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

