Top 3 things I look for when choosing a coffee shop

Quality coffee is important to me. Also, I don’t want to waste my money on bad, burnt, and watery coffee.

We all know that coffee can get expensive too so here are some of the things I really look at before choosing where to spend my money and give my time. I especially look for all of these things when traveling.

Before I get into it, I have posted a lot about my favorite places on my instagram.

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If I had to pick one thing I always always do and make of is this first thing.

1. Their social media presence (especially instagram)!! I know theres the whole thing about not judging a book by its cover but seriously, think about it: if you go on a coffee shop’s instagram and you see they are being tagged in a lot of photos… what does that tell you? and most importantly, if you see lots of photos of latte art… what does that tell you?

It sure tells me that:

1. Customers find their experience good enough to post about.
2. Their baristas are well trained if they are able to get the perfect micro-foam with espresso-based beverages. If I see a lot of photos showcasing the barista’s talent & precision, I find that very appealing. I typically do not go for cafes where every coffee drink is hidden in whipped cream and syrup.

Once looking at a cafe’s aesthetic visually, I usually will then see if they have a website to look at a menu.

2. Their menu!! I know not every cafe has a menu posted, and not that it is a necessary thing either. But again, it helps me get a feel for how the shop views quality. If the menu is filled with lots of sugary syrups and other fillers to hide the quality of the coffee, I am most likely not interested. UNLESS it seems that they make their own syrups or use more natural sweeteners for their drinks.

This is a huge thing to get a feel of a cafe once you first walk into it too. What’s their menu like? What care do they put into creating their menu?

This last thing is more geared towards once you get to the cafe.

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3. The overall experience you get when walking in!! What is the vibe you’re getting? What kind of tools are behind the counter to ensure quality? If a barista is making coffee, what are they doing? what sounds do you hear when they are frothing milk for an espresso? does it sound like a dying cat, or does it sound like a smooth hum?

I think of these things once I enter a cafe. Even if they had a great social media and online presence, if I walk in and I see, feel or hear things that don’t give me a good feeling I will save my money and go somewhere else 🙂

I just wanted to mention that this post is inspired by one I saw last week. I really enjoyed reading it so here’s my take on the topic.

Do you guys look at a shop’s social media before going? Is that important to you?

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Thanks for reading. I’m hoping to post a lot more coffee guides like this one of cities and other places I’ve travelled around to.

Let me know what you think!

Lots of love,