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| - Out of all the coffee shops I visited this week in Phoenix, Futuro was my favorite. It was one of the few places in Phoenix that offered a similar experience to the trendy third wave coffee shops in LA. I thought that Giant Coffee and Cartel Coffee Lab were OK, but not in the same league as Futuro.
What makes this place special is ex-Cartel and ex-Giant barista Bill's pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee. His vision is to improve the coffee scene in Phoenix, which in my opinion is dreadful compared to the ones in Seattle and LA. Lola and Lux Central were highly recommended to me but they were more hype than substance. I can tell that Bill idolizes the baristas from G&B/GGET in LA, he's followed them since the Sqirl pop-up. It might explain why he sources beans from 49th Parallel, particularly the Honduras Ocotillo that was used by Charles Babinski in the 2015 WBC.
The menu at Futuro is simple for now, primarily espresso-based drinks or cold brew (no pourovers), although Bill can probably customize any drink you want if you're nice. He pulls excellent shots (49th Parallel Epic) on the La Marzoco Linea, uses high quality milk (not cheap supermarket jugs), and draws the most consistent latte art in town. For non-coffee drinkers, he can make a cascara tea (made with skin and pulp of dried coffee cherries, tastes like a white tea).
No, Bill doesn't make his own almond macadamia milk like at GGET or exquisite hoppy teas like at G&B (just yet), but he did let me try a cascara tea with a splash of sparkling water that was a simple yet refreshing elixir. You probably won't find it anywhere else in Arizona.
Part of the coffee shop experience to me is interaction with the barista that makes my drink. An ideal barista is one who is friendly, shares the passion of coffee to customers, gets to know customers, understands what the customers like, etc. It's sharing a brief moment in the day together while the barista makes the drink. The experience should be totally the opposite of that at Starbucks, where people can order on their phone and pick up their drink at the counter without encountering the barista. Bill provides personable barista service and he's open to feedback, exactly like how it is at places like G&B and GGET.
Futuro is a great concept and I hope more people in the DT Phoenix area can come check it out. It's way way better than Lux or Lola nearby.
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