Cartel Roasting Co — Restaurant in Phoenix

Ordered a large pour over ($6.75 for 16 oz.). Expensive, but worth it (I thought) for the pleasure of drinking something that tastes amazing and not like that burnt sludge you get most places. I like lattes. And I like my coffee with milk. I buy premium roasted coffee beans (which I grind myself for optimum freshness and flavor) which I make into pour over, siphon, aeropress and french press at home. I understand that the point of drinking pour over coffee is to enjoy and appreciate the flavor of the coffee, but I happen to appreciate the flavor my coffee with milk. When I pay this much for a cup of coffee, I want to be able to enjoy it the way I like it and not be schooled on the merits of pour over coffee and how I should or should not be drinking it by some rumpled 20-something who may or may not have showered today and had his fingers all over the rim of my cup, making a huge mess pouring my precious coffee all over the counter, nor told I should have ordered "the drip". As an aside, pour over also usually tastes better when you can drink it out of a proper, heated porcelain cup rather than a paper cup, but I guess when you're in an airport some sins are more forgivable than others? Lesson: if you want to enjoy Cartel coffee the way you like it, buy a bag of their beans at one of their locations outside the airport, then make it yourself at home and save yourself a few bucks and a lot of annoyance first thing in...

Just not so great.

4/21/19 Update: The owner recently replied to this post asking for more information regarding the experience. So, here it is. From Order Entry to Coffee Received the customer experience leaves a lot to be desired.

First, the individual who took my order was rude and disengaged. Almost a sense of being annoyed. For the price we customers now pay for a cup of coffee, the experience should be delightful...even at the airport.

Second, no one had a sense of urgency. The barista was so slow it was ridiculous. Watching her make one drink was like watching paint dry. The customers were piling up waiting for their orders.

Third, urgency again. It's an airport...some of us have a flight to catch. Yes, I personally had enough time to grab a coffee. Just not enough time to go to Cartel Coffee. I wouldn't mind waiting if I saw hustle. A sense that they were doing their best to make great drinks quickly.

Fourth, we all have our favorite flavors and brands of coffee. After waiting so long for mine perhaps my opinion was already stacked against them. What I recall was after trying my drink...meh...too expensive for poor service and mediocre coffee.

Hope that helps you improve your establishment, Jacob. Thanks for...

If you are looking for over priced, burnt schwill, that you can just shove down your tired, dirty pie hole ...you passed the Star-schmucks just past security. Just head on back. If you are concerned about price, slide to McDonalds... prolly more your size.

Now that we cleared the riff raff out... if you are looking for the legit good good, slide on in and prepare your taste buds for full flavored ride on the smooth side. Skip the drip. Move to the high class Aeropress, V60 or Chemex (that's right, the same Chemex that James Bond uses in the books NOT the movie). A true barista (not just a coffee jockey that knows how to use a machine) will help you pick a bean by its flavor profile (all light roast to maintain the smooth flavor and delicate mad notes AND higher octane). Next, pick your passion. I'm a fan of the Chemex (Bond, James Bond) but that means 20oz of coffee delight. So if you are looking for smaller, try the V60. Be prepared to wait about 5 to 10 min while they make sure the water is at the right temp to extract the coffee goodness but not burn the beans. Water is added by weight to make sure the consistancy in flavor is obtained then, boom! Right into your well seasoned and...