Giant Coffee

Giant Coffee is the kind of shop that has been quietly doing its thing in downtown Phoenix for so long that new arrivals do not even realize it is a landmark. It sits on the corner of 1st and McDowell in the Roosevelt Row arts district, steps from the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard. It has been pouring coffee there since around 2010. The Phoenix New Times named Best Coffee House in 2015 and Best Shot of Espresso in 2013.

Giant Coffee used to buy their beans from Four Barrel Coffee out of San Francisco. Now they roast in-house every single week. In small single-origin batches. That is a shop that grew up and started doing the work itself.

The Vibe

Spacious, light-filled and architecturally distinct. There is an open air patio and a second location at Sky Harbor (Gate F7, Terminal 3) for the airport crowd.

The Coffee Program

• In-house roasting, weekly, small-batch, single-origin. Freshness is the whole brand.
• Anti-syrup shop and I mean it. Only chocolate and vanilla. No dozen-flavored-syrup wall. Organic milk and organic alternatives.
• Brewed by drip, pour-over (V60 slow bar, made to order), or espresso-based.
• The Honey Vanilla Latte is the signature. It has what the shop calls a "passionate fan club" and it is the most praised drink in the reviews. Fair warning: it runs sweet if you get it hot. Iced, or ask for half syrup.
• Also on the radar: the Cold Brew, the Espresso con Panna, the Smoke Jumper and single-origin mochas.

A full in-person review is still coming. Please check back.