Why we created this website – scroll to the bottom.
The Coffee Shop Detective reviews coffee shops in Texas, offering readers a rating from “a little knowledgable but not an expert” point of view. Despite coffee snobs who often claim Texas is a coffee desert, we see it more like a coffee oasis. This is a massive state, so there are lots of oasis’ to explore, highlight and show travelers and locals, it’s not as bad as you think. We also operate a custom Google Map which shows every location we have rated, what our rating is, and a short review for you to use to deciding where you will get your fix. VIEW MAP NOW
We scour coffee shops to find out if there’s been a coffee crime or if it’s coffee gem. No bean left unturned. Our rating system is a bit different. It’s nearly impossible to get an an “A” unless the shop went to great length to seek perfection. Generally, shops with a “C” or a “B” rating are the ones we recommend.
Here’s how we rate coffee shops.
We will be awarding the “Golden Cup” award to coffee shops we feel rated the best and to shops who most improved.
SPeaking of improving, shops who score a “D” or “F” on our rating system will be visited again within a month to see if there’s been some improvement.
Where we are currently covering;
Houston metro including; Houston, Conroe, Cypress, Sugarland, Galveston, and Baytown.
WHY WE CREATED THIS WEBSITE
My day job is in urban planning and by education I am an engineer. After moving to the Houston area, I learned the rumors that I had heard about Houston being a coffee desert was somewhat true. I was sick of going to Starbucks and being mistreated or ignored as the coffee juggernaut put profits over people and moved away from their past of valuing coffee and people and the experiences that happened. But I just couldn’t find an easy way to find good coffee shops that are local and had passion and pride. (I know, too many “and”s).
So I set about finding coffee shops that were worth a dam, that had great service, a welcoming clean environment, and served up great coffee and eats. That put some thought into their offerings, and strived to be authentic and not try to imitate Starbucks.
As a rule, drive thru coffee joints don’t get reviewed as there is no “experience” to be had. We also don’t visit every Starbucks in town, you visit one and you’ve essentially got the feel of the company. So we will eventually visit a Starbucks, but not just yet. We want to showcase local coffee shops, good roasters and unique proprietors. We want to raise the coffee scene in the Houston area and in Texas overall.
Myself and a few others now fashion ourselves as “Experience Experts”, methodically reviewing coffee shops. Much more goes into a review that the basic 12 categories listed in our scorecard review certificates you see posted. We hope you find value in our reporting and reviews, and appreciate the time and effort put into this.
Thank you – Reuven, Tomer, Mikell, Itamar, Javad, Aviboaz.