Giant gets an extra star since my last review one year ago.
Many of my criticisms in my initial review remain, however, I had a really narrow, strict idea of what a good local coffee shop is at that time. Even though they aren't a roastery and their manual coffee brewing apparatuses are fewer than Press or Cartel, they are a great café serving great coffee with pretty good service and a good atmosphere.
I love that I can get Four Barrel whole beans when I'm not in the mood for Cartel or Press and that they offer a french press option (usually neglected by most third wavers and viewed as second class I think). Moreover, Giant feels like a real local café made for the Phoenix coffee community.
I used to work downtown so I could stop by Giant frequently but since I quit I'm now very out of the way. I look forward to my next trip to Giant!