Florida is known for its phenomenal beaches and alluring nightlife. Both visitors and locals of the Sunshine State can experience the influence of Latin-American culture in the names of places like Fernandina beach and Lake Buena Vista. However, perhaps one of the most distinct tastes of that culture can be found in the hundreds of coffee shops strewn across the entire state.
Whether you’re a fan of the classic cup of joe or the more quirky coffee concoctions, find your best pick-me-up by exploring these excellent places to have coffee in Florida.
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Panther Coffee in Miami
Opened by Leticia and Joel Pollock in 2010 in the neighborhood of Wynwood, Panther Coffee was named by Food & Wine as the best coffee company in the state of Florida. This coffee shop can be found in neighborhoods like Little Haiti, Sunset Harbour, MiMo district, and Coconut Grove in Miami.
The folks at Panther Coffee roasts their own coffee beans, which they source from trusted suppliers located in different countries such as Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Brazil. When you visit their Wynwood and Little Haiti locations, you can actually see their vintage roasting machines, the Probat Perfekt roasters, in action.
Their shops offer some of the richest coffee in town, including the Cold Brew Classic Coffee, the smooth and creamy East Coast Espresso, and the must-try Nitro Cold Brew. You can complement these drinks with snacks such as empanadas and vegan wasabi cookies. If you want to learn more about caffeinated drinks, visit Home Grounds to read up on highly informative articles.
Aside from the coffee and food that it serves, Panther Coffee is also proud of its interior design and the eclectic ambiance that it gives off, and for good reason. Architectural Digest named them the most beautiful coffee shop in all of Florida.
Finally, this coffee company offers wholesale coffee beans and other merchandise, which you can purchase through Mistobox, Amazon, and Trade.
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Lineage Coffee Roasting in Orlando
Located at East End Market and Mill 50 in Downtown Orlando, Lineage Coffee Roasting opened nearly six years ago. Similar to the owners of the other shops in this list, the founders of Lineage Coffee Roasting are passionate about sharing their love for coffee with their community, and are continuously learning about the craft of roasting by building solid relationships with coffee suppliers from all over the world.
The latter has resulted to a well-crafted menu of coffee drinks, which includes cold brew and pour-over coffees. These are a must, especially if you’re looking for something to cool you down on a particularly hot day.
A lot of their customers are thankful about one of their locations. Since one of their shops is situated in the East End Market, you can buy a drink from Lineage and take it out to scour the many local shops outside offering novelty items like handmade soaps.
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Vagabond Coffee Co. in Jacksonville
It’s a no-brainer that a great coffee shop must primarily serve great coffee, too. However, in the case of Vagabond Coffee Co., they can serve that, as well as excellent pastries. To be more specific, they offer pop tarts that come in new flavors, every day together with amazingly fluffy quiches. These are displayed right next to the shop’s front door, making them the first thing you see when you walk into the shop.
Although this coffee company offers a relatively small and simple menu of coffee drinks, including things like cold brews, lattes, espressos, and different kinds of teas, each one is of true high quality, as attested by loyal customers who are willing to go out of their way just to make a quick visit to the shop.
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Zeal Coffee Roasters in Tampa
This whole business started when a former corporate worker named Peter Davidson was approached by his friend about importing coffee. Everything only built up from there. Zeal Coffee Roasters first opened in Reveal Church as a way to bring the community closer together. Their first official coffee bar opened in Lutz, Florida. They are, however, currently located at Northwest Tampa.
The friendly baristas at Zeal Coffee Roasters offer small batches of roasted coffee in bags. You can choose from a wide variety of choices, including:
- Organic Ethiopian Sidamo
- El Salvador Santa Ana
- Brazil Cerrado
These ready-made coffee bags can be purchased at less than $16 a piece. However, if you’re looking for the perfect cup to order at one of their retail locations, then look no further than their rich cup of Chemex coffee.
For most Floridians, coffee is an essential part of every morning and an occasional welcome treat with a side of pastry on some afternoons. If you’re going to visit Florida soon and are looking to sample some of the best pick-me-up cups in the state, don’t forget to visit any—or all—of the shops mentioned in this list.
