Bean Here, Brew That

Great Atmosphere, really friendly staff and clean.
I’ve been here 4 times and each time the food and the coffee is delicious. Cy is particularly kind and helpful to everyone. The other day he made sure i got my mediterranean plate despite my order being lost in the system. And today, I further witnessed his kind behavior as he, without fuss or disdain, happily helped a person with disabilities. I know you may think ‘of course who doesn’t treat people with disabilities kindly,’ but you’d be surprised. My father is quadriplegic so I sensitive to curb cuts, large doorways and the general way a businesses handle people with disabilities.
I came this morning because I was craving their mocha. Here they dont burn the coffee so its a perfect blend of chocolate, coffee, and milk. I’d say best in the area.

This coffee shop no longer exists. In it’s place is the very nice Urban Bread.

I have not, since it’s current inception, set foot in or knowingly consumed any product purchased at this establishment… nor will I ever voluntarily do so. Why? Because I HATE HATE HATE the punny name the new owners gave it since Philz bailed and moved up the street. HATE!
Now I realize that HATE is strong, but I feel strongly about punny names in general, but even more so for grammatically incorrect names like this. My friend Een is much better at articulating all that is wrong with this HATEfuly stupid name so I will not get into it because I cannot do it justice, nor do I want Een to think I’m stealing. I might be HATEful, but I’m no thief.
Anyway, I don’t care if this place serves liquid Quaaludes and brings total health and prosperity to my life, the shop name is so stupid that the owners should not be rewarded with my patronage.
Worst. Name. Ever.
(FOOT NOTE: My understanding is that this place is now closed. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but I believe they might have survived if they had a better name. Seriously.)

R.I.P.
2007 – 2007

Pros:
–Turkish was excellent
–friendly guy behind counter
–wireless and computers to use… couches!
Cons:
–wow… slow… they brew every cup like you do with a 1-​cup filter
–yeah, I really didn’t know what I ordered since the names are «Turkish chord», «Mozart» etc etc… but it tasted good to me

Just moved into the Dolores ‘hood and discovered this place. Holy crap it is damn good coffee. Each cup is individually brewed. A bit expensive ($ 3.25 a cup) which dings a single star…

CURRENT LOCATION CLOSED
Cardamom in a mocha, who would have thought? This and many other flavor combinations are possible at Bean Here, Brew That. Formally Philz Coffee, the two owners split up and formed two new individual businesses, a new Philz on 24^th street in the mission and Bean Here, Brew That in place of the former Philz in the castro. While it’s always a shame when people split up, if splitting up means that there are now two places to get coffee that’s made ‘one cup at a time’ then splitting up can’t be all that bad. In spite of the split there is little difference in the quality of the coffee. It just so happens that on my first visit to Bean Here, Brew That my comment on the lovely smell of cardamom permeating the room resulted in the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted: a mocha flavored with tasty cream, fresh mint leaves, and yes cardamom.
I am a big fan of the chocolate and mint combination. Sometimes the desire for a York peppermint patty can send me out to the corner store at midnight. Unfortunately this craving isn’t always satisfied lightly. Many times the peppermint is too sweet, especially when high calories syrups are used. This is why I’m so glad that Bean Here, Brew That and Philz Coffee substitute real mint leaves for syrup. The resulting flavor is more refreshing and doesn’t leave you with a sugar high. I first learned about the use of mint leaves in coffee on a visit to Philz in the mission some months ago. It was at Bean Here, Brew That, though, in which I was introduced to the use of cardamom in my mochas. It is this aspect of my visit there that inspired me to write about Bean Here, Brew That rather than Philz.
As a young 20 something, you can imagine that Philz Coffee located on 24^th street in the mission is more my thing. What can I say I like the mission and running into people I know. The new Philz coffee is much bigger than Brew Here, Brew That, and as I said the crowd that frequents there is younger and sees the spot as a place to hang out rather than a place to get your coffee and go. But it was at Bean Here, Brew That that I got cardamom in my mocha. When I entered Bean Here, Brew That there was no line and the barista seemed eager to help me with whatever I wanted. The barista, a friendly older gentleman, had been making something with cardamom before my arrival. I loved the smell and immediately asked him what it was. I reluctantly ordered a mint mocha, knowing that I really wanted something that could go with cardamom. Little did I know the barista already had things figured out. «I’m going to make you a great cup of coffee», he said, and informed me that cardamom would indeed go well with the drink I had ordered. While I usually order my coffee with non-​fat milk, he successfully encouraged me to order it with cream instead. The resulting flavors were amazing. The cardamom blended into the rest of the coffee, and really spiced up the coffee’s flavor. I loved it! I sat on one of the big comfy couches near the window, and sipped my coffee as slowly as I could to savor the taste. I suppose the barista could tell that I was pleased because he felt it necessary to inform me that I deserved that cup of coffee. One of the best things about a place that isn’t full of people is the extra attention. Everybody deserves to feel special every once in awhile, and my experience at Bean Here, Brew That was one such occasion. I later left with a baklava on the house and a huge grin.

