Coffee Playlists

Instead of pairing beer with various types of music, we’re mixing it up with coffee playlists! See, I’m a recreational coffee drinker. Once a week or so I’ll get a latte, often after work as a treat. I enjoy it but do not need it as part of my daily repertoire. With this article, I had to expand the reaches of my coffee universe with some drinks that I’d only heard of but certainly had never tried. Each playlist suits the mood of the coffee. From a dirty chai latte to espresso, it’s time to grind some beans!

Spending the last few months lubricating my insides with a variety of different coffees, I have learned to seriously enjoy many of these on this list. In addition to the style, I’ll provide a link to the location of where the coffee is from. 

(Each link leads to a Spotify playlist)

Black Coffee (made at home- Green Mountain K-cup)

Early morning? Late night? At a diner? By yourself? The Black Coffee playlist is perfect for all of these occasions and more. A little introspection and a little somber at times, this is ideal for a black coffee mood. Don’t worry about schlepping out to a coffee shop, either, since this cup o’ joe can be made at home easily. Or if you’re at Rosie’s Diner in the wee hours of the morning, order a cup of black and ask to put this playlist on the jukebox. Think Tom Waits, Otis Redding, and Billie Holiday to name a few. 

1. Tom Waits – Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac With Susan Michelson)
2. Squeeze – Black Coffee in Bed
3. Ella Fitzgerald – Black Coffee
4. Billie Holiday – I Cried for You
5. Isaac Hayes – Walk On By
6. Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
7. Cracker – Big Dipper
8. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Cigarettes and Wine
9. Johnny Cash – Hurt
10. Otis Redding – Cigarettes and Coffee
11. Julie London – Cry Me a River
12. Charles Bukowski – Bluebird
13. Scott Walker – It’s Raining Today
14. Nina Simone – Lilac Wine
15. Tom Russell – Touch of Evil
16. Bob Dylan – One More Cup of Coffee
17. Billy Idol – Bitter Taste
18. Suzanne Vega – Tom’s Diner
19. Tindersticks – Tiny Tears
20. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
21. M. Ward – Poor Boy, Minor Key
22. Blur – Coffee and TV
23. Fred Neil – Everybody’s Talkin’

Cream Only – from La Stella Italian Market in Norwich, CT (with Craftsman Cliff coffee)

This playlist is mostly chill-out electronic at first from the likes of artists including Air, Saint Germain, and Daft Punk. It travels into soul, heading back to ambient, through alternative with the final tracks all containing the word “cream” in the band name or in the song. 

1. Air with Beth Hirsch – All I Need
2. St. Germain – Forget Me Not
3. Thievery Corporation – Lebanese Blonde
4. Portishead – Glory Box
5. Everything but the Girl – Missing (Todd Terry Remix)
6. Royksopp – So Easy
7. Daft Punk – Verdis Quo
8. Dusty Springfield – Breakfast in Bed
9. Minnie Ripperton – Lovin’ You
10. Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
11. Burt Bachrach and Elvis Costello – I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
12. Shadowfax – A Thousand Teardrops
13. Amorphous Androgynous – Mountain Goat
14. Aphex Twin – #20
15. Tim Story – Asleep the Snow Came Flying
16. Boards of Canada – Turquoise Hexagon Sun
17. Chemical Brothers  – Asleep From Day
18. George Winston – Beverly
19. S. E. Rogie – Jojo Yalah Jo
20. Phoenix – Trying to be Cool
21. LCD Soundsystem – Oh Baby
22. Cream – Strange Brew
23. Wu-Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M.
24. Prince and the New Power Generation – Cream
25. 112 – Peaches and Cream

Dirty Chai Latte  from Cafe on Main in Stowe, Vermont

This playful playlist is perfect for sipping a Dirty Chai Latte. Combining the best of chai with the best of a latte, it is a terrific drink. With songs from KC and the Sunshine Band, Amy Winehouse, and Prince, it also works as a soundtrack to summertime. Let’s give it a listen!

