Where:

Cafe Grumpy is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, NY. They recently opened a new store in Park Slope, NY.

What:

Grumpy Coffees have become very popular in NY, gaining critical acclaim and converts from all areas of the city. Cafe Grumpy recently won "Best Coffee in NYC" in the Time Out New York Eat Out Readers Poll.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

Grumpy Coffee prides itself on being a coffee house that delivers a better cup of coffee, PERIOD. Quality is the most important part of the Grumpy Coffee business plan, and it shows. Cafe Grumpy also works hard to build a loyal customer base with outreach such as public coffee classes, taught by their well trained, and even award winning baristas. Fresher coffee, better machines, and exceptional staff make Cafe Grumpy a rising star.
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Where:

Gimme Coffee began in Ithaca, NY. It has several upstate NY locations, and two locations in New York City.

What:

In 2006 Gimme Coffee was named among the top espresso bars in the country. More recently, the New York Times named them among the top espresso bars in New York City. Gimme Coffee has seen huge growth in recent years, and has drawn praise for it's quality, simplicity, and dedication to sustainability.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

Gimme Coffee begins with a focus on the beans. For them, every step should involve a coffee fanatic, from the farmer, to the roaster, to the manager, to the barista, and especially to their customers. Quality through the entire process can not be stressed enough. Gimme is always sampling new beans and working on relationships directly with farmers, ensuring quality, sustainability, and fairness throughout the process. They roast in small batches by hand, creating artisan blends that are beyond compare. Lastly, Gimme Coffee takes education and barista training very seriously and have created extensive training for their employees, and even for customers.
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Blue Bottle Coffee is a small artisinal coffee shop located in San Francisco, California.

What:

Blue Bottle Coffee began as a hole in the wall, no-nonsense, coffee kiosk, and quickly grew a reputation for having the best coffee in town. Their commitment to great taste has earned them accolades from critics and customers alike. They recently won recognition from FoodandWine.com for being one of the Best US Coffee Bars.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

Blue Bottle Coffee is a coffee shop for connoisseurs because they take coffee making to the next level. They pride themselves on the process. By only roasting small batches of coffee and using only the best certified organic beans grown without pesticides, Blue Bottle is able to maintain a quality in raw ingredients not available elsewhere. After roasting, they allow the coffee beans to exhale CO2 for several hours instead of keeping them in bins. Coffee blends are then mixed within 4 hours of roasting to keep oxidation to a minimum. No coffees are ever served from beans roasted more than 48 hours ago. Blue Bottle Coffee epitomizes freshness and commitment to quality.
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Where:

Cartel Coffee Lab is a boutique coffee roaster in Tempe, Arizona.

What:

Cartel Coffee Lab has been making a name for itself as a leader in coffee excellence in a town not usually known for it's superior coffee. Their commitment to quality has earned them a the title of the "Best Coffee Beans in Phoenix" by the Phoenix New Times, and rave reviews from their loyal customer base.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

Cartel Coffee Lab believes in "uncompromising quality, extreme simplicity, global consciousness, and local community." They understand that to make a great cup of coffee, it must start with a focus on the process from the beginning. Cartel is involved with their coffee from seed to cup to source, traveling personally to the farms where beans are purchased. In the store, Cartel brews cups one at a time, giving you the ultimate in freshness. At Cartel Coffee Labs, there are no shortcuts, its done the right way, every time.
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Where:

Intelligentsia began as a Chicago, IL coffee bar and has become so popular in recent years that it has spawned locations in both New York and California.

What:

Intelligentsia Coffee is one of the most talked about and well respected new coffee houses in this list, earning recognition from both local and national press. Perhaps even more telling than the press attention is that their coffee beans are so good, several of the other coffee shops mentioned in this list use their beans.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

Intelligentsia Coffee's mission is to "provide customers, staff, and community with an unparalleled and complete coffee and tea experience in an environment steeped in understanding, knowledge, skill, service, and mutual respect." A motto they adhere to religiously, Intelligentsia coffee prides itself on working directly with farmers (a trend as we're seeing in the top ten), by flying directly to the farms that grow their beans. The true success of Intelligentsia Coffee so far is their commitment to excellence throughout the entire process. By creating a company that insures direct relationships with growers, careful roasting techniques, and baristas second to none (they swept the Western Regional Barista Competition this year) Intelligentsia has all but guaranteed its success.
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Where:

Caffe Reggio is a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, NY established in 1927.

