Just when I thought I'd found an alternative to Starbucks

Moon Doggie Roasters on Maywood's West Pleasant Avenue could be an alternative to Starbucks.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I found a discount coupon for whole-bean coffee at Moon Doggie Roasters on the Verizon Web site -- of all places -- and headed over there this afternoon.

I've had coffee in the bright Maywood cafe before, but in the the last couple of years, I've enjoyed Starbucks Coffee all over the metropolitan area, including the company store on Essex Street in Hackensack, where I live.

I've sipped Starbucks at turnpike service areas, in many Manhattan locations and even in the Chappaqua, N.Y., store former President Bill Clinton patronizes when he goes out to walk his dogs.

Self-service coffee-bean purchases and grinding. Prices are listed on a nearby sign.

Self-service coffee beans

When I stopped in this afternoon at Moon Doggie Roasters, the owner wasn't there, and I asked an employee if I could use the coupon.

He said I could, and gestured to the bins of coffee behind me and two grinding machines. But the scale was on his side of the counter.

A self-service coffee-bean purchase was the first departure from my experience at Starbucks, where the beans are already in 1-pound bags and the employees grind them for you.

The employee told me where I could find bags, but the place was out of the Brazilian coffee I wanted. 

So, I choose an organic, shade-grown coffee from Guatemala for $15.98 a pound.

But after several tries with a scoop and handing the bag to the employee to weigh twice, I couldn't get exactly 1 pound of beans, and had to settle for less. 

The discount was 50%, up to $6. I got the $6 discount on a purchase of $14.83, but had to pay cash.

I asked for a receipt, but the employee said he needed it, and could I take a photo with my phone.

A sign on the register. 

I'll stick with Starbucks

I selected a Turkish grind for my beans from Moon Doggie Roasters, but I haven't tasted the coffee yet.

Still, the convenience of buying beans at Starbucks Coffee with a credit card or a store card, earning me rewards for free food and coffee, can't be denied. 

Moon Doggie Roasters, 108 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 201-556-0111. Free street parking.