A Gem of a Clover

I experienced a new coffeeshop yesterday: The Coffee Ethic in Springfield, MO. Let me tell you...I think I have found a new second favorite coffeeshop. I guess second favorite really isn't the best way to put it...it's more like I have two lists. Neither is really better than the other. They are both just different. The Coffee Ethic is now at the top of one of said lists.

Where to begin...the decor is fantastic. Lots of natural decorating (a fantastic table made out of a section of a tree, a wood block coffee table in front of the couches, etc.), and the pictures on the walls are lovely. All the pictures were taken in an orphanage in India, and the colors and the quality of the photographs is truly wonderful.

The Coffee Ethic also adjoins the Park Central Branch of the public library...I know: what a great and novel idea to put a library and a coffeeshop together!! The library is also wonderfully decorated in an almost bohemian/modern style. A great favorite were the reading cubes. Yes, they are literally large cubes that two people can comfortably fit in and read or talk.

And then there is the coffee. OUTSTANDING!! The Coffee Ethic is one of the only coffeeshops in the world that has a Clover coffee maker. Starbucks bought up all the others so that no one else can use them. I just have to say it, this coffee changed my life. It was so delicious--smooth, rich, and strong. I was hooked! I also had a sip of my friend's dirty chai [FYI: a dirty chai is a chai with a shot of espresso in it...this is what my friend calls it because she is underage and cannot order anything else dirty], and I was also impressed.

I judge coffeeshops based on their chai because a lot of coffeeshops can have good coffee, but their chai sucks. For me a good coffeeshop has both good coffee and good chai. The Coffee Ethic passes this test with flying colors. Two thumbs up for The Coffee Ethic and their Clover machine.

Until next time...keep your coffee strong.