CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • KHAGEE

Khagee is definitely in the top three for me as far as my favorite places to kill time in the city. All three of those places have two things in common: white bricks and coffee. Khagee is a place I'd seen several times driving by, and when my good friend Alex came to town, I didn't have an excuse to drive by again without stopping.

Khagee is a natural yeast bakery, and I can tell you from extensive research that their breads taste incredible. The bagels are amazing: blueberry is delightful, and their salmon bagel sandwich is as good as any I've had before. My parents have tried the carrot cake, and Alex ordered a berry dessert the first time we went. All amazing.

The lighting in this shop is top notch, the enormous windows let in all the light from the bright street, so the lights in the ceiling go completely unused, since I'm pretty sure the shop closes before the sun sets. The green that appears throughout in a few little spurts is as refreshing as the blasting A/C, and the little details here and there like the little tattooed man sitting on the espresso machine make this place just quirky enough.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • RISTR8TO COFFEE

Learning to drive in Chiang Mai has been an adventure, to say the least. Today I drove to Nimmanhaemin, which happens to be the hippest, brightest, most jam-packed part of town. Consequently, it also has the worst traffic in town. Therefore, I was already shaking when I walked into Ristr8to for a caffeine fix.

A friend from South Carolina had told me to pay a visit to this coffee shop, singing its praises. Thankfully, he was right. I ordered a delicious cappuccino, which came on a wooden plate describing its origins, flavor and other qualities. The owner has competed in international latté art competitions, worked all over the world brewing incredible espresso for five years and is now raising the standard for coffee shops in Thailand. Chiang Mai is saturated with little espresso cafés on every street, and Ristr8to has made itself a name among them without question.

RICHMOND, VA • LAMPLIGHTER ROASTING CO.

I might not know the most about coffee, pour overs, or the mechanics of roasting beans, but I know what tastes good and I'm always looking for a good place to go for a cup. I try to find places that are intimate, yet open, cool, but not too pretentious. 

I've been able to visit the Summit Avenue location of Lamplighter Roasting Co, both times with creative friends who are headed to other parts of the world soon. I tried both the Ethiopian and Ugandan pour overs between each visit., both dark and delicious. Their pastries are fantastic, I've tried a sweet potato muffin and alfajores (an Argentinian delight made with two cookies cemented together with Dulce de Leche and rolled in coconut flakes).

This weekend, I went with Katie, who will be living in Southeast Asia with me. I'm definitely looking forward to exploring the creative vibe of eastern living with her!