Philz Coffee Shop on 24th Street

It's amazing to find a $3 cup of coffee in the land of $14 haircuts. However, 24th Street in the Mission has changed much in recent years. This sleepy little tree lined street wakes up with coffee now and there are six coffee shops where there used to be one.

Philz on the corner of 24th and Folsom is an anomaly. It is a busy gathering place with tables, stuffed chairs and comfortable couches. You wouldn't think there's enough room for everyone who wants to sit and sip a special cup of Joe made especially for you. The line to place an order is jammed with people waiting to order, or for the staff to make you a cup of coffee. That's because it is made one cup at a time. This makes the going slow on a Saturday morning.

It takes three baristas to tackle the crowd at the counter. They grind enough beans for your cup of coffee, then brew it while you sit on a long pew and look. Philz rule: each cup is equivalent to a dose of three cups of regular coffee. The baristas flavor the coffee with cream and sugar just for you. They know exactly how much to add because my cup was creamy smooth, full bodied, and not acidic or bitter in the least. When your cup is finally, really, ready - because it takes time to brew just one cup at a time - you proceed to the register. The food cases there are filled with delicious looking vegan and artisan crafted pastries.

The story goes that Phil wakes up every morning to mix his eclectic blends of beans for the house specialties here. His philosophy is counter to the single origin coffees at other shops. He's been doing this for 25 years, first at his market, which he converted to the coffee shop in 2006. The Philz brand has grown to five other locations, two in other San Franciscan neighborhoods, one in San Jose, one in Palo Alto, and a new shop in Berkeley.

The cafe is loud, people laughing together, chatting, surfing the Web on Philz WiFi or working on an important something they just can't do at home. Outside their bicycles are parked in all available places on the sidewalk. Philz is a favorite of the neighborhood police too. When I went to the shop, on a Saturday, there were two squad cars and a bunch of officers standing on the sidewalk laughing and drinking their cup of Philz joy. One cup of coffee starts at $2.75 and the price increases depending on the beans they grind for you. Then I realized, I do this at home - with a coffee grinder and Melita strainer, surely worth $3 and a day spent at home in the quiet of the kitchen.