Cartel Coffee Lab

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Evie Carpenter

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225 W. University Drive Tempe, AZ 85281

480-225-3899

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4 User reviews Write A Review

Best Coffee House, Tempe
Award Winner 2011

Cuisine(s): Coffeehouse

Hours: Sun 9am-10pm, Mon-Fri 7am-10pm, Sat 8am-10pm

Price: $, $$

Payment Types: MasterCard, American Express, Discover, cash, check
Attire: Casual

Features: Takeout, Delivery, Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

Serving: Snack Food

Alcohol: None
Reservations: Not Necessary

Parking: Lot Available

Description

2011 | Best Coffee House, Tempe

There's a reason many other coffee shops in the Valley use beans from Cartel Coffee Lab: flavor, baby. Lots of it. Cartel's beans create rich and nutty espressos, smooth and sweet iced toddies, and chocolaty mochas. Baristas at Cartel roast their coffee beans on site, which means everything is super-fresh. And if you want to know every little detail of how your coffee is made and what's in it, the baristas at Cartel can tell you. This is a place for coffee connoisseurs. In fact, the baristas... More »
2010 | Best Coffee House, Tempe

The competition for best coffee house is steep in Tempe, but really, for us there's no contest. We love Cartel first and foremost for its wicked-strong espresso -- more than worth the laughably long wait -- and then for the vibe. You won't find anything frap-like here, no smoothies or even much in the way of food. Just coffee and the people who love it. We also love the industrial-inspired furnishings, the changing art exhibits (lately we've fallen for the rickrack/strawberry... More »
2010 | Best Cardboard Art

We like our baristas snarky. Occasionally, though, baristas are too busy filling coffee orders to lay on the snark. That's why the cardboard signs at Cartel are so subtly brilliant. "Get off your phone or we'll release the raptors," one sign displays in black and red Sharpie with tiny teeth in the "o" of "raptors." Another sign urges you to "bitch all you want, but cappuccinos are for here." We can't take our cappuccinos to go Normally we'd be furious with an insatiable anger, but your... More »
2009 | Best Coffee Beans

Not only does this indie serve some of the best-brewed pick-me-ups in the Valley, but it also offers its bomb-diggity coffee beans for sale. Some of our faves include the fancy-pants Black Market Espresso, with its hint of grapefruit (sounds yucky, but it's fantastic), and roasts from Brazil and Guatemala. The shop, housed in a warehouse-like space, also sells goodies for the home brewer, such as straightforward French press coffee makers to more elaborate espresso machines. More »
2008 | Best Neighborhood Coffee House, Tempe

Looking for coffee in all the wrong Tempe places Get your bean-loving butt to Cartel. Walk through its cheerful black-and-white tiled foyer into the mellow-but-hip high-ceilinged space, and you will swear you've died and gone to coffee heaven. And that's before you taste the espresso, which, in our humble opinion, is among the best in the Valley. Want a cup of regular coffee They'll make it for you on the Clover 1S machine, which has five customizable options and brews one cup of coffee at... More »

Top 5 Things to Do This Weekend

By Becky Bartkowski | Fri, May 25, 2012

Whether you're looking for art, fashion, literature, poolside partying, or William Shatner, here are your best bets for being out and about this weekend. 5. Phoenix Comicon @ Phoenix Convention Cent... More »
The Tea is as Good as the Coffee: Cartel in Scottsdale is Now Serving 'Seven Cups' Tea

By Shelby Moore | Fri, April 27, 2012

Until a few months ago you couldn't get Seven Cups tea, the finest nearly anywhere, in Metro Phoenix unless you ordered it online or knew a friend visiting from Tucson, willing to stop by the tea hous... More »
Three Favorite Shots of Espresso in Metro Phoenix

By Shelby Moore | Tue, April 10, 2012

In a metropolis that isn't particularly known for its coffee scene, we're lucky enough to have three (and really only three) shining examples of how good coffee can taste. A shop that pays attention... More »
Ten Favorite Coffee Shops in Phoenix

By Erica O'Neil | Mon, February 20, 2012

Giant Coffee's brew in a pretty little cup. Finish up then hit Bunky Boutique next door.Coffee is our morning lifeblood, and while we're more than guilty of slumming it at a Circle K to get our fix, w... More »
Is Cartel Coffee Lab Getting Ready to Brew Beer?

By Shannon Armour | Mon, September 26, 2011

It looks like the folks behind Cartel Coffee Lab are brewing up a little something different -- beer. Ever since the popular Tempe location took over the adjacent space, the rumors having b... More »
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phoenixnewtimesbestof | Phoenix, AZ | 315 Reviews

| Wed, May 6, 2009

Looking for coffee in all the wrong Tempe places? Get your bean-loving butt to Cartel. Walk through its cheerful black-and-white tiled foyer into the mellow-but-hip high-ceilinged space, and you will swear you've died and gone to coffee heaven. And that's before you taste the espresso, which, in our humble opinion, is among the best in the Valley. Want a cup of regular coffee? They'll make it for you on the Clover 1S machine, which has five customizable options and brews one cup of coffee at a time. Open since January and tucked into the same complex on University that houses several other local independent businesses, including Wet Paint, this gem of a shop is owned and run by husband-and-wife team Jason and Amy Silberschlag. The Silberschlags are both native Arizonans � he's from Tucson, she hails from Wickenburg � and both coffee freaks with a conscience. Their business model was coffee roaster with espresso bar, which still applies; they roast small "hand-crafted" batches of beans purchased from just two places in South America, including a family-run farm in Guatemala, and distribute them wholesale around the Valley. But the espresso bar has taken on a life of its own. There's a steady stream of customers, changing art on the walls and a regular event on Final Friday � usually live music. "It's become the neighborhood living room," Amy says. Just like our living room � if it were way cooler and served coffee so good you wake up the next morning craving it.
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stoneinmotion | Scottsdale, AZ | 16 Reviews

| Fri, July 16, 2010

Great artistic atmosphere. Try the chai latte.
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Miss Lenaiya | Tempe, AZ | 109 Reviews

| Wed, July 14, 2010

This place has more coffee than you can imagine! latte's, mocha's, expresso, you name it! talk about a caffeine buzzzzz!!
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