Called a “revolutionary shop” by Feast Portland co-founder Mike Thelin, this trio of coffee shops not surprisingly also has some of the “best baristas around.” One of its biggest contributions to the third-wave coffee movement was the fact that it was “among the first to push the multi-roaster envelope,” says Erin Meister, coffee professional/freelance writer and editor. Meister adds that it’s “definitely one of the best spots to find out what's fresh and delicious on offer right now from the world's best roasters.” [Photo]

Chef and coffee-lover Hugh Acheson is a fan of this “huge spot” in Nashville that uses beans from a variety of roasters in a variety of brewing methods, including pulled espressos from a Slayer machine, which is just as badass as it sounds. Accompanying the specialty coffees are plenty of eats like housemade biscuits, killer sandwiches and a bourbon buttermilk waffle. [Photo]

Roast Magazine named this San Diego shop as 2012’s Micro Coffee Roaster of the Year, and with good reason. Throw any adjective their way, and chances are Bird Rock has adopted it as part of their mission: organic, fair trade, shade-grown, sustainable and more. While the highlight is their dedication to sourcing the best beans in the most ethical of ways, they also have a quaint shop in which to drink it. Preparations include specialty espresso pulled from a La Marzocco machine to a made-to-order cup from their pour over bar, using Hario, Beehouse or Chemex. A second Bird Rock is coming to San Diego’s Little Italy this summer.

“There’s the feeling that you’ll always be filling in the blank of 'Blue Bottle is … ' with a descriptor surpassing the current cultural zeitgeist,” says Chérmelle Edwards, self-proclaimed coffeetographer and documentarian. Chef Hugh Acheson agrees that it’s one of the best, noting the “line is long, but the coffee is worth it.” He also gives “mega props to a growing empire” that’s taken off with the premise that all coffee will be sold at the peak of freshness, which is to say, no more than 48-hours old. The bi-coastal brew does not seemed to have suffered in quality due to massive expansions into NYC and the Bay Area since it opened the first kiosk in 2005, with more cafes planned for Los Angeles this summer. [Photo]

Feast Portland’s Mike Thelin “loves this little spot” that opened in Boulder in 2011 before expanding to Denver in 2013. Beans are roasted in small batches using a 1929 German-built roaster that resides in one of the Denver cafes. Combating the difficulties of their mountainous surroundings, Boxcar developed a special method of brewing called Boilermakr that takes the lower boiling points at high altitude into account. [Photo]

Adam Goldberg of A Life Worth Eating praises this Chicago shop: “Excellent Chemex. Great vibe. Very serious. Very consistent.” In addition to those ringing endorsements are single­-origin espressos from a Synesso Hydra machine, pour overs, Syphon and Eva Solo­ prepared cups with various cold brew options that emerge from their multi­roaster format. [Photo]

The descriptions of coffees from Ceremony are more nuanced than any wine tasting notes using terms like “soft pear acidity” and “nougat aromatics” to convey the subtleties in each varietal. In part, it’s because they’re “very serious about sourcing and roasting the best coffee,” says Atlas Coffee Importers’ Karen Kazmierzcak. “Plus they offer many public education events and more advanced lab classes” which shows how committed to the craft they really are. The coffee is available in their coffeehouse as well as wholesale and can be found at places like Filter in D.C. [Photo]

“The sleepy coffee hollow of Culver City is now awake,” says coffeetographer Chérmelle Edwards. And that it is after a visit to this modern, minimal space brought to life by a former architect that started building buzz after a series of caffeinated pop-ups. In addition to the uncluttered space are espressos and single-cup coffees made with beans sourced from a variety of high-quality roasters. [Photo]

“My favorite of all the new roasters in Dallas; and served by top restaurants like FT33. Plus, the shop itself is a great space. Definitely the best coffee spot in the Big D,” says Mike Thelin of Feast Portland. The owners are self-proclaimed “OCD” about the preparation of their carefully selected and roasted beans, making for plenty of single-origin coffees and consistently well-pulled espressos. [Photo]

Dichotomy made an appearance on the Coffee Heatmap from January of this year and remained hot enough to make the Coffee 38. Sprudge calls it “nothing short of extraordinary,” noting its sophisticated multi-roaster format. It’s “the first shop in Texas to implement the Modbar Modular Espresso System,” resulting in “an almost 360-degree view of shot extraction.” The titular dichotomy comes in when the added elements of liquor, beer and wine enter the equation, making for a double throw down of excellent drinks. [Photo]

