Great coffee shop...great by Madison standards and would be great in any city. The reasons for loving this place?
Outstanding tea (Loose rishi tea, properly brewed--epic win). Free, reliable wi-fi. Good baked goods. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I haven't sampled this, but they also have Yerba Mate. Great layout with two levels, and a diversity of workspaces, from tables of varying size to single seats for solo people working. A bit of a dark atmosphere--dark floors and walls, but there are nice big windows overlooking the street. Great both as a community space or a semi-private place to work. Great location in the heart of the downtown near the capitol. They also serve food. And the people working here are friendly.
You simply cannot go wrong with this place. It's a great asset to an otherwise boring block of Madison's downtown.
BTW, if you would like to review individual teas that Barriques sells, check out this site that I've created -- http://ratetea.net/brand/rishi/3/ -- it's an interactive site like Yelp, where you can review individual teas. I'm pretty sure that all of the teas (and Yerba Mate) that Barriques sells are listed there too. No coffee reviews, sorry!