The Bean Journal

Coffee Tour: Week 3

Going Home.

Latte flights at Hodge Podge in Verona, WI.

REFLECTIONS FROM A COFFEE TOUR

Follow along on @roastwestcoast on Instagram.

Day 11: My last stop in Southern Wisconsin is Hodge Podge, a coffee and cocktail bar in Verona, WI. We loaded the dog in the trailer and rode our bikes for a latte and a coffee on their patio. They serve latte flights, which I haven't seen elsewhere. I mentioned to the barista that making the flights must be a pain in the backside, but I'm assured it is no trouble because they are on draft. What will they think of next?

As for coffee, I try their single-origin tart Pom Ethiopia (bright & fruity) and their Cream City medium roast blend (fruity & chocolate) from Stone Creek Roasters. Both are better than I expected—that's on me for being a judgy coffee drinker.

Day 12: My first coffee stop in my hometown of Wausau, WI, is with the Coffee People podcast's presenting sponsor Roastar. Three notes:

It is a complete coincidence that the show's sponsor is from my hometown. I met the Roastar team in Los Angeles!
Their printing and packaging operation is really big. If you need it printed or packaged, they can probably do it.
Nick Schmitt owes me a good cup of coffee!

I spent several adult years working in commercial real estate in Wausau. Besides being a good job, it kind of set me down this path of pursuing entrepreneurial stories. I was able to see all the cool things being built, created, sold, and more in a mid-sized town. That experience made me wonder, What else is going on out there?

Three photos (left-right): Coffee bags printed sheets are being pulled through a press in a warehouse. The Roastar sign in front of their brown warehouse with a cup of coffee in a white togo cup in the foreground. A red mug of coffee on a speckled brown countertop next to a commercial coffee dispenser with a push lever. — L-R: Humboldt Coffee packages being printed, Roastar is big, and a coffee at Vino Latte that I accidentally knocked over.

Day 12-Part 2: Vino Latte on Wausau's west side is much bigger than anticipated. They have a full coffee and food menu, several batch brew offers, and dispense your own wine machines. They also sell wine, coffee, and spirits for retail. I drank a batch brewed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Check that. I first brought my coffee to the patio to enjoy a blue sky morning, pulled out my laptop to make some coffee notes, and promptly knocked my coffee mug over. I had not upgraded my coffee to "bottomless" at the register, but the barista kindly offered me a refill. Thanks again for the hospitality.

Day 12-Part 3: The Pickle Jar Grinds & Finds is one of the newest coffee shops in Wausau and is my third coffee stop of the day. They are a bit out of the way, but their outdoor patio and the fact that they serve Rusty Dog Coffee coffee make it worth the trip. I got to chat with one of the owners, who said that the location called out to them. They thought they'd only open a retail shop, but adding coffee helped them create a more well-rounded stop for an underserved corner of the community.

Three photos (left-right): An a-frame chalkboard that says, "Not all who wonder are lost. Some are just looking for coffee." The Pickle Jar sign with the name in bright yellow in a yellow circle mounted on a reclaimed wood background. The patio in front of the cafe. — The Pickle Jar is one of Wausau’s newest coffee shops.

Day 13: Most days, when I'm home, I drink coffee with my dad. We're both pretty good talkers and as long as we don't veer onto certain topics….Today is a good coffee-together day.

In the afternoon, my wife and I met two of our favorite people (plus their significant others who were new to us but seemed really nice) at Tucknee Coffee Company. Tucknee has a reputation for being hip and perhaps a little crunchy. I really want to like this place. I've been a half dozen times, and it looks like a place that could be my regular spot—craft coffee, upcycled furniture, quirky decor that borders on a burgeoning hoarding problem—but I always have one weird thing happen here whenever we visit. I'm chalking it up to ghosts.

I had a cappuccino—my first of the trip. It was fine, but the milk-to-espresso ratio seemed way off. I almost couldn't taste the coffee.

Day 14: I tried to take my wife to The Pickle Jar, but it is closed due to construction work! Then I try to take her to The Ugly Mug, which used to be downtown but has closed permanently!

We give up and head to a nearby brewery for a beer instead.