This coffee shop in Cambridge is owned and operated by local coffee roaster, Barismo. Beloved in its own right, Barismo (which is moving its current roasting facilities from inside their namesake roastery/cafe in Arlington to a space inside a Somerville brewery) focuses on small batches of sustainably sourced, directly traded coffees for both wholesale accounts as well as brewing in dwelltime. The coffee shop recently introduced “Analog Weekends” where laptops are not permitted at tables and guests are encouraged to unplug to stimulate actual face-to-face conversations. [Photo]

This 1988-established coffee legend is “sweet espresso perfection with the most beautiful foam,” according to Atlas Coffee Importers’ Karen Kazmierzcak. And the praise continues with coffee professional and writer, Erin Meister, noting: “There's all coffee everywhere else, and then there's Espresso Vivace: I doubt any barista worth her salt would be able to call this a ‘career’ if it weren't for David Schomer's endless tinkering, improving, experimenting, and plain old geeking out about espresso. If there was a coffee equivalent of the Vatican, this'd be it. Definitely worth a pilgrimage.” [Photo]

Many panelists suggested Everyman as an essential coffee shop, and the name says it all. “I love this place,” says Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson, adding “They’re total pros. No BS. Just great coffee.” Serving Counter Culture roasts paired with local dairy, it’s a simple shop with simply great coffee. [Photo]

Feast Portland’s Mike Thelin counts this as his favorite among all the Bay Area coffee shops, while smdlr blogger Chérmelle Edwards says, “Connect the dots. They are all here.” The quality begins with Four Barrel’s commitment to sourcing beans from around the world in a sustainable, ethical manner and then roasting them with utmost care. It all comes to fruition in their cozy cafes, which are sans Wi-Fi, electrical outlets and soy milk. May the lactose intolerant beware.[Photo]

“Anybody who doesn't look up to George Howell doesn't belong in specialty coffee,” says Erin Meister, coffee professional and freelance writer. “George Howell has been doing specialty coffee since before most of us were even allowed to get caffeinated. He has always sourced some of the most interesting beans and undertaken the most cutting-edge experiments in preparation, preservation, aging, processing, and coffee buying in the industry.” The highly revered coffee can be found at their fairly new (2012) cafe/coffee lab just outside of Boston and in fine establishments across the country, including Top Chef judge, Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South in Atlanta.[Photo]

If you’d like to order your coffee like you order your cocktails, belly up to the bar at Go Get Em Tiger. Brought to LA by the folks behind the acclaimed G&B, this bar not only makes baristas more accessible with its open design, but also has a sense of fun when it comes to making drinks. Made with quality beans from roasters like Heart, 49th Parallel and George Howell, Eater LA reported that the shop spent half a day last Thanksgiving “recreating the drinks” made famous at Starbucks during the holidays (think pumpkin spice lattes and such), though instead using “real ingredients and the care of a competition barista.” [Photo]

Though this Austin-headquartered outfit made their first foray into the world of roasting recently through Tweed Coffee [https://squareup.com/market/tweed-coffee-roasters], they’re still a shop that features a variety of roasters like Counter Culture, Madcap (also on this 38), Texas’ own Cuvee Coffee and more. Sprudge “humbly” considers Houndstooth to be among the “the best multiroaster cafes in the United States." Excellent baristas and great service round out the argument that all the fawning is warranted. [Photo]

“Praise be given,” says chef Hugh Acheson of the godfathers of Third Wave coffee. And Mike Thelin of Feast Portland makes it clear that “no list is legit without them.” But perhaps coffee professional/writer Erin Meister said it best: “You don't have to be intelligent to love this coffee, but you definitely are intelligent if you do. They put out some of the best and most responsible coffees in the world, period. They also were among the first companies to really sharpen the language about and the focus on seasonality and freshness, which has been a game-changer for both other coffee pros and for coffee drinkers.” Add to that their cult-like status in cities outside of their hometown — Los Angeles for one — and there’s no choice but to add to that praise Acheson was advocating. [Photo]

“Love me some Ashley C[hristensen],” says Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson. “When her heart is set on a business she rolls it out better than anyone in the world. I was there in week one and it was stellar. Great food and great coffee. Such attention to brewing.” That attention includes single-origin drip coffee, pour overs, iced pour overs, espresso and cold brew made with Counter Culture roasts. And it doesn’t hurt that the food menu is just as exciting as the coffee with poutine, roasted tomato BLTs and twice-cooked grits among the intriguing selections. The cocktail, wine and beer list ensures its well-roundedness. [Photo]

