According to David Landsel, a writer with Food & Wine magazine, “Our coffee shops are better, more precise, more exciting than ever, and the diversity among our very best is just so terribly exciting. Which is why we’re here now — to talk not only about good coffee, but to turn our attention to the finest places for gathering around coffee.”
Landsel traveled to more than 40 states in 12 months to visit coffee shops throughout the country — doing so anonymously and with no free samples or solicitation of any kind. His final list includes both old and new spots that bring us closer to a fuller understanding of American coffee culture in the 21st century.
His journey led him to Cincinnati favorite, Mom ‘N ‘Em in Camp Washington. Out of nearly 100 coffee houses visited, he listed the Ferrari brothers’ shop as No. 5 on a large list of “best coffee shops in America.” “More than just a place for the most expertly-prepared coffees in the city, Mom ‘n ‘Em is placemaking at its finest,” writes Landsel, “an all-day affair, a place for the neighborhood as much as for coffee perfectionists, a place that transitions rather seamlessly, as the day wears on, into a civilized place for a drink — that expertly-curated wall of wine bottles isn’t there for decoration.”
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