(Note: Kit C.'s review should actually be under the Walnut Street location of C.T. Roasters. This particular location on Forbes Ave is in Squirrel Hill.)\n\nAnd onwards!\n\nI worked here in Pittsburgh for a few months and had a blast. The early morning (i.e., 5:30 AM) wasn't the most desirable, but this place has a really regular crowd with some newbies interspersed here and there. (It isn't hard to get in with the regulars, either.) The space at the Squirrel Hill location is a bit limited. Weather permitting, there are two tables outside, so there's ample opportunity for people watching along this main road in Squirrel Hill--lots of folks stroll by throughout the day. There are a handful of tables up front and then a handful more back past the coffee bar. (The store itself is sort of shaped like a long rectangle.) \n\nI was about to give the place four stars when I realized I had no cause to from a customer's perspective, and no cause to from my own, either. I had a great time working there, but that's not what this review is about. Let's talk about the place, shall we? The owners and manager(s?) LOVE coffee. They will make (and train their employees to make) fancypants espresso drinks with very high-quality products and have really nice teas on hand, but coffee beans are their strength. The beans are freshly roasted very frequently, and if you buy whole beans (and choose to have them remain whole or have a staff person grind 'em up), the date of the roasting will be marked on your coffee bag so you know just how fresh it is. I'd had thousands of cups of coffee before working there and have had hundreds since: nowhere was it fresher or was the supply better maintained. \n\nThe staff is really friendly and tends to remember your order after you've been in just a handful of times. This notion sometimes frightens me--if the coffee shop boy is remembering my order, does that mean I need to get a life and/or go to a different joint? NO, people. Don't worry about it. Bask in the pleasure of someone having done this very simple thing for you. And trust me: the baristas do NOT find it strange if you come in several times a week. They don't find it all that weird if you're in several times a day. \n\nI've seen varying comments on the pastries--I think one bakery supplies all the Coffee Tree locations. I liked the sweets last time I was in town but it's been at least a year for me; perhaps things have changed. \n\nOrder your coffee of the day for here and you get it in a porcelain cup, plus you get one free refill! (A paper cup holds no such joy.)
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