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.

A Lovely Honey Latte on a Winter's Morning

This isn't going to be a post about any particular coffeeshop, but rather just a post about this fantastic song I found on Youtube one day. Frank Sinatra singing about coffee in Brazil...does it get any better?!?!?!

One of the best ways to fend off the winter chill...drink coffee. That's what I'm doing right now. I am choosing to ignore Phil's prediction that winter will be another 6 weeks, and I'm drinking coffee.

Go enjoy a cup today!

good for the soul

Confession...it's good for the soul, right? So here goes...

I am horribly and terribly biased when it comes to coffeeshops. There I said it. Whew! Yes, I have my favorite and no other coffeeshop quite measures up. My favorite coffeeshop...drumroll please...is the Potter's House. I do, however, try to over look my bias when I am trying out a new coffeeshop. There are other coffeeshops that I enjoy, but none can really compare with the Potter's House.

The thing is there just really isn't another coffeeshop like PoHo (as it is affectionately called). It is in a category entirely by itself because it is a coffeeshop, but it is so much more. It is a home, a refuge, a hangout, a family, a community. It isn't there just for the business of selling coffee. It is there for the business of being a family.

It is a place of friendship and laughter, of comfort and tears, of joy and love and peace. And the coffee's not bad either...hahaha ;)

The Oreo Quicksand is a favorite, as is the strawberry-banana smoothie. The brownies will change your life...forever, although unless I am super craving chocolate I have to go with a cookie instead because the brownies are also super rich. A personal favorite is a honey latte...It's not on the menu, but it's excellent. The awesome thing is that you can ask for whatever you want. Too much sugar in something...ask for it without sugar. Want peanut butter in something...just ask.

After you get a drink, find a place to sit...there are lots of little nooks and crannies around. Or just chill out in the living room. Bring friends and play a board game. Whatever you want. :) Just enjoy the relaxing environment or the bustle (depending on what time it is).

Anyway...I had to get this post out of my system, so I will try to refrain from posting about PoHo again...and I will try to post about other coffeeshops soon.

Until then...keep your coffee strong.

I am a Coffeeshop Addict

Yes, it's true...I am addicted to coffeeshops. There is something internsically fantastic about coffeeshops - a certain flair that they have that cannot seem to be found elsewhere. They are similar to pubs in that aspect. The environment of a true pub just cannot be duplicated. The same is true of a true coffeeshop...it's environment cannot be duplicated. And each coffeeshop has it's own unique flavor and flair.

On this maiden post, I am going to tell you about a coffeeshop in Windom, Minnesota called SiJambo (I think). I was there yesterday morning and had a lovely chai latte. The atmosphere was light, airy, open. High ceilings with wonderful molded tin panels for the ceiling. Warm yellows and reds made the coffeeshop inviting, but upon entering it was not really a place I would want to sit and chill for a while.

Upon entering there were tables and chairs -- a good place to sit and have breakfast or lunch with friends. Upon entering the room farther, there was a more intimate part further in where one could curl up and read or study or just chill out. A couple of sofas, smaller tables with one or two chairs and prints of African Animals on the walls added a cozy feeling.

As previously stated, I had the chai latte. It was good, although not as good as some chai's that I have had. Therefore I cannot speak to how the coffee was, and I'm not really planning to go back to find out as it is in Minnesota...which is very cold...in case you didn't know.

Until next time - keep your coffee strong.