My Life as a Coffee Whore

I am a coffee whore. I am also retired and spend my days in search of the perfect grind. I am not a cultured whore as my hedonistic ways outweigh my desire for sophistication. I’m not even a purest whore because I balk at the Americano for it exposes the raw bitterness of the coffee bean with its espresso base. I prefer to drown my coffee in fluffed milk and sweeteners.

Skip right to Coffee House reviews in San Miguel de Allende

Coffee Scene in San Miguel de Allende

I was introduced to the coffee scene in San Miguel de Allende last November on a short trip here. While this town sits in the highlands of Mexico’s interior, it is not a bean-producing State. It is common to find beans from Oaxaca on the menu in San Miguel (located in the south-west of Mexico).

Something else that I learned on my trip to Mexico last November is that coffee whoring is a phenomenon among Canadians and Americans, not Mexicans. It was driving from Puerto Vallarta on the west coast of Mexico to San Miguel over ten painful, hung-over hours that I learned this interesting fact. My only option was instant coffee at the side of the road. But it must have been a premonition of what was to come because even the instant coffee was pretty darn good!

What I discovered on this trip that fateful November of 2022 were two things:

• San Miguel is jam-packed with specialty coffee houses
• There is no reason to ever drink soul-less coffee again

For the record, I was a soul-less coffee whore back home in Canada. I’d drink cheap coffee as a means to push through my busy life, day in and day out.

Why I’ll Never Be a Barista (only a Coffee Whore)

I will never be a barista. Similarly, I will never be a Sommelier even though I love wine. Put it down to being immature or too old to change, I prefer what I prefer and I want to indulge in what I love. Some may say I’m a hedonist when it comes to coffee.

Hedonist:

A person who believes that the pursuit of pleasure is the most important thing in life; a pleasure-seeker.

If I was a Barista I would want to be able to talk about the complexity of different beans. I would want to explore. I would want to dive nose-deep into all things coffee. But alas, I’m not a Barista, and the extent of my interest in the bean is relegated to three descriptors from the coffee-tasting wheel:

nutty/burnt/Tobacco

In Search of Nutty, Burnt, Tobacco Notes

Sadly, I’ve probably lost a good chunk of readers by this point who are either interested in more sophisticated coffee explorations, are turned off by my hedonistic ways, or realized they are happy with a soul-less coffee existence.

For those whose interest I’ve peaked in the garish – and sometimes sweeter – side of the bean, I’m delighted to share with you my findings! The good news is you don’t have to fly all the way to Mexico to indulge! Coffee Houses and whoring is quite the fad these days! Back home in the Niagara Region alone I discovered these fabulous houses:

• Wandering Spirits, Downtown St. Catharines
• The Brazen Cafe, Downtown St. Catharines
• Fine Grind Cafe, Downtown St. Catharines
• The Keto Crumb, Downtown St. Catharines
• 416 Coffee, Port Dalhousie (St. Catharines)
• The Canon, Ottawa St. Hamilton

Note: I love Ottawa St. in Hamilton and that is why I included this coffee house. This district has turned into a design/antique/foodie ‘hood and is the perfect place to spend a leisurely Saturday. My husband and I often find ourselves doing just this and ending up at The Canon. My go-to is gluten-free waffles and a coffee. I usually end up taking a bag of beans home for tasting. Of course, my faves are Mexican beans that embody nutty, burnt, tobacco-tasting notes.

San Miguel Coffee Houses

Living in San Miguel de Allende is the perfect opportunity to try out the many varied coffee houses. This Town is jam-packed with four things, including coffee:

• Food
• Boutique hotels
• Expats

As I mentioned, I prefer to stick to my hedonist ways when it comes to coffee. And I’m nowhere near a purist bean taster. My husband prefers a dark roast and drinks mostly Americanos to be able to taste a bean.

If a bean has notes of nuttiness, burnt or tobacco, I don’t mind sipping on an Americano, but I prefer to take my bean in the form of a cappuccino. While I would love to have fatty milk in my beverage, I can’t stomach real milk so go with a non-dairy substitute.

I can imagine my lovely reader balking at this point.

“Is this gal even remotely qualified to call herself a coffee whore???”

Sigh. Think of it this way – I can vary up my cappuccino with coconut, almond, soy, hazelnut, and macadamia nut milk. I think that now is probably the right time to share one of my core beliefs:

Non-dairy, Stevia-infused cappuccinos are to adults what the milkshake is to kids.

Here are my findings to date on coffee houses in San Miguel that serve up a cappuccino with nutty, burnt, tobacco-like tasting notes:

1. Ki’Bok

Ki’Bok is an incredibly busy coffee house at any hour. It sits on the outside of the pedestrian-only central zone, which is where every tourist conglomerates at some point. Other coffee houses on the same street are not as busy.

Part of their popularity can be attributed to the article in National Geographic entitled “The Art of Coffee in San Miguel de Allende.” This article also mentions La Mancha in San Miguel, which is another one of my weekly coffee house haunts.

Besides Ki’bok being the closest big-name coffee house to where I live in San Miguel, here’s why I think they rock:

• Their cappuccino has hints of nutty, burnt, tobacco notes
• The staff are incredibly welcoming. It’s one of those places where they make you feel like a regular
• They ordered gluten-free scones when I asked for sinful but belly-friendly pastry options
• Beans are sold whole or ground on-site to take home
• Their place is super cool to hang out in
• The coffee house is like a restaurant – i.e. You are welcomed, you go pick a table on one of the three levels to sit in, a server comes around to take your order, you are served, you check out on the first floor at your convenience
• It’s always “hasta luego” when you leave from the staff (“see you later”)

2. El Cafe de La Mancha

We stumbled across this rad coffee house while shopping for groceries at the local market in the ‘hood we were staying in last November. I call it “rad” because of the very cool exteriors:

Again, El Cafe de la Mancha is also mentioned in the National Geographic article I link to above. After I left San Miguel last November I started to follow them on Instagram and see that they attend Barista competitions in Mexico City. Very cool. This also means they stay on top of their game.

