Coffee!

Best part of my weekdays:


Please note the above latte is from one of the best places to get coffee in phoenix:

Urban Beans

I know this post has nothing to do with DIY-ing or Mommy-ing or Nesting or Crafting but I really like coffee and it took me a long time (almost a year) to find a coffee shop on par with my Tucson favorite Epic Cafe. When we finally moved back up here after college I struggled with 2 things; finding good vegetarian restaurants like Tucson has, and a coffee shop that makes a vanilla latte as good as epic. Urban has met my expectations both of being as good as Epic and as good as an Italian Cafe con Latte (which is the standard I held Epic to before), but below are a few other Phoenix coffee shops I've heard/read about and a few I tried until finding Urban (you'll notice Starbucks and Coffee Bean are not on my list, that's because they're neither local nor amazing).

Next on my list of places to try in the phoenix area (although Urban will always have my patronage):

Lux
Any recommendations there?

Pink Spot
It was recommended by a fellow blogger

Copper Star Cafe
A local business I drive past sometimes

Drip Coffee Lounge
Anyone been to this local shop?? any good? what should I order?

Places I've tried that are alright:

Lola Coffee
I wanted to like this place so much, it's super cute and the restaurant they own brags about their Spanish tapas but honestly it wasn't the best latte I've ever had and my husband said it was the worst coffee he's ever had. After spending a month in Europe last summer we've become espresso snobs.
Any opinions about this place?? am I wrong? Is there a specialty drink or snack I should try?

Fair Trade Cafe
My friend works here and it's good, it's just a little out of my way. Be sure to check it out if you're in the area though!

Unlimited Coffee
This place is semi-close to my house, so I thought it would be nice to find a neighborhood coffee shop, but the vanilla latte was over priced and not that amazing.
But they do also have ice cream.
Has anyone else been here? am I missing something? should I give them another chance??

Luci Coffee
Okay, so this place is more than alright. It's actually really, really good. To be honest; one of the only reasons I don't go here everyday (although I used to) is because they don't have a punch card system, as in if I buy ten drinks I want to get one free. Otherwise, it's still a wonderful space. They have rice, almond and soy milk substitutes and also a great bakery assortment and a healthy marketplace. If you're in the area you should check it out!

Grinder's Coffee Co.
This place is also pretty good. I liked what I ordered, they have the internet, and it's a local business. It's got a kind of grunge-y vibe, which is kind of cool and they have local artists' work on display.