Coffee has always been an important part of American culture, however few Americans stop to remember the birth of our strong coffee tradition. Up until the revolutionary war American colonists kept the British tea time tradition. However when Britain decided the colonies were not yielding them enough profit they began a series of taxes that led to the celebrated Boston Tea Party incident. After dumping 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor Americans ceased their tea drinking observance and we have been drinking coffee ever since!
In my hometown in the US coffee drinking is an integral part of living in the high deserts where the air is thin and winters cold. In Reno, Nevada there are a plethora of choices, especially Euro-style coffee shops. My favorite is Franz’s Backstube Bakery – Austrian cafe, cakes and pastries. Their coffees have a rich texture and smooth flavor that sets them apart. Their pastries are diverse, fluffy, pretty and carefully crafted with flavors that will please any palate.  When you enter the shop the décor is light and stylish with high top tables with stools and half booth tables.  There is a display of artfully crafted cakes, pastries and lunch delicacies.  Outside the front window on the patio are more chairs and a fountain where patrons can enjoy the crisp Nevada air over a coffee, a pasty and a good friend.  The shop is located on West McCarran boulevard between Plumb and Mayberry in the shopping center on the mountain side of the road.