Taos is THE town to be in if you're addicted to caffeine - especially the espresso kind... Although it boasts an absence of a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts it does have (at my lastest count)13 privately owned espresso cafes - not even counting the ones in the outlying districts of Questa, Arroyo Seco, Red River, Angel Fire and beyond- or the multitude of restaurants some of which I'm sure serve espresso as well as run of the mill drip coffee. How a town of a little more than 5,000 people (15,000 in the wider county area)can support that many cafes is astounding.... Several have 2 locations: one on Paseo del Pueblo Norte and one on Paseo del Pueblo Sur (how's my Spanish?) - these are: The Bean and Mondo Kultur. Most offer free wifi services as well as well as varying degree of ambiance, culture and comfortable seating. I have frequented 8 of them so far (for research purposes of course) and sampled their Americano's. In order of coffee strength (or the length of a caffeine fix)here are the results: #1: Has to be World Cup on the corner of the Plaza - a tiny and busy place that has limited counter seating and a few outdoor benches where I'm told certain "types" (I haven't figured out what types yet) congregate on a routine basis.
# 2 & 3: Mondo Kultur (both of them) - they have much larger spaces, DVD's for rent and and much larger menu - also the one on the northside (closest to my earthship)shows independent/private/foreign films each week - with freshly made popcorn to boot;
#4: Michelles Livingroom - it is actually set up as a living room with couches, TV, good lighting and side tables for internet users - this made it to the top part of the list based partly on the fact that it was the first place that I frequented in Taos while staying in a motel; #5 Cafe Loka: it's claim to uniqueness is the art gallery that is housed within its square footage and the fact that it uses freshly ground wheat from local farmers for its bakery products; #6 Wired Cyber Cafe: Its unpretentious exterior hides indoor/outdoor patios, a waterfountain and pool, funky gift shop area and a staircase to a loft quiet area for computer users. Plants for sale from its affliate, Blossoms, adds to ambiance and the rarified air; #7 & 8 The Bean: the most traditional coffee shop of the bunch opens for early birds at 6 am - although it's espresso is the most tame so far. Yet to be sampled are Sustaining Cultures, Cafe Tazza and Taos Java.
These will have to wait however until my return from Arizona and Nevada in ten days. I'm leaving on another road trip on Wednesday morning to Phoenix, Arizona, laying over at a friend's overnight and then to the airport for a flight to Reno, Nevada on Thursday for a four day women's empowerment retreat in Lake Tahoe. On my way back I intend to visit in Sedona for a day or two before returning to the "land of enchantment". I wonder what type of espresso cafes they have in Phoenix?
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