Cartel Coffee Lab

Category:	Coffee Shop
Address:	225 W University Dr #101, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Phone:	+1 480-621-6381
Site:	cartelcoffeelab.com
Rating:	4.5
Working:	7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Tawnya Kiehl

There is precious little parking in this area. Its really close to Mill Avenue, which is notorious for not having much in the way of parking. I found some 1 hour parking, but who wants to be at the coffee shop for an hour or less? Sometimes you go and you want to hang out and do stuff while youre having coffee. If youre the type of person who walks to the coffee shop or ride the bike, you wont have to worry about these problems. If you drive, you better watch out! Since I drive to get around the city, I guess I wont be coming back to this coffee shop. I absolutely must be able to park if Im going to go somewhere, and not have to worry about a silly time limit. At the very least, make it 3 hour parking, not a mere one hour. Who wants to leave almost as soon as they get there?? On to other aspects of the shop. Its very different, which I thought was pretty cool. Its what made me give the place a shot. They have a very, very simple menu. The staff was friendly, and answered my question kindly. It looks like a lot of college students and artsy people come here, too. Theres also the free Wi-Fi, and I am grateful for that. They have an interesting item on the menu called a 1 and 1, but I wish it had been explained better what I was supposed to do with it. One of the cups I got was extremely bitter. If you want to try a one and one, the shore to ask more questions. Overall though, I got my dose of caffeine, and it wasnt too bad otherwise. The seats arent very comfortable, and it has a very Warehouse feel, but some people like that style. I actually appreciate the way its different from certain National changed. I just wish it wasnt so close to the university that parking was almost nonexistent. Between the service and the taste of the coffee, I wish I was able to come back. Thanks!

Andre

I thought when my plans to move to Portland fell through that I was going to miss out on true quality coffee made with flare and a passion for the beverage. Fortunately, I was wrong. Cartel in Tempe offers precisely what I feared Id miss. Everything about this place is superb. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable, the decor is warm and inviting, with a sort of post-consumery recovered material look that is a perfect fit for a coffee shop next to a University. I do not mean to say that the interior is in anyway mundane, or typical of a hipster coffee joint. They keep their own unique, albeit avant-garde, appearance that emphasizes the "lab" in "Cartel Coffee Lab". I don’t obviously go to a coffee place for the décor and knowledgeable staff (though those factors are vital in determining whether or not I return); I go for the Coffee. Cartel uses quality, home-roasted beans. They seem to live by the mantra espoused on their website that there is noting they can do to make the bean better. They strive to bring out the wonderful qualities of their beans and succeed monumentally. Their 24-hour, cold brewed iced coffee loses no flavor whilst avoiding bittering; the espresso is deeply flavorful with a semi-smooth texture that is not unpleasantly coarse, but rather pleasantly complementary; and the often neglected boring brown coffee is neither neglected nor boring. * On a side note, even the clientele was cheerful and pleasant to be around. I highly recommend Cartel Coffee Lab for the experience and will surely be making it one of my regular haunts.

Paul Valente

I asked for a single Americano and they said we dont do those. I kindly say Ill pay for the double but could you pour the other shot out for me. His response "No." And I looked at him for a second and said "no, you cant just pour it out?" "No." Im really sensitive to caffeine especially when its from espresso at a local coffee shop like this. Its way too strong for me. I just wanted a single shot of espresso in a cup of hot water and I was willing to get ripped off and pay for two. And they said no. Im in town visiting for the Super Bowl but this is exactly what I remember about this place when I lived here. Obnoxious people who seem to think making coffee puts them on some kind of higher ground with which to look down upon you from. Yes the coffee is good and prepared to very, almost obsessive, specifics, but they dont care about their customers. Last year I asked an employee when they were expanding, about their plans and what they were up to next door. The guy didnt even look up to me to answer, and just mumbled a response. It was a friendly question but I guess you cant interrupt a master coffee brewer when he is reading the newspaper. tl;dr... Its as if its a privilege that you be allowed to enter and drink their coffee. This is the last time I come here.

Mary A

Im not a coffee drinker, but I recognize a great coffee shop when I see one. The employees were all very active while I was here. Non-stop taking orders and making espresso drinks. My chai was prepared while I was finishing up paying. The espresso drink was ready in less than 5 minutes at the end of the bar. There was someone roasting beans while we were here one day. The next day we came back (because it was so good) and there was another employee giving an interview (not sure if for a TV show or for a commercial). There is not a shortage of places to sit, so bring your laptop or book and get cozy! Lots of outlets, too. I am in constant search for the best iced chai. This is it. I found it. Great price for the size (much better than Starbucks). They even bottle the chai syrup for you to buy (too big for my airplane carry on or else I would have bought to bring back to St. Louis). They serve beer, too!

Taylor Robinson

Great atmosphere, amazing coffee, and fast wifi. Its the perfect place to sit down, hyper-caffeinate yourself and get some homework done. Best part, at the end of a long day once youre finished with your work, you can go back up and order a tasty draft beer. Only downside to this well respected establishment, in my opinion, they love to blast their music...can become distracting at times over on the East End of the coffee shop. The back section stretching north is a far superior venue for those "intimate conversations", the trade off being this section lacks proper tables for laptops, and comfortable seating for group work. So your options are: awkwardly attempt to balance your hot laptop on your knees OR be subjected to the Baristas current taste in music. Overall, I really like Cartel, its a hip place which clearly takes great pride in their products, hence my 4 star rating. Cheers!

Peter Russell

This review has a heavy bias from an espresso lovers perspective: All the right equipment: Triple group Synesso machine with bottomless portafilters, big Mazzers everywhere you look. No premade drip (yay), only hand made pourovers where they weigh the dose and the extraction. As for the espresso, they dont weigh every dose and extraction. But each barista calibrates both to his liking at the beginning of his shift. The espresso beans the day of my visit were not only single origin, they were single estate, although to me, there is nothing wrong with a carefully selected blend, either. In fact I prefer expertly selected blends... though you could argue that a well chosen SO is geekier. Anyhow, the espresso geek will find little to complain about here, and that us the point. The service took a while, but that is to be expected with this degree of had craftsmanship.