Ugly Mug Coffee – Memphis Flyer

This holiday season, we’re encouraging our readers to support local businesses and consider these and others for their gift-giving needs.

Babcock Gifts

Mom always said, “Don’t play with your food!” We disagree. This cutting board, handmade by MoDiggs Workings ($50) from high-quality end-grain wood, is the perfect justification to have a little fun. Anyone hosting a holiday party can turn their sausage and cheese platter into a game of checkers. Available at Babcock Gifts (4538 Poplar) or online at babcockgifts.com.

Ugly Mug Coffee

Got a family member or friend who can’t function well in the mornings without a healthy dose of caffeine? Ugly Mug’s First Cup ($9.95), an easy light roast, will be sure to please even the most finicky coffee drinkers. Plus, these coffee beans are ethically sourced and fair trade. It’s a win-win for everyone. Available online at uglymugcoffee.com or at Ugly Mug Coffee (4610 Poplar).

Dixon Gallery & Gardens

Artist David Quarles IV exhibits his pride in his family’s African history and heritage through a collection of handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. This pair of earrings, called Musa “rescued from the waters” (pictured), is made with Swahili Kenyan glass, bone, and raw glass. This set and others like it are available at Dixon Gallery & Gardens (4339 Park).

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Grind City Coffee is bringing Caffeine Crawl to Memphis on Saturday, November 16th, with three caffeinated routes.

Caffeine Crawl is designed to be a fun, educational, pub-style crawl from venue to venue that allows participants to taste, learn, and talk about different kinds of coffee with like-minded java enthusiasts. Stops on the crawl include Dr. Beans at Puck Food Hall, Comeback Coffee, Vice and Virtue, INSPIRE Community Cafe, and Ugly Mug Coffee, among many others.

“I think this is going to showcase that Memphis is more than just Beale and barbecue,” says Rachel Williams, co-founder of Grind City Coffee. “We are growing a lot. We have a lot to offer.”

Williams explains that not everyone is aware of the coffee scene in Memphis, and Grind City Coffee is trying to change that through events like Caffeine Crawl and Grind City Coffee Expo.

“A lot of people sometimes get a little nervous to kind of step out of their comfort zone,” she says. “So being able to have something more approachable that’s introducing people to this, whether it be through a caffeine crawl or through the [Grind City Coffee] expo, there’s something for everybody.”

Co-founders of Grind City Coffee, Daniel Lynn and Rachel Williams, love to promote a “community over competition” mentality when it comes to showcasing and celebrating local coffee spots.

“This is just another example of that,” Lynn says. “Plus, you know, people like to have non-alcoholic alternatives sometimes, so this provides that as well.”

Williams and Lynn see an opportunity for more and more people to get involved in local coffee culture, so bringing Caffeine Crawl to Memphis was a natural next step for Grind City Coffee in serving that mission.

“Every time I look on social media, there’s another home roaster or coffee shop. So, it’s fantastic to see all the growth,” Lynn says. “But that’s also what we’re hoping for this as well as other events to keep putting the voice out there about what we have right here in Memphis.”

Tickets are currently on sale at caffeinecrawl.com.