What:

Few coffee shops can claim such longevity, after all Caffe Reggio is 44 years older than Starbucks, but no other coffee shops can claim to have introduced Cappuccino to America. The original owner of Caffe Reggio, Domenico Parisi, introduced cappuccino to the US for the first time when he installed the first ever US espresso machine in Caffe Reggio more than 70 years ago.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

At the heart of Caffe Reggio is their antique espresso machine still in use today. Made in 1902, this one of a kind espresso machine was the first ever seen in the United States. The Caffe itself is a wonder of Italian Renaissance art, with an ambiance that simply cannot be duplicated. For authenticity and originality, Caffe Reggio stands alone.
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Where:

LAMILL Coffee is a boutique coffee house located in Los Angeles, California.

What:

Few coffee houses can boast the style and prestige of LAMILL Coffee. LAMILL has gained a reputation for its fine design, and even finer coffee. With recognition from Food and Wine magazine, the LA Times, Variety, and many others, LAMILL has its sights set on becoming the best that California has to offer in coffee.

Why it's better than Starbucks:

LAMILL didn't cut any corners in their boutique location, and their attention to detail makes LAMILL unlike most other coffee shops. Beautiful styiling and exceptional coffee are the hallmarks of LAMILL. Further setting LAMILL apart is their brewing process. The are among the first coffee shops that utilizes a new type of brewing known as siphon brewing. Siphon brewing produces a more elegant, and some say, tastier cup. The siphon machines create just a single cup at a time, giving the customer individual's preferences complete attention and allowing for an experience unlike what you would expect from your traditional shop.
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Where:

Dancing Goats Espresso Bars have locations in Decatur, GA and Olympia, WA.

What:

Dancing Goats offer's quality and atmosphere at the right price. Dancing Goat's known locally and regionally for their exceptional coffee, well trained baristas, laid back ambiance, and fair prices. Their commitment to quality comes through in every aspect of their business.

Why it's better than Starbucks

Coffee originated in what is present day Ethiopia, and according to legend, local farmers realized the coffee beans effects after seeing goats "dancing" after consuming the beans. Dancing Goats Coffee has tried to maintain the simplicity of its namesake through its coffee, brewing only the highest quality beans, hand picked from regions around the world. Dancing Goats is also one of the few coffee houses in the country to utilize the Clover Siphon brewing system (LAMILL, Cafe Grumpy, and a few select other do as well).
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Where:

Octane Coffee Bar and lounge is a boutique coffee shop located in Atlanta, GA.

What:

Octane Coffee Bar is prized as a hidden gem for those who are lucky enough to live in Atlanta. While it hasn't garnered the attention some of the other top ten have, it has picked up a great deal of buzz in the blogosphere.

Why it's better than Starbucks

Octane Coffee Bar and Lounge relies on simplicity, solid service, and quality product. Their unique "comfortable industrial" feel is accentuated by local art, plenty of space, and great seating. This emphasis on quality, consistency and style have created an enthusiastic and growing customer base.
Link - Site 

Where:

Stumptown Coffee Roasters are an independent coffee roaster and retailer based in Portland, OR.

What:

Stumptown Coffee has made such an impact on coffee in recent past, that I hesitate to call them a boutique coffee house. They have been credited with "Revolutionizing the coffee business" by the Portland Business Journal. Their real contribution has come by popularizing attention to detail, focus on generating relationships with growers, and emphasis on quality over quantity, a common thread we see in the other nine mentioned here.

Why it's better than Starbucks

In an effort to creat the best quality coffee, Stumptown spends a great deal of time visiting farms in person to select the best quality beans. They are willing to pay three to four times the fair trade prices in order to create long term, mutually beneficial relationships with growers. This commitment to fairness and excellence continues throughout the coffee making process. Stumptown even offers its employees exceptional perks, including a full time massage therapist on staff.
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