Coffee: Contrast Coffee Co. Papua New Guinea pour over, Marquette Michigan. 

Maybe it’s vacation days away, or maybe it’s because I’m not currently in my home city of Milwaukee, but the air is sweeter, the crisp fall is full in force, and that first deep breath is rejuvenating. I am in Marquette, Michigan this week, and the North Woods is fantastic. 

I’m dating myself a whole lot, the last time I was in the building that Contrast Coffee Co. now resides in Negaunee, it was a Beef-a-Roo. And at that time it felt out of time; at the cash register an order taker using a microphone on a stalk relayed your order back to the kitchen. Fries: well done. You could order them that way and it was glorious. But I digress. 

That was yesterday. Today I’m in their Marquette location early enough to see the sunlight slowly creep into the streets. The folks here are chipper and ready to go, as the city sleepily wanders their way in. With the cafe quiet yet, their idle chatter permeates, and it’s crystal clear this is a wonderful place to work. They all just stepped out for a moment to see if they could catch a moment of sunrise amidst the clouds. Joyful.  

Contrast Coffee operates out of this and 4 other shops in the U.P. They also roast their own coffees, so what you’re getting has been tuned and refined.

Today’s (first) coffee: Contrast’s Papua New Guinea pour over. It’s mild and citric with cocoa and nutty flavors. It hits the spot at 39° and drizzly, as the lake often whips up some moisture while there is none in the forecast. Superior, like my neighbor Michigan back home, pulls you towards it. This coffee is keeping the chill from my bones. 

My coffee is complemented this morning with one of their breakfast sandwiches; The Lodge Sandwich, Sourdough, 2 Eggs, Provolone Cheese, Spring Mix, Pesto and Onion. Toasted.

Superior pulls you toward it. The lake, the landscape, the pace. Contrast Coffee Co. fits right into that pull. Good beans roasted in-house, staff who step outside for sunrise, and a Papua New Guinea pour over that keeps 39° and drizzle from settling into your bones. Travel reminds you that your city isn’t the only one doing coffee right. And it makes you grateful you get to go home and keep exploring there too.