Cappuccino Snobs: Four Barrel, San Francisco, CA

I love hanging out at cafes when I'm traveling.  I feel part of the local grind when I sit with my coffee and newspaper, unhurried, as though I don't have sightseeing plans.  And the honest truth is these places offer a delightful space to congregate for either strangers or friends.  The aesthetics are bespoke (always!).  The music always encourages good vibes.  The people are passionate perfectionists of love in a cup, ergo, the coffee is always impeccable!

It's hard not to compare Four Barrel to the other coffee powerhouse of San Francisco, Sightglass.  But I love the roasts of Four Barrel more.  And the temperature of the coffee is perfect.  And the cups are gorgeous.  Sorry, Sightglass.  I think I just traded loyalties.

#sorrynotsorry!

Four Barrel is located at 375 Valencia, San Francisco, CA.  Their coffee is also served at The Mill  on 736 Divisadero.  

Cappuccino Snobs: Arabica in the Gion District, Kyoto Japan

An American barista on the fringe of the Nishiki Market district tipped us on Arabica. After a fail to joe it up at Vermillion in Fushimi Inari, we were dying for some artisanal kicks of caffeine.

Modern minimalist aesthetic with a color palette of white and wood I would die for, bonafide baristas totally geeky about their coffee, and well, some kickass coffee.  They don't serve any pastries at all, but that snobbery is just as well since any accoutrement is simply a distraction from how you coffee is meant to taste.

The verdict? Go.

Arabica in Kyoto is located in the Gion District.  Website can be found here.  It's located at 87-5 Hoshinocho, Kyoto.  They're open daily from 8am-6pm.  

It is a challenge to give directions for Kyoto, but Arabica is located on the street leading up to the Yasaka Pagoda (pictured on the right - all I have is a night shot - sorry).  We found out by showing an older Japanese couple who barely spoke English but walked us to the door of Arabica anyway after staring at the map for ten minutes.  Domo arigato!