Tucson has its fair share of locally owned coffee shops. Being a college town, a good number of them are near the U of A and down 4th Avenue, but the proverbial gem is The Raging Sage, at 2458 North Campbell Ave, just past Grant & Campbell.The Sage has basically everything a good coffee shop needs :

Seating, indoor and out. Check.
Lots of windows for natural lighting! (I guess that’s personal preference, but we’re in Tucson, after all, and we have a LOT of natural light…) Check.
Courteous staff. Check.
Fair prices. Check.
A variety of baked goods. Check.
And, of course, delicious drinks! Check!

Special to the Sage, though, are a few things:

It’s sustainable. The folks who run it are dedicated to choosing beans that come from places that respect their workers and their environment, which really means that they also choose the best beans available! Their house blend is award-winning, and you can buy beans by the pound online. Plus, you can feel pretty good about doing it.

Great variety of high-quality drinks. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I love me some tea–especially chai. Theirs is some of my favorite, especially if you like it spicy; Italian sodas also grace the affordable menu, and they have teas galore, naturally. If you like iced tea, the Gold Rush is quite refreshing.

A.MAZ.ING. BAKED GOODS. Seriously, they’re amazing. Whether it’s the rich pecan bar, the super natural brownie or the cake (oh, the cake!), you really can’t go wrong. And, the scones! Scones were never my thing. To me they were just lumps of dry, baked dough that had little flavor, even when they purported to be “blueberry” or “poppyseed.” Liars! But then I had a scone from Raging Sage. Sweet or savory, I don’t think I’ve met a Sage scone I didn’t love. One morning in February, my honey indulged my sudden craving for a breakfast of scones. We got 4 and were only able to finish 3–they’re pretty big–and here’s part of the destruction.

Next time you’re north of the U of A, consider trying out a treat there!