Thanks to BHBT, i couldn’t choke down a cup of starbucks if you paid me.
PRO’S:
FREE wireless not that stupid ZR Net you have to pay for
Terrific staff
Consistent
So TASTY
Every cup is brewed fresh just for you and made to order
New frequent buyer cards: Buy 7 get one free
CON’S:
Only open until 7am-​7pm
Some people have mentioned the décor, but it doesn’t bother me a bit.
One of the staffers told me she was going to another coffee shop because business was slow, but the owner found her a job at a friends place (royal ground)…i hope business picks up so they stick around.

You can change your name from Philz Coffee to Been There, Brew That, but that doesn’t change the fact that you won’t let me regulate the amount of sugar put in my coffee. Get this though your head: you will not change the way we drink our coffee. No matter how many ridiculous names you go through.

The coffee is only so good because they put lots of heavy cream in it, and because they have awesome beans, and because they put cardamom in it. I didn’t get a mint leaf last time, which I always got at Philz. But still, I feel more allegiance to this place than to the new Philz down the street. I guess I feel like somehow now Philz is the big corporate monster to beat, and BTBT is the underdog Bad News Bears that I’m cheering for. I especially like the horrible name.

Yeah, OK, it has a dumb name. Grammatically incorrect and just generally arsey. But the coffee is yummy! True that there aren’t as many choices as when it was Philz (rumor has it there was a falling out between the partners), and the classical music theme seems to have been pulled from nowhere.
Overall, though, it is worth the price. Plus, I like the cardamom in the Strauss.

Just been there, for the sixth time this week, had to be at work too early on Saturday to get there, but with the sun shining through the window, Brett and his colleague being diligent, helpful and talented, the morning and the coffee were a delight. I’ve been to Philz, loved it. I go to BTBW and love it too. Go there, try it. You won’t be disappointed. I sit there a few hours sometimes on one of the comfy couches and work on my play. What a great place to hang out.

What is the deal with the classical music motif? How is anyone suppose to know the difference between the Mozart, the Strauss, or the Turkish fu#$!@g Chord?
You shouldn’t have to be a PhD in musicology to order a cup of coffee.
I usually get the Mozart — a solid, very good cup of coffee (albeit bearing no resemblance to the prolific composer of the Classical era). But today, I didn’t get the Mozart. I chose the Strauss. (Who doesn’t love a good waltz?)
Johann Strauss elevated the waltz from a peasant dance to entertainment fit for royalty. Strauss the Coffee, offers an exciting blend of grass, soap, cardammon and dogshit.
(I’ve never actually tasted dogshit, but for the purposes of this entry, lets assume that its not that tasty…)
I read a biography of Johann Strauss in the 3^rd grade. It said nothing of grass, nor soap and certainly not dogshit.
I think somebody needs a brand manager.

What’s with everyone’s obsession with Philz? Luckily, I just moved back to the city and had never experienced Philz and can just judge this place without any attachments and pre-​conceptions. This is a phenomenal place. The baristas are really nice and seem to genuinely care about making you exactly the coffee that you want. There seems to be a very good community vibe too. I noticed they allowed pretty much everyone in the public to use their bathroom on the Saturday of pride weekend. I’m impressed by little things.
The Mozart house blend with cream in sugar is an orgiastic experience. I cant believe that this could possibly be drip coffee. It just blows my mind. I wonder if they’ll make a Salieri drink for the mediocre patrons that come there that just can’t get over this Philz obsession.
This is a phenomenal coffee place. One which I go well out of my way to come to daily.
UPDATE — Philz has apparently declared war on Bean There, Brew That. A franchise Philz is preparing to open up just 1 block down! While everyone on Unilocal seems to be praising Philz, there doesn’t seem to be much said of Philz going the franchise/​expansion model, while poor innocent Bean There, Brew That seems to be all about keeping it real. I fully support the Separatist Group of Bean There, Brew That in this forthcoming war similar to that of the ETA & Spanish Basque Region.

Philz, as everyone else has already said was awesome. Im not a regular coffee drinking, but I loved that my very favorite coffee was half a block. I also loved having the bragging rights of living half a block from coffee that was even better than blue bottle. So last week when I decided to treat myself to a lovely cup of joe, I was like other philz lovers, shocked, confused, and somewhat angry.
to add insult ot injury, philz left the my lovely hood for… mission bay. i mean seriously? mission bay?
to their credit — the new girl working there was really sweet and friendly, they still handmake the whole cup for you (including adding cream and sugar and the quantity of mint leaf) which I still really like,
I had the turkish which I recommend if you like cardamom. I still prefer this place to the others in the hood, the coffee is still good… its just not GREAT. and I like living near GREAT, dammit.

I was never a regular patron of Philz, so while I’ve heard of its glory, the change of management wasn’t a big tragedy to me. What is a tragedy is this name. «Bean There, Brew That»? First of all, it’s not a good pun. I mean, at least make it «Brewed That» to keep the tenses agreeable. I don’t even want to say the name out loud, so as not to sully my larynx.
There’s a musical theme inside, with a treble clef on the wall and coffee drinks named after musicians or music terms. Of course, some of those names have no explanation. I still don’t know what you get if you order a «Beethoven», but I wouldn’t be surprised if it causes deafness. I got the Symphony Mocha and it made me sick a few hours later.
Even though it’s in a convenient location, I’m done with this café. Bean there, etc.

