Rain or Fog, we go it alone or gather in groups seeking the aroma, the taste, and the effects of this delicious warming elixir, and where you choose to drink your cup of mud says as much about you as the brand of underwear you are (hopefully) wearing. The following is a quick guide to two of my favorite coffee spots in this blooming South of Market area: Sight Glass Coffee Roaster and The Chevron's Extra Mile store at Harrison and 6th Street.
Sight Glass Coffee Roasters is a fairly new business that sits on the corner of 7th and Folsom inside an industrial space behind a roll-up garage door, but don’t let the construction zone fool you - the espresso here is serious! The deluxe beans are from Verve in Santa Cruz, and once their space is finished they’ll be freshly roasting in-house, before brewing on their gorgeous refurbished La Marzocco GS2. Sights and sounds on my last visit: talkative coffee lovers, cute dogs, and Black Sabbath's Technical Ecstasy on the iPhone jukebox. But as swell as this experience was, I don't always need premium roasting and a chat with a local. Sometimes I just need fuel!
I like to fill up at the Chevron Station on 6th and Harrison. Inside, The Extra Mile coffee and food station is nestled between the perpetually broken Icee machine and the Krispy Kreme doughnut case. What the Chevron lacks in ambiance, it makes up for with convenience and gut-busting breakfast food. I’ll usually mow a Pancake Wrap, which is a corndog-looking food item comprised of a syrup flavored pancake rolled around a sausage on a stick. They also carry a wide variety of coffee flavors from French Vanilla, English Toffee, White Chocolate and Caramel, to Super Caffeinated, always a wise choice for those of us who are less morning inclined. So if your coffee tastes lean towards refined and you’ve got the time, Sight Glass is for you, but if you’re just in need of a quick jolt and a San Miguel breakfast taquito, Chevron’s Extra Mile is the way to go.

Inspired by Brandon and Chris' love for the cup of joe, photos by Nate Cervantes and Brian Bjelovuk.