Cartel Coffee Lab is amazing. That should be capital A, Amazing!
I fell in love with this Phoenix coffee roaster and brewer years ago when visiting Tempe. But one of the things that made me fall in love with Cartel was its unflinching stance on the cappuccino. At their Tempe location, there was a sign that indicated no cappuccino could be ordered "to go".
And that stance makes total sense.
A cappuccino is a small drink. And it's all about texture. And it's all about immediacy. It wilts. It fades. You shouldn't wait to drink a cappuccino. And if you've crafted a mighty fine version of this drink, you don't want it to sit around for a moment before it's enjoyed, lest all that textured milk deflate, the volatile aromatics dissipate, and the sum of your efforts fall apart as time takes its inevitable toll.
Of course, it makes total sense that at an airport especially, people might be in a hurry and want to take their drinks in a paper cup to drink on the way to their gate.
I can't blame Cartel for not holding the line.
But I can ding them a star.
With love. Nothing but love.
For I feel it's an indictment against humanity that this Amazing coffee shop wasn't half as busy as Starbucks when we were passing through the Phoenix airport. It was nothing short of a gift from heaven that Cartel opened up an outpost in the airport, and I'm eternally grateful that I had another chance to have a drink from this great establishment.
Now I need to be on the lookout for flights with layovers in Phoenix. Because if I'm there again, I may just drop off a new sign demanding that no cappuccino will be made "to go".