EDIT — 07.03.07 — Philz is coming back to the Castro! The web site says the new location will be 4023 18^th St. Not open yet, but can’t hardly wait! =)
Oh gawd. What happened to Philz!!! On the web site, it says something about a partnership falling apart or something? ARGH!
I used to trek my way to the Castro a couple times a month just to get my Philz fix and all of a sudden, one weekend I show up and what’s up with this orange monstrosity? OK. I walk inside and carefully scope out the place. The décor looks like Philz. Then all of a sudden, I see the menu.
WTH!!! No TESORA!!!
This is not Philz. They may make their coffee one cup at a time, but something is missing. I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was the young chap making my coffee that made me feel uneasy. I asked for a recommendation for something mild (since I have no idea what those new names represent) and he chose Mozart. He just measured the beans, ground them, and poured the hot water and just waited for my coffee to be done. The same way it’s been done countless times before with Philz, but different. I guess that was supposed to be my Tesora equivalent. No sir. That is not Tesora. It’s OK, but not the Tesora that I’ve loved from the first day I sipped the wonderful brew.
See. Philz changed the way I thought about my coffee. This place would have been great if Philz never existed. Alas, Philz set the bar high. Really high. I guess I’ll be heading to Folsom from now on. *sigh*

I stumbled onto Bean Here, Brew That the other day because I was searching for a place with free wireless Internet.
Besides the unfortunate name, the décor wasn’t anything to look at, and it looked as if they opened business only 2 days ago (maybe they did, guess this was Phil’z before). The outside was being painted, the space was cramped and the furniture was somewhat ill-​placed (a sofa was blocking access to window-​seats).
With that said there is really no atmosphere in this tiny café.
However, despite the name, the appearance and lack of ambiance; I had the best White Mocha I have ever had in my life, or at least what my limited memory allows to remember.
Given I am not a coffee-​snob; I like the kick of coffee, I don’t always dig the strong taste that coffee brings. (or bad coffee, read on).
But BHBT’s Symphony White Mocha still had a distinct coffee taste that wasn’t overpowering to my taste buds. In fact it was refreshing. It was a perfect combination of coffee and white chocolate, really (and I just came up with this I swear) a symphony of flavors. And It remained sweet enough to satisfy my minor-​sweet tooth.
One thing that always bugged me about independent cafes were their unpredictability; one day the coffee would be awesome, the next day the same drink would be not-​so-​awesome.
I was hoping that BHBT’s drink wasn’t a fluke, a product of a great barista on a Saturday, or that maybe my taste bud’s were having an off-​day. So I went back the following two days to order the same drink (made by two different baristas) — and to my delight, the drink was just as good as the day I discovered it – three days and counting.
Nice. An independent café that actually has great coffee, is consistent day-​to-​day and the baristas aren’t a bunch of smug hipsters or coffee snobs — in fact the service has been great so far.
I was toying around with the idea of giving BHBT 4 stars for their lack of décor, but man, I am so happy to have found a place that makes a great white mocha. They’ve raised the bar for my coffee expectations, so that’s gotta be worth five stars.

Formerly Philz in the Castro.
Brewed to order coffee and tea-can’t go wrong with that. The staff is incredibly helpful in terms of suggesting blends you might like. I had a mango ice tea yesterday and my boy friend had a mocha. Both were really delicious and perfect for hanging out in the park.
Unfortunately because they brew it fresh the process is slow and definitely have to wait, so not great if you are in a hurry.
The space currently lacks ambiance and I definitely would not hang out there.

I had a deeply disturbing experience a few days ago. I’d been gone about a week, and I was jumping up and down excited about getting a cup of the best coffee in the world at Philz. I had a friend from out of town in the car, and expectations were set high (as in, «You’re about to have the best cup of coffee of your life» high).
Driving down 18^th, I noticed something strange. The once distinguishing green and yellow building was now blue and peach. «Huh. They painted» I thought. I had kinda grown fond of the green. Oh well.
Then I walked in, and a horrible confusion set in. This wasn’t Philz anymore. The chalkboard now read ten options for coffee, not twenty. Tesora, Tantalizing Turkish, Jacob’s Wonderbar Brew, Ether — the brews I’d come to love and those I’d been anticipating trying were all, GASP, gone. How could this be???
There were still options for coffee by the cup but… but… How could this be??? The joy that was my daily stop at Philz was now… Bean There, Brew THAT? I was only gone one goddamn week how could this have happened???
Okay Jenny, calm down. Turn to your friend and explain your disbelief. Try to convince yourself that this might be just as good. Who needs 20 different kinds of coffee anyway?
Ummm… me? I had the Turkish, I had the Mozart (their house blend and Tesora equivalent). It’s just not as good. I prefer Philz blends, works of art which have taken years to develop.
But let’s face it — Philz aside, this is still a DAMN good cup of coffee.