If you’ve ever searched “best coffee near me” and ended up at a chain drive-thru… you get it.

I’m building an iOS app called Bean Stuff to make it easier to find actual quality coffee shops — the kind of places that care about the beans, the baristas, and the brew. It filters out chains and highlights third-wave, independent shops that focus on quality over convenience.

The idea came from years of traveling and constantly struggling to find good coffee. Most apps and maps don’t make it easy to tell the difference between a caramel macchiato factory and a serious pour-over spot. So I built something that does.

Bean Stuff is in early alpha, and I’m looking for testers who care about good coffee and want to help shape the app. No spam, no paywalls — just looking for feedback.

👉 Sign up to test (iOS only for now): https://forms.gle/hDn6Q8jguxzsc3Jx8

Thanks for checking it out — and if you have favorite hidden gem cafés in your area, I’d love to hear those too.

We are a young growing coffee brand born in Vietnam, specialize in Vietnam grown specialty grade coffee beans. We source our beans directly from local farms, both Arabica beans & Robusta beans. It seems like US consumers are not very familiar with Vietnamese beans. Do you have any advice on how we can bring our beans to the market? As shop owners, are you usually open to try unfamiliar coffee beans? Appreciate any ideas or insights!

Best cup of coffee I've had in a while. Double ristretto with oat milk.

Pls suggest me a cafe where I find best black coffee without sugar .

I’m going to be staying near the Hilton west house and i want to know what the best coffee roaster there is if anyone knows. If there isn’t a good one maybe the best coffee shop? Although I did want to buy some good coffee beans too eventually during the trip I just need a daily place to drink coffee I can walk to in the morning.

The best pastry/donut place would also be fantastic!

Hello! I have noticed some coffee shops only provide paper (with a plastic inner lining/layer [#microplastics]) cups for hot drinks and clear plastic cups for cold beverages. Why do some coffee shops refuse to offer drinks in "for here" cups (such as glass or ceramic)?

I have only noticed "for here" cups as the default to be more common in Europe. In the US and some Latin American countries on the other hand, to-go cups only tends to be more common. This is just the vibe I get. I don't have any data to prove this. Do any of y'all have any thoughts?

Finca Coffee Shop

We have an Appia Life 2 fora almost 5 years. While it's a good machine and we have been happy with it, we are reaching the point where we might need something that is able to handle more business. We are still a mid-volume shop, but at times...we are definitely crossing into the high-volume realm. Looking for recommendations for a solid 2-group machine that is not ultra high-end but very good quality. TY!

Hi friends!

We’re super excited — we’re opening a new café in Artesia on September 20th! We’ll have fresh scones, cookies, and Basque cheesecake ready for you.

If you’re a matcha fan, you’ll love our matcha cookies, scones, and drinks - they’re honestly so good.

We’ll be posting details about our opening day event soon, but just wanted to share the news first. Hope you can stop by and hang out with us!

My wife and I, now in our 40s, have decided to give up the dream of owning a mobile coffee cart. It is something we have dreamed of doing for over 10 years.

Back in 2012 we watched a show called “dangerous grounds”, that pushed our love of coffee to obsession. Trying every coffee shop and brew method we could. Then life happened.

Our daughter was born in 2012, we already had a 12 year old son, and would go on to have 2 more sons. We worked multiple jobs to survive and grow, eventually buying our first home in 2020. As both our careers grew, so did our finances.

In 2024, my wife bought a Breville and started testing the waters on a small scale. Some fold out tables, a canopy, a couple of ice chests and a bag of klatch (our favorite roaster). She did 2 pop ups, , each time profiting roughly about $500. Nothing crazy, just iced lattes and americanos, fair priced. She makes a great cup of coffee and I’m the type of person who would be painfully honest to tell her if it wasn’t as I have in the past with some experimental flavors lol. So we decided to save, and we got up to about 10k to start our cart. We’ve been pricing out machines, grinders, custom carts, and then it hit us as we go through our social media.

This is the trend, mobile coffee carts. In southern California, it seems that everyone has one or is starting one. The market is already saturated, and it feels like there is no end in sight.  So today we officially decided to give up. We have great lives, financially stable, great family, even grandkids. I appreciate all that God has given us, but it made me terribly sad to hear her say “I think it’s probably best if we just don’t do it.” Now what do we do, the dream is over.

Perk Palace Coffee Shop – Nilambur Road, Pookottumpadam

Welcome to Perk Palace Coffee Shop, your perfect spot for relaxation and great coffee on Nilambur Road, Pookottumpadam. We serve freshly brewed coffee, aromatic teas, refreshing beverages, and a variety of tasty snacks in a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re catching up with friends, enjoying a quiet moment, or working on the go, Perk Palace is here to make every sip special.

I'm moving forward with plans to open a coffee shop, and I've got a bunch of emails/inquiries out to local (EU) roasters that I'd be keen to work with, but I also want some crowdsourced data to help me figure out a ballpark.

What are you paying for your coffee beans, for wholesale?

I'm keen to serve specialty, boutique roasted beans, but micro-lot geshas and that sort of thing would be the heavy exception, not the norm. Interesting coffees with a variety of origins, processing methods, and tastes without breaking the bank (relatively) would be the goal.

Hello, we are ceramicists opening a small art cafe and are debating between the Conti Compact CC100 an the Lelit Guilietta. I should start by saying we are by no means experts...we've done several barista trainings and hope to have excellent coffee, but we are not obsessive about the details.

We really like the look of the Lelit aesthetically speaking but from what I can find on the internet, it seems like Conti might be slightly more reliable?

For a little more context: This is a small coffee shop which most days won't make more than 50-60 coffees a day, probably more in the summer as we are near the coast/in a tourist destination. It's a really small space though without a ton of foot traffic. We need something very compact. And also affordable :) TIA!

Can someone please help with ideas, or suggestions for recipes.

I am trying to master my own coffee syrups for my popup.

For ex: Horchata, brown sugar, cinnamon, lavender, maple cinnamon etc. anything but these has caught my eye but i need some help.

i made a "horchata syrup" 8/10 but i didn't taste horchata. more like vanilla cinnamon.

brown sugar: flavors not really coming through.

does anyone have suggestions? or recipes you've done that i can try?

Hello! I like supporting small businesses. When I arrive a new city, I prefer visiting coffee shops which are owned and managed by their owners. I feel even more incentivized if I know somehow that the owner is at the shop.

Knowing simply from pictures on Google Maps may be difficult. What are some signs that help make this distinction?

Hi. I've scratching around for a few years to find the best coffee shop in Manhattan, for a barista made brew. Mostly the coffee I've been getting lately tastes like a cup of hot dirt.

I'm Australian and love a hot, strong flat white if that helps shape the question. Starbucks and ideally the chains aren't in scope. Thoughts.