| A SPOTLIGHT ON THE JOURNALISM YOUR SUBSCRIPTION HELPS BRING TO LIFE. |
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Kara Edgerson | Manager of Digital Operations
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| Whether you’re in it for the vibes, the cold brew or a quiet corner to work, metro Phoenix’s coffee scene has something brewing for everyone. |
| Endia Fontanez , The Republic’s food and dining reporter, recently published a fresh guide to the area’s best coffee shops — not by ranking lattes, but by mapping the mood. This week, she shares what inspired her approach, how her love of coffee shaped the list, and the surprise café she found while searching “coffee near me.” |
| Here’s what they had to say: |
Why create a coffee guide
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| What inspired you to revisit the Phoenix coffee scene now? Was there a moment or trend that sparked you wanting to create a guide for coffee lovers? |
| Like many of my other long-term projects, this piece began as a casual brainstorming conversation with my editor. I had long wanted to write something about coffee, but I couldn’t decide what my angle should be. I thought of a “best of” list, but how exactly would I judge each shop? The best place to meet up with friends might not be the same as the best place to read a book or work on a computer. So, that became the idea. |
Taking a narrative approach
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| You’ve covered everything from wine bars to tacos. How did your approach to curating a “best of” list change when it came to coffee? |
| This story felt different to me, in part because I consider myself such a big fan of coffee. I might have tacos once or twice a month, but I start every single day with coffee, usually visiting a café at least once a week. Also, the way I usually write listicles, I tend to highlight specific menu items. But how many different ways could I say, “this place serves coffee” in an interesting way? I thought the narrative approach would be more interesting, both to me as a writer and to the audience reading it. |
| Which shop on the list surprised you the most, either with its vibe, menu or backstory? |
| One of the shops that I was most surprised to find was Coffee Zona. I hadn’t heard about it prior to my work on the guide — I only found it after searching for “Coffee near me” on Apple Maps. Based on the name, I was expecting desert-esque décor and flavors. But I was surprised, first by the enormous menu, and then by the vinyl records for sale in the corner. The vibes were unexpected, but welcoming. |
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| The Arizona Republic’s Features team launched a newsletter course called, wait for it, Welcome to Phoenix that’ll introduce you to the best our community has to offer. Award-winning restaurants that you shouldn’t miss? Check. Road trips with jaw-dropping views? Got ’em. A bucket list of things to do? But of course. |
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| I’m obsessed with coffee. So, I visited over three dozen Phoenix coffee shops to create the ultimate guide to cafes in downtown, midtown and uptown. |
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