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Permalink Reply by Ken Hall on June 17, 2008 at 6:33am

Look no further! Zingerman's Coffee at 422 Detroit Street in Ann Arbor. Also available at Plum Market, 375 N. Maple Road in Ann Arbor. Check them out at www.zingermans.com and www.plummarket.com. Bon Appetit!

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Permalink Reply by Owen Tien on June 17, 2008 at 10:22am

Ugly mug in ypsilanti is just 20 min from Ann Arbor and definitely a good cup.

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on June 17, 2008 at 1:21pm

Ehhhh... Zingerman's is REAL hit or miss for me and usually miss. The consistency of the baristas is all over the place and while sometimes I can get killer shots sometimes I get absolutely horrible ones. That being said, they have awesome food though, and really great drip/press. As a roaster, I think they do great work, but I fear that once the beans are in the portafilter it can kind of going any which way. And I hate to say this because I think that Allen (roast-master) is great and he spoiled me when I went and visited, but it's true and I would say the same thing about some of the shops that I have either worked at or help set up.

The Ugly Mug is, IMO, the best shop in Michigan. They brew on a Synesso and really, REALLY know how to use it. I have never had a shot that I didn't like from them. And for you milk drink folks they have killer latte art. There is also a new shop Common Cup somewhere around there that one of the baristas (Billy) who used to work at Ugly now works at, but I have yet to go there.

I definitely would suggest going to the Ugly Mug. Ask if Miro, Otter, Jim or Zak is there and have one of them pull your shots if you can (not that you won't get a killer shot anyway, it's just that the ones mentioned are exceptional. Zak, especially can pull flavors out of a double that are unbelievable). Also, ask if they are getting ready to roast soon (they roast in the back corner of the shop on a Diedrich). If they aren't busy they are all usually more than willing to talk coffee and usually will fire up a batch just for kicks if you ask real nice! Tell them "that one kid from Kalamazoo" sent you.

HTH
-Bry

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Permalink Reply by Chris DeMarse on June 17, 2008 at 1:30pm

Ugly Mug is tops... I competed with otter and miro at glrbc and they are both great competitors.. I think zak would kill it if he weren't secretly stage fright (just what I hear)... I know for a fact that they have killer spro.

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Permalink Reply by Brendon Parsons on June 17, 2008 at 7:26pm

Ugly Mug in Ypsi, definately. Check out my review at http://cuppingclub.blogspot.com. Jim at the Ugly Mug is actually starting up a new coffee shop in Ann Arbor, I believe. It should be good, Jim knows his stuff. As for Common Cup, word on the street in Ypsi was that quality at Common's was hit-or-miss.

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Permalink Reply by Liz Clayton on June 19, 2008 at 9:58pm

Yeah, for now, Ugly Mug is all there is. Hit it!

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Permalink Reply by KarltheRoaster on October 6, 2008 at 4:01pm

There is a little scene developing in Ann Arbor recently. As a microroaster in Ann Arbor, I can honestly say that there has been a lot of pretension with coffee here. When I first started roasting here, I found that most local companies were shelving coffee older than a month. I believe in treating coffee like bread. I worked at a bakery for several years, and as I started roasting I began to notice that the same chemical processes that occur while baking happen while roasting - the Browning Reactions. If the artisan bakery model of fresh baked every day works, we should be applying the same concepts to roasting. We've also been working on introducing the coffee tasting to Ann Arbor by holding one every month or so, focusing on different angles like how roasting effects the cup or how time effects the cup. If you want to learn more about the coffee scene in Ann Arbor, check out sanrafaelcoffee.com

Karl Hinbern, Roastmaster, San Rafael Coffee Company

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on October 6, 2008 at 10:54pm

Karl! Glad you found this thread. I work over at Dino's in Kalamazoo. The owner (Darren) went and visited your place about 2 weeks ago with... ehhh... I can't quite remember his relation to you. Either way, I like what you are up to, and can't wait to meet you (word on the street is you are coming to check out Dino's sometime soon). Make sure that you get a hold of me before you come over to the west side so I know that I will be there (but I'm there about 70 hours a week so it's kind of hard to miss me).

You sent along some French Roast (we labeled it Direct Trade Guatemala- Finca San Rafael- San Rafael Coffee Company when we brewed it, hope that's cool) with Darren and I brewed it up 4 days post roast. Too dark for my tastes, but our dark roast drinkers wouldn't stop talking about it, so keep up the good work! I'll have to make my way over to the east side soon. I need to visit your place and drop in and see Miro, it's been too long since I have been to the UM.

KarltheRoaster said:

There is a little scene developing in Ann Arbor recently. As a microroaster in Ann Arbor, I can honestly say that there has been a lot of pretension with coffee here. When I first started roasting here, I found that most local companies were shelving coffee older than a month. I believe in treating coffee like bread. I worked at a bakery for several years, and as I started roasting I began to notice that the same chemical processes that occur while baking happen while roasting - the Browning Reactions. If the artisan bakery model of fresh baked every day works, we should be applying the same concepts to roasting. We've also been working on introducing the coffee tasting to Ann Arbor by holding one every month or so, focusing on different angles like how roasting effects the cup or how time effects the cup. If you want to learn more about the coffee scene in Ann Arbor, check out sanrafaelcoffee.com
Karl Hinbern, Roastmaster, San Rafael Coffee Company

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