Revealed: Nation's best coffee shops

By Laura Buckley
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy <a href=" http://mybt.budgettravel.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2333959&amp;as=21864&amp;b= " target="_blank"> steve778/myBudgetTravel</a>

Checking out a local coffee shop (i.e. not Starbucks) is a great way to experience the vibe of a neighborhood if you're new in town. Plus, you can never count on the quality of hotel-room coffee. It can be hard, though, to decipher which coffee shops are just OK and which ones will properly satisfy your caffeine needs.

Leave it to a maker of coffee appliances to solve that problem. Krups has awarded "Cup O' Joe" honors to coffee shops in ten major U.S. cities and each of New York City's five boroughs.

The winners were selected based entirely on consumer-generated responses through email subscribers, fans and followers of their social media pages, as well as on-the-ground surveys—and have nothing to do with whether or not the stores carry Krups' products. The awards were limited to local spots; no major retailers allowed.

I can personally attest to Manhattan's MUDTruck winning the Manhattan award. The only redeeming quality of my commute several years ago was that I was able to stop by the bright orange East Village landmark located at the Astor Place subway stop for my delicious daily caffeine-intake.

See the award winners after the jump.

Here's the full list of winners:

Manhattan: MUDTruck

Brooklyn: Gimme! Coffee

The Bronx: Beans and Berries

Staten Island: Java Den (3135 Victory Blvd, Staten Island)

Queens: Sweetleaf

Los Angeles: Groundwork Coffee Co.

Seattle: Monorail Espresso (20 Pike St)

Miami: News Café

Chicago: Metropolis Coffee Co.

Boston: Barismo

Philadelphia: Spruce Street Espresso

Dallas: White Rock Coffee

San Francisco: Blue Bottle Coffee Co.

Atlanta: Dancing Goats Café

Washington, D.C.: M.E. Swing Co.

Noteworthy National Retailer: Peet's Coffee & Tea

Have you been to these coffee shops? What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the awards?

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