Watch Out For This Red Flag When Trying A Local Coffee Shop

Getting your coffee from a local shop can be a more enjoyable experience than going to a big chain. Local cafés are built on a loyal following, and by supporting them, you're also propping up the local economy. On top of that, many of these shops source higher-quality, unique beans, often hand-selected with care by the owner. It can feel refreshing to break away from fast-paced chains, where maximizing profits can sometimes seem more important than a welcoming customer experience. So, how can you tell if a new café is worth becoming your regular spot? To find out, Food Republic spoke to Arda Barlas, owner of Boxx Coffee. His red flag? A disorganized bar and bad batch brew quality.

While many customers judge a café based on its espresso, Barlas suggested this isn't the most reliable metric. "Espresso is also finicky," he told us. And he has a point: There are plenty of mistakes one can make with espresso, and several factors can alter the taste of a shot, including temperature and the time of day! Instead, Barlas recommended focusing on the basics: "What matters more to me are bar organization and batch brew quality." To Barlas, a messy bar is more than just an eyesore; it's a reflection of deeper issues within the shop's operation. "I don't believe anyone can work efficiently in a cluttered space," he said. As for the batch brew? "Batch brew is the easiest element to keep consistently good," Barlas said. So if it's poor, the shop might not be right for you.

A beautifully curated space and friendly service can leave an excellent first impression, but aesthetics only go so far. The most important features of any café are freshness, cleanliness, and proper brewing techniques. Without these, even the most stylish shop will probably serve sub-par coffee. "On the espresso side, portafilters left out while not in use, sitting with old grounds, or pucks not being discarded right after extraction are easy indicators," Arda Barlas told us. Portafilters left outside of the machine can compromise temperature stability and even damage the gasket head casing  –- both of which negatively impact the flavor of the coffee, and also indicate poor organization. "On the filter side, ground coffee sitting out unnecessarily is another sign that freshness might not be a focus," he added. It's integral that ground coffee isn't exposed to air, light, or moisture as it will degrade its flavor and aroma, leading to a stale, flat taste.

"Visible attention to detail tends to reflect stronger brewing practices," Barlas added. Scales are essential tools for pour-over coffee, and are a subtle sign of whether a shop takes thoughtful, measured precision in each and every cup. "If you don't see any in use, it could be a concern," he told us. Although, don't be too quick to judge, as he cautioned, "Some shops install scales flush with the bar, making them less visible, and others may rely on well-calibrated volumetric settings."