Cartel Coffee Lab

When Cartel first opened, in the corner location of Campbell and Water, I was such a fan. I had a Unilocal list of «top 5 restaurants» and Cartel deservedly earned a spot (I know Cartel is not a restaurant but whatevs). However, things have changed. Just a little bit of background: service is not as important to me as it is for others. It’s all good as long as you are not outright rude to me or completely neglectful. Two weeks ago, I visited the Cartel Broadway location for the first time and, lucky me, I got the barista from hell. Pretentious, rude, funny clothing (read: hipster). Just a bit of background: My fiancée and I are hardcore into coffee/​espresso. At home, we have an espresso machine, a Toddy maker, an Aeropress, and a French press. We also have our own grinder because it’s essential to good coffee. We walked into Cartel to research pour over coffees (Chemex, hario, etc) since we want to add one of these to our caffeine rotation. We asked whether there was any drip method that does not use a filter (i.e. a paper filter) since paper filters dramatically affect the oil concentration in coffee. Like I mentioned, we were doing research so we thought it would be helpful to ask a barista for info. The pretentious barista flat out told us that if we wanted unfiltered coffee we could chew on coffee beans. Really? I literally rolled my eyes in response to this. The guy is lucky that my fiancée and I are not rude and we simply ordered our coffee and walked away and didn’t ask for a manager (or whatever other obnoxious moves people do in similar situations).
I’ve been to Seattle and Omotesando Koffee in Tokyo, both meccas for coffee lovers, and never experienced the service I received here at Cartel. I’m sorry but that type of behavior is unacceptable. Sure, I understand that baristas can be overworked so dismissive service is understandable but not this. Peace out Cartel, I will no longer be frequenting you. I don’t mind this really considering there’s much better coffee in Tucson. Exo, Presta, and Café Aqui have better tasting beans, they roast in house (i.e. fresher beans), AND service is friendly and non-​condescending.

A $ 4 cup of green tea. It was barley hot and I was told loose leaves would sink to the bottom. They did not and I won’t be returning to the Cartel.

Less than impressed with this place. WiFi was terrible– read 95% unusable. This was at 11:00 AM on a Monday, when it wasn’t even crowded. The baristas seemed unconcerned with this, even when I asked to confirm that I had the right network and password.
The coffee was great, as I would expect from Cartel. The scones were passable. Seating and tables were mostly awkward, though I did like all the natural light coming from the windows, and there was some cool décor along the walls. Ultimately, I won’t be going back to this place during my future visits to Tucson– there are better options.

Good coffee and tea, nice and hot. Wifi is awesome; I’ve gone in to work with my computer numerous times. They don’t get uptight if you spend two hours sipping. Plus they have a cool open mic!

Ambiance, décor, prices and choices ! Everything was great ! We will be back next time we came in town ! Only bad point, many students use the table and they are drinking water. So when we arrived all the table was used by students and computers.

Simply the best cold brew in town. Fast service with a ‘get you going’ attitude always appreciated by the helpful staff.

ATTENTION ALL LOVERS OF CHAI. I HAVE FOUND THE BEST CHAI IN TUCSON.
Iced chai is alway my go to drink so when I came into the new downtown location I ordered one up. Service was easy and fast. I had my drink within 2 minutes of ordering. Now as stated above, BEST CHAI I ever had. The flavor was so strong and smooth. I could’ve literally drank the entire cup in one minute, but I tried to contain myself.
As for the environment of this Cartel location, it was a quiet and relaxed perfect place for my business meet up. There was plenty of room to sit and everyone there was working. It kinda felt like a chic study hall. I feel I could come back here and be able to really focus to get work done.

I want to like Cartel, I really do. Their décor is great, super spacious and the vibe is really chill. But every time I went there, there was always a problem.
First, do not go there if you’re looking to study or work online. The wi fi there, albeit free, is slow as hell and I couldn’t get any work done. Second, they do full leaf tea which they do not place in a tea bag for you. This is fine, I’ve had this done before, but the tea was beyond hot and not nearly as fresh as other places. However, the coffee was silky smooth and spot on. I, however, am a tea drinker, so I will always try the tea first, and this place kind of flopped in that department. Now I’m split on their baked goods. On one hand I had this crazy delicious caramel sea salt bar that had baked crumbles on top. Soo good! On the other hand, I had this really dry, almost tasteless lemon bar. I LOVE lemon bars, but I didn’t know one could screw it up this bad. I didn’t even finish it. I didn’t try anything else, so I guess it’s a bit of a grab bag.
So anyways, Cartel is cool and coffee is nice. Good place to hang and read a book. But don’t work here on the wi fi, don’t get their tea and for the love of God, stay away from the lemon bars.

Love love love!
This is such an awesome place to be. Service is friendly and prompt. The atmosphere is perfect for a quick visit or for spending the day.
The coffee is the real deal and made with expertise. The cappuccino is delicious. Ah and the pastries. And local beer! The trifecta.
When I’m in Phoenix, I make sure I stop in that location as well. Very glad we have this in downtown Tucson

*Review based on Private Event Experience Only*
My experience at Cartel is limited to a private event, so I cannot comment on the daily business here. With that said, you absolutely should have your event here, as it’s a perfect atmosphere for any event with great service and accommodation.
Not sure on any of the details regarding how to book an event here (don’t contact Mexican Cartel by mistake, wrong Cartel), but based on an attendee’s experience at an event here, it’s a 10. A+. 5 Star!

Had a friend suggest this place… I’m not really a coffee drinker, I like my fake sugary kinds of coffee drinks. But my hubs takes coffee seriously, to the point he weighs the exact amount for his French press…
Now, I would of gotten a drink but honestly, I had no idea what was going on with the menu. It’s way too complicated, even after she explained it to my hubs, it still went over my head. Staff was extremely patient and took time to explain everything… My hubs got the strawberry chocolate one, he said it was very good and he would get it again.
Loved the lay out of the place, very open and bright… But by far the most important thing I have to comment on…
Is the play kitchen for kids. It can be, what’s the word… Overwhelming? Taking your kids to places like this, most places don’t want your kids there, but to me, and I’m sure other parents as well… See this as a flag waving, saying you and your kids are welcome here. So thank you owners for making parents feel welcomed.
Will be back for beer and pizza.

I’ve already reviewed two other Cartel locations so what else is there to say?
Pros:
I like the décor and layout of this Cartel more than the one on Campbell. Much brighter, much more open and more spacious. They also have huge windows and are on the corner of street. The location is new so everything is really well-​kept and nice.
Cons:
Not a lot of parking. I’m sure the meters get taken up quickly on a weekend. Also, my chai was too milky and there was not enough ice so it was sort of lukewarm and it got watery fast. My sister ordered an americano and it was super sour! I thought it must’ve been old/​sitting out but apparently that’s just how they roast their beans.
Overall, this seems like a good work environment when I need a change of pace but I’m not crazy about the drinks I got here.

This review is based on Beer, not Coffee!
There is a very eclectic selection if draughts here, and currently only 1 Cartel Beer!
But that one beer is a gem! Desert Pale Ale!
Very nice easy drinking APA!
Well made and quite tasty to be sure! Looking forward to future efforts by Cartel!
Atmosphere is ultra shriek, and the music is LOUD! But all in all a cool place DT to have a Brew!
Get on DT and try it out!