While they have the regular gamut of coffees – cappuccinos, Americanos, macchiatos etc.. etc., their specialty is also drip coffees. We learned that the device and many other technical preparatory methods affect the final taste of the coffee.

Again, I default to my beloved cappuccino. A note of interest – I actually dig their cappuccino to the extent that I don’t like to add a sweetener. That’s right, this Milkshake-substituting-aficionado lets the taste of the bean pour over her mouth and tickle and tantalize, as a bean should do.

Here’s why I love El Cafe de La Mancha

• Their cappuccino has nutty, burnt, tobacco notes
• The place is beyond rad, like artsy, in-your-face rad but not intimidating
• The location is slightly outside of the Central Zone so it feels more like a secret local experience
• Probably due to the location, I’ve met some cool fellow expats
• Beans are sold whole or ground on-site to take home

3. Vendome

I believe that Vendome is relatively new to the coffee house scene in San Miguel. We stumbled upon this shop one day while out for a leisurely stroll. They’ve got a great location just down from Fabrica La Aurora.

Fabrica La Aurora is a former textile factory in San Miguel that today houses art and design. Everything from clothing designs to sculpture, woodworking, painting, antiques, and more can be found at this cultural centre of the Town.

I am drawn to places that have distinctive interior designs and Vendome is just this. It is more than a coffee house with jewelry, funky furniture, unique candles, and other decor items that are beautifully presented in a shotgun style of building.

I’m always apprehensive about trying a new coffee house in the fear that I won’t like the beans. I mean – why drink mediocre coffee when you could be indulging your senses in whatever beans tickle your fancy, like the nutty/burnt/tobacco notes that I’m drawn to?

I admit that when we walked in I felt uneasy as the espresso machine was a a small unit sitting on the front counter. But man was I ever in for a treat! This coffee was right up my alley! Here’s why I think Vendome rocks:

• Their cappuccino has hints of nutty, burnt, tobacco notes
• Proprietors serve their coffee in a sleek mug. I’m sure that, like wine, the serving vessel for coffee makes a difference. I’m partial to a sleek mug that holds in the heat, is easy to grip, and doesn’t take away from the presentation of the coffee
• They serve their cappuccino with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon which was pleasantly surprising and delicious
• My coffee was garnished with two coffee beans. The presentation is definitely different in a good way. I had actually forgotten about the beans and they ended up in my mouth with one of the last sips. It somehow added a different taste in my mouth that made me stop for a moment and ponder the unique appeal of the coffee bean. I spit them back out when I was done with my deep moment of contemplation
• The interior was outstanding! I think individual style adds atmosphere and is why people, consciously or subconsciously are drawn to a place

4. Cafe de Santos

I find it interesting that some coffee houses can be packed and others empty. Cafe de Santos has good coffee. Its location is a few blocks down from Ki’bok so very close to the Central Zone which is the lifeline of San Miguel. The presentation is excellent. Yet the place always seems to be empty.

My cappuccino was very good. But it was my husband’s macchiato that stole the show! Again, he loves sipping on a good dark roast. The bean in both of our coffees was an organic Oaxacan (from the southwest of Mexico).

Here is what rocked about Cafe de Santos cappuccino:

• Their cappuccino has hints of nutty, burnt, tobacco notes
• Excellent presentation with a few coffee beans on top of the foam
• Love the idea of drinking and supporting organic farmers
• The presentation of the macchiato was outstanding

5. Lavanda

When we visited San Miguel in 2022 Lavanda was a place I wanted to try for their coffees and brunch. At that time it was located elsewhere and there was always a lineup out the door. Being a coffee whore I find it hard to wait in a long line for coffee. That was my loss.

Fast forward to 2023 and Lavanda moved to a new location. My realtor friend recommended I try this place. I did and at that time I thought it was “just ok.” I’m so glad I gave it another chance! Apparently, you have to go after they’ve cleaned their machines. The difference was like night and day. And it broke a lot of my “core rules” of how I like my coffee served (sleek serving vessel, gluten-free pastries, unique interiors). This just goes to show that in some circumstances, an outstanding product can stand on its own.

My almond milk, and two Stevia cappuccino served in a paper cup with a plastic lid rocked my world! The nutty, burnt, and tobacco notes were glaringly apparent yet the coffee was incredibly smooth. I felt like my taste buds were being serenaded! I was so excited by my drink that I blabbered to others about my sensually stimulating experience in between sips.

Did my Lavanda coffee have a beautiful design in the foam by a Barista extraordinaire? No idea.

Did I have the time or the desire for a cappuccino product shot to show off to the world? Hell no! I was in coffee whore heaven and only wanted to focus on those wonderful, garish notes that were hitting my mouth over and over and over again.

On a side note, I’ve never investigated the origin of their bean. I don’t even know if they sell their beans for home machines. In a way, I don’t want to over-do Lavanda coffee. I want to keep my experience on the tantric side as the longing between visits will perhaps add to, and heighten the experience.

The Take-Away: Do I Want Everyone to Be a Coffee Whore?

If you take away anything from this blog post, let it be to live large, to indulge in what makes your heart sing. If your heart sings from experimentation then roll with that. If your heart sings from doing the same thing over and over again then your choice is obvious.

p.s. I am also a self-confessed foodie as I have found that San Miguel is also a gastro hotbed!