Condesa Coffee, Atlanta

Way back in March 2014, I left on my first bit of international travel since arriving in the UK for my sabbatical. I spent a few days in Atlanta for the 11th Gathering 4 Gardner, a biennial meeting dedicated to Martin Gardner’s interests: mathematics, puzzles, magic, music, poetry, art, and many other things besides. It’s a wild, inspirational event (my “Spa Weekend”, according to Nath). Given that I was in the middle of the Rocket Cup World Tour at the time, it was only natural to bring the cup with me, hoping to discover a suitable coffee shop where I could exploit its amazing espresso-containing powers (and truly earn the title of World Tour!). Eventually I looked up Condesa Coffee, around a 25 minute walk from the conference location on—wait for it—Peachtree Street. I headed there one day for lunch and espresso.

The Rocket Cup visits Condesa Coffee in Atlanta: its first international location, thereby justifying the World Tour.

The lovely space at Condesa Coffee. After seeing the sign on the wall, I regretted that I couldn’t have been there for Board Game Thursday.

Needless to say, I had a lovely visit. The staff were exceedingly friendly and the espresso was delicious. My lunch was pretty good too, as I recall. And I enjoyed the lunchtime entertainment—for most of my stay, there was a guy hanging around just outside the window where I was sitting, dressed entirely in leopard print. He may have been wearing a unitard, though I suspect that’s wishful thinking.

The shop is in a part of Atlanta of some historical interest, though I didn’t get to explore the area at all. It’s located on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, only a couple of blocks from the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. I also petitioned the city to erect a plaque commemorating the Rocket Cup’s visit, but I guess they weren’t interested.

The rich crema at Condesa Coffee

The Cup joined by the Hat, my most essential piece of warm-weather clothing.