, I can't remember. So it's my assignment to write more on this place the next time I visit home.
For a small town coffee shop, they have definetly won me over.

Mkay, so I think it's high time I start writing about some of the coffee houses I have been to. This will give me an idea of the kind of place that could some day be my own.

Just to catch up a bit, I will start with the most recent and try to backdate a few from Glasgow:

Starbucks (10th av s, Great Falls)

Not a bad little place. I mean, I've been into a few other places that have served Starbucks and this was pretty cute. I liked the way it was set up. They had their merchandise tastefully displayed in cases that weren't hard on the eyes to look at. When I walked in I glanced around a lot just to check out the set up. Right off to the right of the door there was like 2 tiny tables. This was nice because there were apart from the clutter of main tables. It'd be a good place to study or if you just wanted to meet a friend and sit away from it all. I liked this idea, although the girl studying never got up once the entire time I was there, so I couldn't steal her spot. haha.
Right next to the counter was the food/cold drink/dessert display. Everything was labeled, WITH the price. I am always impressed when I see this, because it seems no one does it. Although they concentrated on desserts I didn't like, I'm a plain kind of girl.. Not into really sweet things, so I decided against trying anything.
Seating was the biggest thing in this place. There was a huge seating area to the right of the front door. There was 2 big arm chairs, 2 round tables between them, and another 2 arm chairs across from them. I LOVED this idea. It's like what Cool Beans Coffee Pub downtown does. It's just one of those cozy things you can imagine a group of kids or college students stopping in just to lounge and have a coffee. The rest of the seating I didn't care for much. It was just too cramped. Everyone talked in low voices so you really couldn't hear anyone, and you'd have to be concentrating on actually listening to them if you wanted to hear them, but I just didn't like sitting a foot and a half away from the lady next to me. Just too close. But the tables were nice, as were the chairs. Just simple. Plain and simple.
And my drink, ah yes.. we get to that. I had a Grande Carmel Frappuchino with whip cream. Not bad, not bad. I don't like a lot of Starbucks coffee. Not because it's bad by any means, but because the taste of coffee is just really strong. Seeing how I don't like really strong coffee, you can see my side there :)
I did like it though. I liked the set up. I liked that it had a drive thru, and NOT one that blocked traffic or anything. I hate when you have to weasle your way into a drive thru or around other cars. It's so annoying.
Overall, good expierience and glad I checked it out.

well, it's almost the end of the year and really i didn't accomplish much. i'd like to stick with something and get it done. so i've decided i have to write my coffee house paper by the end of the week. that's going to be tough, seeing how i really don't have time right now. giving up my time this last weekend to babysit better have been worth it.
but yes, to help me along with the quest of owning a coffee house, i'm going to try and visit a different one every week. expierience something different and write about it in here and what i would change if it would have been mine, if anything. i think that might be a good addition to what i'm trying to do here.
alas, i must not part.. i'm headed to find my c.h. of the week so i can meet donovan and talk about stuff that i have yet to accomplish, oh but i will.. i will

so i should be sleeping, it being 619a and all, but for some reason, i'm not tired. i should be, i've been up all day, but nope. oh well, it benefits me so that i had the oppurtunity and lack of laziness (and things to do) to make this community.

5 years ago the thought of owning a coffee shop would have never crossed my mind. the only time i ever even went into one was when i would go to glasgow to visit my family. my mom and i would always go into video delite, which eventually just became 4th st. expresso, for my ritual granita and whatever fat free and lack of taste drink of the week my mom would get.
video delite gets sold alot. it's a small town and we have lack of smart business tactics, so no one ever really knows whats going on. from what i remember, there has been AT LEAST 5 owners that i can remember.
anyway, now that i gave myself a little background information.. i was visiting my parents one weekend, and 4th st. expresso was once again up for sale (big shocker) and my mom made the comment "wouldn't it be perfect for you to buy this and move back here and run it? i think you would be perfect for it! i could even go in on it with you. that would be so fun." well that comment got me thinking. i think it would be so fun and challenging to have something like that of my own. and it would be even cooler to do something like that with my mom. i immediately started to get ideas of what i would put on the walls, what i would serve, a coffee sitting area. basically just all kinds of ideas started flowing to my head.
i never really took it seriously, it was just something i always thought would be fun. in fact, i never even mentioned it to anyone, because it was just a silly pipe dream.. whatever the heck that actually means!
on a recent trip to minnesota, i drove back with my little brother adam. he and i got to talking about what he was doing in school and he mentioned he was in the art club. then i just sorta blurted out that i wanted to start my own coffee house and my dream was to put up local artwork on the walls. i'm not talking the people that want to sell for thousands and just want free advertising. i mean high schoolers art work or college kids or heck, anyone that just has a knack for something like that. i really want that kind of decor. ever since the idea of owning a coffee house came into my mine, that was the first thing i thought of.
so adam was the first person i told. it still didn't seem like something that would actually happen. heck, i can't even finish college, why would i worry about something as big as that? then i finally decided to tell a second person. during a meeting with my life coach and friend, donovan, i mentioned that was a dream of mine. that is when it felt like reality, just for a split second. he made me think that it was something i could actually do. i finally mustered up the courage and even told my mom about it. she really liked the idea, and even told me it was something she'd go in on it with me. unfortunetly i would have to do it in glasgow for that to be a possibility, which i'm not considering moving back at all.
anyway, this entry was just to kind of give a back log as to where the whole idea of a coffee house came about. i get visions floating through my head all the time of what it could look like. what kind of people would be there. having that spectacular drink that people that move always come back for a drink when they are in town. these are the memories i have from the place back home.
it's a scary dream, which kind of makes me back off from time to time. i usually don't like to set the bar that high for myself, usually because i end up smacking my head on it, eventually getting under the bar, but man do the bruises hurt!

ok, enough rambling..
until next time of course