Scout and Co. (Innovation Center)

Scout and Co. (Innovation Center)

128 Lakeside Avenue

Burlington, Vermont 05401

Scout and Co. is a local coffee chain in the Burlington-Winooski area. Currently they have three locations. Each location features a different menu of food items. The Lakeside Avenue location has both a breakfast and lunch menu and an assortment of baked goods. 

I went to the Lakeside Avenue location at about noon on a Tuesday. I parked in the gigantic lot in the back of the building and entered the Innovation Center entrance. Scout and Co. is located on the first floor and there is plenty of signage that helped me find its exact whereabouts. There were two people in front of me who were waiting for their espressos and lattes. I was astounded by the vast menu including cheeseburgers and tacos. One of the chefs was making a Cubano sandwich and the aroma was heavenly. The price point was around $10. 

I chose to buy a chocolate chip cookie and a large coffee of the day which was a single origin Mexico Chiapas dark roast. They only had one coffee available at the time and a few specialty coffee items. The grand total for my cookie and coffee was around $5. The store has a very modern vibe as there are exposed pipes above that are painted in bright colors. The ceiling is easily 50 feet tall with plenty of glass windows that allow an abundance of natural light to the space. There are also plenty of seating options.

I felt that the Innovation Center location was more of a cafe/deli vibe than an actual coffee shop as there weren't a lot of coffee items listed.

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Seating: 5/5

Coffee: 3.5/5

Food: 5/5

18/20

A-

Uncommon Grounds Coffee & Tea

Uncommon Grounds Coffee & Tea

42 Church Street

Burlington, Vermont 05401

It doesn't take too long to know that Uncommon Grounds is a landmark in the city of Burlington. Uncommon, as it's referred to by locals is undeniably the most popular coffee spot. Frequented by both hipsters and college students alike as well as tourists, this local coffee shop also roasts their own beans. The coffee roaster is on display as soon as you walk into the shop. Usually there is a line at Uncommon and the shop smells of delicious roasted coffee beans. 

Uncommon was the first coffee shop that I had ever been to when I first became a resident of Burlington. The location alone sets them apart as they are located on the most famous street in all of Vermont. The store sells a variety of locally made pastries and they also sell beans in 12oz bags that they have just recently roasted. If your looking for coffee making supplies, Uncommon also sells them too! The neat thing about Uncommon is that their coffee of the day list is featured on the chalkboard above the counter and usually has 4 different kinds of coffee from light to dark roast. 

The seating layout only features single tables that are usually full by midmorning as customers can be seen on their laptops and other devices. However, it has a very warm and intimate vibe at Uncommon and everyone is welcomed. Uncommon has been named as the best Burlington coffee shop for the last several years by the local seven days magazine. These guys are truly the kings of Burlington coffee!

Atmosphere: 5/5

Seating: 4.5/5

Coffee: 5/5

Food: 5/5

19.5/20

A+

Nomad Coffee

Nomad Coffee

3 Main Street

Essex Junction, Vermont 05452

Next up on the coffee list……NOMAD!! These guys aren't located in Burlington, but have been receiving quite a lot of praise from the local media and therefore I had to check them out. Nomad is a mobile coffee shop and it's quite a neat concept for a coffee shop. When I arrived on a Sunday morning there were plenty of open parking spots in front of the shop as it's located on a main thoroughfare. The shop had just opened at 9am and I was the first in line. I love the glass display that can be seen above on the left side of the cart. In the glass display, are all the pastries that are for sale. I was fortunate enough to purchase the last maple cream muffin that was made by a local cupcake vendor.

I like the setup inside the cart as they had to be quite creative in how much stuff they could fill in such a tight space. There is an espresso machine directly behind the counter and the barista who happened to be the owner chatted with me about how much he likes using it. I wanted to know how long he has been in the coffee business and he informed me that Nomad was his first experience working in the coffee business. He also prefers to brew using the pour over method. I decided to select the coffee of the day to go along with my muffin. The coffee was a light roast Guatemalan single origin from Brio Coffee Roasters. For seating, there is a few benches located next to the cart, but I decided to head back into my car and enjoy my treat at my apartment.

Nomad has a menu on the far left of the stand that includes a variety of specialty coffee drinks and hot chocolate and tea. There were about 5-10 different pastries on display and directly in front of the stand was a small chalkboard sign that featured their special for the day that passing by motorists would be able to see. 

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Seating: 4/5 (depending upon the season)

Coffee: 4.5/5

Food: 5/5

18/20

A-

Onyx Tonics Specialty Coffee

Onyx Tonics Specialty Coffee

126 College Street

Burlington, Vermont 05401

After I left work on a cool and crisp Saturday morning, I went on a brief stroll through Church Street and then headed onto College Street in search of Onyx Tonics. Now I have heard several good things about this establishment. In particular the impressive reviews it has received in such a short time of its existence. Upon entering Onyx, I was impressed by the amount of natural light that illuminated the coffee shop. The large glass windows really make the space "pop".

Onyx has a very contemporary vibe and the artwork is simply stunning. I was greeted my a friendly and knowledgeable barista who also happens to be the owner. This guy knows coffee. He was very informative on where the beans came from, how they were roasted and knew the intricate tasting notes of each coffee. I asked for him to recommend me something to drink. I believe at the time, all the single origin coffees were of a light roast. He used an aeropress to brew the coffee and had several different tools at his disposal (french press, chemex, pour over, etc.) in order to get the most out of "the bean". 

Onyx is a professional coffee drinker's kind of place. Really well done! There was even a delivery of Miss Weinerz specialty donuts that arrived as I was sipping my coffee. The donut was fantastic might I add. As I was leaving, I decided to get a large coffee to go and was tempted to purchase one of the12oz bags of Brio and Heart Coffee beans that were for sale. Perhaps next time. Anyways this place is exceptional. The atmosphere is open and inviting. The seating selection includes window, outside, countertop and table or bench and there's a lot of places to sit. The coffee selection is vast and includes cappuccino, lattes, espresso's, drip and specialty brewed. The barista is very warm and welcoming and even asked me my plans for the day as I was leaving. There are tasting events that they host and Onyx has free wifi. I'll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5/5

Seating: 5/5

Coffee: 5/5

Food: 4.5/5

19.5/20

A+

Burlington Vermont: A Coffee Experience

For my first post I want to explain the reason behind this blog's existence. I am a self proclaimed coffee fanatic who loves to explore coffee shops, bakeries and all businesses who share a mutual respect for "the bean".

Burlington is a small city in Northern New England that has a very "Portlandia" vibe as it's a mecca for hipsters, outdoor adrenaline junkies, social justice warriors and hippies. In order to truly experience the culture, one must frequent the spots where the community gathers. One such place is the coffee shop. Each post of my blog will be about a coffee shop that either I stumbled upon, saw an ad on seven days.com or was recommended to check it out by a colleague.

I will share a picture of the coffee shop as well as highlight the pro's and con's according to my personal opinion. I plan to rate the coffee shop based upon its atmosphere, seating, coffee and food selection. Let us begin!!