“They’re serious about extraction,” says Atlas Coffee Importers’ Karen Kazmierzcak. In those extractions are what Kazmierzcak thinks are the “best coffees from multiple roasters” that include familiar names found all over this list like George Howell, Coava, Stumptown and even as far away as Oslo, Norway’s Tim Wendelboe. Topping it off like the perfect crema on a well-pulled espresso is a “comfortable and beautiful shop with fantastic artwork” in which to drink it all. [Photo]

Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson loves this small chain of shops located in his home base of Atlanta, which also sports a “smart design and great coffee.” Their selections include the full array of espresso-based drinks - some of them sweetened with housemade chocolate, caramel and vanilla syrups, plus single-origin French press and pour overs. But wait, there’s more: their booze program is almost as equally revered and the Octane concept has been successfully expanded into the neighboring state of Alabama in recent months. [Photo]

Michael Gillispie, senior managing partner at Cup and Brew: “Oddly Correct sources top quality coffee beans from various parts of the world; this is not your average Arabica. Each variety has its own unique taste and mouthfeel that is brought out through the staff’s superb roasting techniques. If you’re used to ordering mocha or adding a lot of foo-foo to your drink, then Oddly Correct is NOT for you. No sugar or creamer is available here and that is a good thing.” Also adorable to note they deliver fresh coffee of the week to subscribers via bicycle http://oddlycorrect.bigcartel.com/product/local-kansas-city-pick-up inside their hometown of Kansas City. [Photo]

It’s a pop-up espresso-only bar in the back of a barbershop in Williamsburg, so yes, there’s that; but before your eyes roll too far back, consider the fact that Adam Goldberg of A Life Worth Eating finds it to be the “most promising micro-roaster in NYC” at the moment. Add to that their rapidly growing list of respectable wholesale clients, a permanent location on the horizon (near the Brooklyn Navy Yard) and the recent addition of Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere to their line-up and you have one of New York’s strongest contenders. [Photo]

According to their parent organization’s website — the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) — Peace Coffee was “the country's first 100-percent certified organic and fair trade coffee company.” What started in 1996 as an import arm of the IATP has blossomed into a full blown roasting operation and coffeeshop also run by the non-profit organization. As for the actual coffee, the bar in Wonderland Park offers four black-brewed coffees, two signature brews on tap, espresso, cold brew, plus limited run beans extracted manually via Hario, Chemex or French Press at any given time. [Photo]

“Ritual is to coffee as couplet to poetry,” says Chérmelle Edwards of smdlr. Writer and coffee professional Erin Meister adds, “These guys definitely ushered in a whole new generation of specialty coffee in San Francisco. Their focus on the beans rather than the roast or even necessarily the barista were a sort of turning-point for a lot of other coffee companies.” [Photo]

“What coffee roaster/shop has had more impact nationally than Stumptown?” asks Feast Portland’s Mike Thelin. “The answer is none.” Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson refers to it as “ground zero,” and coffee professional and writer Erin Meister insists it “was definitely one of the leaders among roasters elevating the craft of coffee to a new level.” With locations that have crept into coffee-powerhouse cities like New York, Seattle and Los Angeles, they’ve become a national brand with instant recognition among even the most amateur of coffee enthusiasts. [Photo]

“This is hands-down one of my favorite coffee shops in the country,” says coffee professional/writer, Erin Meister. “The baristas are some of the best in the business, the espresso is always top-shelf-level, the hospitality is unbeatable, and at the original location, you can also score some awesome craft beer to take home to follow up all that caffeine. Aaron Ultimo's shop was definitely a turning-point in the Philly coffee scene; he helped this Brotherly Love coffee community grow up quick.” [Photo]

Verve is first and foremost a coffee roaster and secondly a trio of coffee bars in Santa Cruz, plus a pop-up in Los Angeles. The secret to their success isn’t much of a secret: Verve is known for sourcing some of the highest quality coffee beans from around the world and roasting them to coax the nuances out of each one. The roastery/cafe is where all the magic happens in their 1965 German-made Probat roaster, made all the merrier with fresh espresso and barista-made coffees onsite, though their roasts are available for retail and used at coffee shops around the nation. [Photo]