I’m Josh – a photographer, motorcycle rider, and a coffee lover. A perfect Saturday morning consists of hopping on my motorbike with a camera strapped to my back to find a new cafe and take in the sights of the Bay Area.
I visit cafes and document the great ones, one cappuccino at a time. I hope that The Cafe Curator can help you find your next favorite cafe.
how I rate cafes:
I score them out of 10 with the following breakdown.
coffee (4 points): Coffee should be weighted the most, right? A 4/4 cafe should have an excellent filter coffee with baristas that pull sweet espresso and pour a delightful cappuccino. Ideally, they’d have a variety of specialty beans for purchase and seasonal pour-overs.
food (2 points): Cafe’s are a place for gathering with friends and family, a place to stop on the way out for a trip, a place to regroup after an event. Food is an important part of those things. A 2/2 cafe should have great pastry and non-pastry options. I love to see what cafes can do with such a small footprint.
vibe (3 points): A Cafe’s vibe is almost as important as its coffee. It should welcome you, make you want to stay for a bit, and make you want to come back. The best cafes may even make you feel cool. A 3/3 cafe should make you feel cool and have seating options for gathering. I’m a sucker for a good coffee window, but that will get them a 2.
bonus points: Some cafes have something special. You can’t always explain it, but sometimes you can. Maybe it’s the shop’s owner who always remembers what motorcycle you ride, or maybe the sun was shining through a stained glass window projecting art across the wall as you took your first sip. Some cafes deserve a boost, just because they are great cafes.
my favorite types of coffee:
filter: Big fan of washed Ethiopian coffees and others that drop a bright juice bomb.
milk drink: Cappuccinos come in a perfect size with a subtle sweetness that calms the brain. They also show off a barista’s talents and help me understand a cafe’s ability.
what I shoot with:
Fujifilm xt-4 with a 35mm prime (for now).
what I ride:
2020 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Cafe Racer