1. The Cure – Friday I’m in Love
2. Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover
3. Rod Stewart – Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? – Rod Stewart
4. Tone-Loc – Funky Cold Medina
5. John Mellencamp – Dance Naked
6. ZZ Top – Legs
7. Hall and Oates – Rich Girl
8. Al Green – Love and Happiness
9. Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl
10. Outkast – Bowtie
11. Michael Jackson – Workin’ Day and Night
12. The Gap Band – Get Loose and Funky
13. Len – Steal My Sunshine
14. Dr. Dog – Heart it Races
15. Morris Day and the Time – Wild and Loose
16. KC and the Sunshine Band – Give it Up
17. UB40 – The Way You Do The Things You Do
18. Zack Fernandez – Dirty Chai Latte
19. Terrence Trent D’Arby – Wishing Well
20. Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good
21. Maxwell – Lake by the Ocean

Irish Coffee – made at home, black coffee with Jameson and whipped cream

Even though Saint Patrick’s Day has come and gone, we’re drinking and listening to Irish this month. Time to take out your green bars of soap because it will be an Irish Spring! Expect tracks to run the gamut from traditional Irish music a la the Chieftains and the Clancy Brothers to more modern Irish music in the form of U2 and Glen Hansard. Expect many traditional numbers from old favorites to newer artists.

1. The Chieftains – Drowsy Maggie
2. Flogging Molly – Drunken Lullabies
3. Mary Black – Vanities
4. Celtic Woman and the Longest Johns – Beeswing
5. Sharon Shannon and Steve Earle – The Galway Girl
6. The Dubliners – The Rocky Road to Dublin
7. The Irish Tenors – Toora Loora and Irish Eyes
8. Van Morrison with the Chieftains – Carrickfergus
9. Black 47 – Livin’ in America
10. The Dubliners – Whiskey in the Jar
11. The Clancy Brothers – Whiskey, You’re the Devil
12. The Pogues – A Rainy Night in Soho
13. Mary Black – Mo Ghile Mear
14. Tom Russell and Dolores Keane – Mary Claire Malloy
15. Morrissey – Irish Blood, English Heart
16. Glen Hansard – A Parting Glass
17. Dropkick Murphys – State of Massachusetts
18. The Wolfe Tones – Come Out Ye Black and Tans
19. Paddy Reilly – The Fields of Athenry
20. U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
21. Shane McGowan and Marie Brennan – You’re the One
22. Emmylou Harris, Dolores Kean and Mary Black – Sonny
23. John C. Reilly – Fathom the Bowl
24. The Roches – The Troubles
25. Tom Russell and Finbar Furey – Carrickfergus/The Water is Wide
26. Seamus Kennedy – The Old Dun Cow
27. Eva Cassidy – Danny Boy
28. Richard Thompson – From Galway to Graceland
29. Eleanor McEvoy and Mary Black – A Woman’s Heart
30. Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
31. Cliff Haslam – Fear A’bhata (the Boatman)
32. Ronan Tynan – My Irish Molly ‘O
33. The Dubliners – Molly Malone
34. Tom Russell, Dolores Keane, and Iris Dement – When Irish Girls Grow Up
35. The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem – Rosin the Bow
36. The Irish Descendants – Rattlin Bog
37. The High Kings – Raglan Road
38. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – Falling Slowly
39. The Lindsays – Jigs: Beyond Ballybay/Swans Among the Rushes/Garrett Barry’s
40. The Maken Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain – Three Drunken Maidens

Espresso – from Leyden Street Coffee in Plymouth, MA

Time to get charged up for the day with a shot of espresso! Most of these songs will get the heart pumping and the mind a buzzin’ to take on the day. Tired? I don’t think so, with a shot of espresso and this playlist! Leyden Street Coffee is my place in Plymouth for a fantastic latte, so what better spot than to grab an espresso from this awesome coffee shop (that is housed in a distillery to boot!)

