Write Around Tampa

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
Midtown
Tampa

As a writer and Tampa resident, I’m in love with Midtown. How could I also not love a coffee shop in Midtown? I couldn’t, and here’s why:

Quality and pricing of food and drink:
A few food options, like the breakfast sandwich and avocado toast. They also have pastries and breads. Coffee and tea, of course, and a nice selection of smoothies. Today I treated myself to the banana split: banana, chocolate, strawberry, pineapple juice and yogurt. And yes, it’s delicious. Prices are what you’d expect from a coffee shop in Midtown, food and a drink will run you about $15.

Are there enough outlets?
At every booth, table and inside communal seating area.

How’s the wifi?
Password protected, connected easily but it went down during my visit, came back in about two minutes.

Will my muse come out?
Yes, she’ll feel right at home with all her fellow muses. This is a writer’s coffee shop; almost everyone here has an open laptop. I’m at a cute little booth in the corner and whether I look to the interior of the coffee shop or out the window, I am filled with the essence of what it means to be here in Tampa. The mood is wide open and full of possibility.

How long can I park it?
At my little corner of the world, a sign tells me no longer than two hours. Did I mention this was a coffee shop in Midtown with lots of writers? They want to sit too and booth space is prime Real Estate. There’s a nice outside area that always seems to have ample seating, so if it’s not too hot, you may have to move out there if you want to linger longer.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.