3B
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 // The Statement
Brews Through: Panther Coffee,
Dr. Smood, by Chloe
I
t’s not so surprising that the pale
Michigander
seeks
sunshine
and warmth from the dead cold.
When winter lasts nine months of the
year, we forget what it feels like to wear
shorts and have sunscreen slathered
in splotches on your face. I went to
get some blood work done recently
and it turns out I am suffering from a
dangerous Vitamin D deficiency.
My best friend and I decided to make
the trip down south to Miami. Almost
everyone I’ve met in college evidently
had the same idea. It’s my last break as
an undergrad and I wanted to get some
Vitamin D without eating triple-dose
gummies twice a day.
We spent our mornings by the pool
getting tan, feeling those pyrimidine
dimers in our DNA, hoping we managed
just
enough
sunscreen
to
avoid
melanoma, but not too much to look
un-ill for once. We spent our afternoons
attempting to do homework, eating good
food and drinking good coffee.
I accidentally bought a water bottle for
17 dollars at the resort. My face seeing
the receipt was akin to “The Scream.”
We decided to get our coffee and snacks
elsewhere for both quality and sanity.
Panther Coffee is a Miami-based
coffee roaster, and a must-go if you’re
in the neighborhood. They have five
stores, but also sell their coffee beans
elsewhere. We spent time at the Sunset
Harbour location on Purdy Avenue, a hip
getaway from the resort-tourist scene.
It’s a cozy set-up. The floor-to-ceiling
windows let enough light into the cafe,
though the hanging lights give off a
nice, tinted ambiance. The whole place
has an industrial feeling to it: the metal
tables, large nuts and bolts screwed
into the counters, exposed light bulbs,
creamy gray concrete lining the walls.
The customers match the mood, like
an interior designer placed them there.
Young businessmen in trendy suits, a
fitness couple cooling off after a run,
the plush golden retriever sitting by his
owner, who’s wearing dark sunglasses, a
woman grabbing a cold brew in her full-
denim outfit — it’s what I think of when
I imagine “trendy.”
I was pleasantly surprised with the
price, even after spending near 20
dollars on a small Fiji water. It was still
early when I sat down at Panther, so I got
my morning regular: black Americano
with their signature ham and cheese
croissant. I spent less, enjoyed more
— not that it’s that hard to find a more
reasonably priced cafe in Miami.
Panther didn’t get itself to where it
is just for reasonable prices. The coffee
menu is dangerous for any caffeine lover,
but they carry a generous selection of
teas as well. The croissants are twice
the size of my palm and had I stayed in
Miami for longer, I would’ve made my
way through the entire menu.
After spending five days in Miami,
my friend and I flew back to Detroit.
Correction: we tried.
We had a layover in LaGuardia before
landing in Detroit on Thursday night.
We planned a solid four days in Ann
Arbor to enjoy some peace and quiet
before the last sprint of the semester
begins. The snowstorm in Detroit and
then the storm in New York City
threw a wrench in our plans.
I
didn’t
know
what
a
“Nor’easter” was until the day
my flight was canceled. Turns
out it’s a specific type of storm
where masses of cyclonic air are
pushed counterclockwise and
become pretty deadly. At this
point, the Nor’easter that hit
this weekend killed eight people
on the East Coast. Our flight was
canceled twice, pushing us back
one day.
We decided to make a day out
of our 24 hours in New York
City, walking through a hailing
Nor’easter with large suitcases
and nothing but bikinis and
sandals. We landed in another
coffee shop where we met up
with some old friends.
Dr. Smood is a healthy cafe.
It
was
around
the
corner
from the hotel we booked for
the night (PSA: airlines don’t
cover any hotels for weather-related
cancellations). We got lucky, honestly.
Dr. Smood is maybe trendier than
Panther in certain ways, though they call
themselves a “boutique” and are more
of a hangout than a coffee place. They
serve good coffee, but more emphasis on
cold-pressed juices and organic shots —
green algae, ginger, turmeric, you name
it.
The boutique eatery is a getaway.
The stone walls and black interior are
sexy. They have wooden countertops
for laptop usage and fancy couches to
grab coffee with a colleague. Despite
the mildly intimidating atmosphere, the
baristas are kind.
It’s the place where I hang out in
my hypothetical NYC life, along with
my hypothetical job, my hypothetical
wardrobe and my hypothetical high-rise
overlooking Central Park.
At this point, the Nor’easter is
building. Our flights are canceled for a
third, then fourth, then fifth time. Our
initial Thursday flight from New York to
Detroit gets pushed to Sunday, so we are
stuck in our layover destination for four
days — four days. Sure, New York is the
best city to get stuck in, but mind you,
I have five bikinis, Birkenstocks and
one pair of ripped jeans. My sunburn is
starting to peel on my back and my body
is confused with the 50-degree drop in
temperature.
It’s our third day in New York City
now. I am writing my column from
another trendy, plush, slick coffee shop.
Part of me wonders if the universe just
wanted me to coffee shop hop my last
spring break. The world somehow knew
how I wanted to spend my break, it
sensed my guilt by the pool not writing
my thesis, not studying for exams, not
preparing for the future.
So, I’m here in New York City debating
if I should actually be productive touring
grad
schools,
apartment-seeking,
bracing for my life after graduation.
For now though, my coffee gives me
comfort. The sustainable, plant-based,
delicious cafe, by Chloe, has a few
locations in Europe, in NYC, in LA, and
some other fancy locales. I splurge at
maybe the best location adjacent to the
Rockefeller Center.
I don’t know what I expected from
my last spring break, but it definitely
wasn’t this. I’m not complaining, I feel
nourished from skin to stomach to soul.
It’s been a fulfilling time away from
school. And if I’ve learned anything,
it’s to keep taking strolls and opening
doors to more coffee. Chasing the scent
of coffee, no matter what city, seems to
be the best way of traveling.
BY YOSHIKO IWAI, COLUMNIST
Photos courtesy of Yoshiko Iwai