1. The War On Drugs – Red Eyes
2. Static-X – Push It
3. Kid Rock – Bawitdaba
4. Monster Magnet – Space Lord
5. Beastie Boys – Sabotage
6. White Zombie – More Human Than Human
7. The Offspring – Killboy Powerhead
8. Rage Against the Machine – Bulls On Parade
9. Blink-182 – Dammit
10. Sepultura – Ratamahatta
11. Clutch – Escape from the Prison Planet
12. Blood For Blood – Livin’ in Exile
13. Dropkick Murphys – Skinhead on the MBTA
14. Gravity Kills – Guilty
15. Stabbing Westward – Shame
16. The Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock
17. Soundgarden – Outshined
18. The Cult – Love Removal Machine
19. Transplants – Diamonds and Guns
20. New Bomb Turks – Jukebox Lean
21. Bad Religion – Generator
22. The Prodigy – Firestarter

Macchiato – from Kiskadee Coffee in Plymouth, MA

Time to sip a Macchiato while listening to a range of music from/about Italy or something Italian. When I say a range, I mean a range! From Vivaldi to The Godfather, “Weird” Al Yankovic to Giorgio Moroder, this is quite the eclectic mix. The styles of music are varied too. One minute it’s opera and the next it’s video game music from Super Mario Brothers. The common theme though? Italy! Some songs are by Italians, some are sung in Italian, and some are related to Italian culture. Give it a listen while sipping a macchiato like this one from Kiskadee Coffee in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

1. Nina Rota, Carlo Savina – Love Theme From “The Godfather”
2. Norman Fox and The Rob Roys – Pizza Pie
3. Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning
4. Luciano Pavarotti – Funiculi, Funicula
5. Lou Monte – Luna Mezza Mare
6. Dean Martin – Volare
7. Andrea Bocelli – Il Mistero Dell’amore
8. Andrea Bocelli – La Traviata
9. Ennio Morricone – Gabriel’s Oboe
10. Il Divo – Wicked Game
11. Video Games Live – Super Mario Bros. Medley
12. Lou Monte – Dominick the Donkey
13. Eduardo Di Capua, Javier Von Velthoven – O Solo Mio 
14. Vivaldi – The Four Seasons: Spring
15. “Weird Al” Yankovic – Lasagna
16. Buccaneer – Da Opera
17. Mario Lanza – ‘A Vucchella
18. Dean Martin – That’s Amore
19. Jonathan Richman – Cosi Veloce
20. Sheryl Crow – The Book
21. Max De Bernardi – Root Hog or Die
22. Dean Martin – Mambo Italiano
23. Billy Joel – Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
24. Giorgio Moroder – Chase
25. Fun Lovin’ Criminals – King of New York
26. Andre Rieu – Love Them (From Romeo and Juliet)
27. Sarah Brightman and Andrew Bocelli – Time to Say Goodbye

Cappuccino – from August 1st Bakery in Burlington, VT

Ooh, la la! Let’s head to a Parisian cafe (or at least a really cool bakery/cafe in Burlington, Vermont) to while away the hours sipping on a cappuccino. Along with the cappuccino, listen to this coffee playlist. This mix is a little sultry, a little breezy, and a little jazzy. Great for sidewalk sipping or a warm cappuccino on a chilly day indoors. From Dave Brubeck to Steely Dan, St. Germain to Herbie Hancock, let’s take a sip and a listen!

1. Jonathan Richman – Cappuccino Bar 
2. St. Germain – Sure Thing
3. John Coltrane – Giant Steps
4. Herbie Hancock – Cantaloupe Island
5. The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Blue Rondo a la Turk
6. Vince Guaraldi Trio – Cast Your Fate to the Wine
7. Randy Weston – Caban Bamboo Highlife
8. Luiz Bonfa – Avocado
9. Jack Jezzro – Moonlight in Brazil
10. Antonio Carlos Jobim – Brazil
11. Harry Connick Jr. – It Had To Be You
12. Ray Charles – One Mint Julep
13. Diana Krall – Boulevard of Broken Dreams
14. Steely Dan – Deacon Blues
15. The Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute
16. Sade – King of Sorrow
17. Boukman Eksperyans – Tande M Tande
18. Marty Balin – Hearts
19. The OneUps – Koopa Beach
20. George Benson – Breezin’ 
21. Sega Sound Team – Hot Girl

Thanks for taking the journey through the coffee world. Hopefully, you’ve found a drink and a playlist to your liking. It’s been fun for me to explore the world of coffee of which I am, or possibly was a novice. Make sure to check out the Backyard Road Trips Podcast where we spend some time sampling coffee in the third season.