Photography courtesy of Oddly Correct
St. Louis
In addition to serving up some great coffee, the folks at Blueprint offer a range of educational opportunities, including formal classes and a range of online resources, to teach everyone from professionals to novices more about coffee.
• Try: The cortado
Brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp started Coffeestamp (2511 S. Jefferson) as a micro-roastery in 2018. They wanted to bring the best coffee from their native Honduras and beyond to St. Louis. Today, Coffeestamp has become a popular coffee destination in the Fox Park neighborhood.
• Try: The Honduran Finca La Alondra, a coffee that has a hazelnut aroma with notes of chocolate
See Also: 50 top coffee shops in St. Louis
Photography by Jen Roberts
Oddly Correct in Kansas City
Less than five hours from St. Louis
Oddly Correct | Kansas City
Oddly Correct keeps things simple, so it can focus on quality, roasting coffee from Ethiopia, Colombia, and Guatemala for restaurants across the country and its subscribers. At the café in Kansas City, the 15-person crew makes specialty coffee accessible to even the most novice of drinkers. The menu includes all of the classics and a few with a fun spin.
• Try: The Bourbon Vanilla Latte—and arrive early for the house-made biscuits
Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters | Kansas City
Thou Mayest began in a garage a decade ago. Inspired by a phrase in John Steinbeck's East of Eden, the name means “life is a journey.” The roaster aims to share the world of coffee, from farm to cup, and its extensive menu provides myriad opportunities for this exploration. The Alter Ego blend from Brazil and Sumatra is a smooth-bodied, chocolate-flavored coffee with hints of citrus. The bright, balanced Wild Child from Ethiopia is a light, fruity option.
• Try: The Pollinated Lavender Latte with honey, bee pollen, lavender, and espresso
Photography courtesy of Metric Café
Metric Coffee | Chicago
"Made by Humans," Metric Coffee's motto, is at the heart of its work, beginning with the producers at origin. Metric values lasting relationships cultivated from regular farm visits and yearly buying commitments. This August, Metric purchased the Kedzie Avenue building, where it plans to open an all-day café and roaster with tours and brewing classes. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu—Metric is often lauded as Illinois’ top roaster.
• Try: A Guatemala La Barranca V60 pour-over or any other origin coffee
Tinker Coffee Co. | Indianapolis
Tinker wants to make specialty coffee accessible to all of its customers. In addition to roasting up coffee from top-producing countries, it provides educational opportunities. You can visit the roastery to buy a bag of beans or head to the café to try a perfectly executed latte.
• Try: Java Mule, a canned cocktail with cold brew and ginger beer
Less than 7 hours from St. Louis
Onyx Coffee Lab | Northwest Arkansas
The slogan “Never settle for good enough” guides the work at Onyx. Known for being a coffee powerhouse, Onyx sources some of the best coffee and has some of the top coffee professionals in the country, as evidenced by its many top finishes in brewer and barista championships. There are many single-origin coffees available for purchase and a couple of blends worth checking out. The Power Nap blends Ethiopia Worka with a decaf Colombia Huila, while the Tropical Weather blend is described as a “cup of sunshine” with notes of berries and plum. Onyx has four cafés in Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Rogers, Arkansas.
• Try: Any of the coffee options from Ethiopia
Madcap Coffee | Grand Rapids, Michigan
Roasting beans since 2008, Madcap Coffee has become a staple in the Michigan coffee scene, with cafés in several cities across the state. Madcap sources coffee directly from producers, and batches are sampled by the Madcap team. Harvest Moon is a fall seasonal blend, with notes of apple, black cherry, and maple syrup. It would pair perfectly with pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
• Try: The Ethiopian tasting set, which allows you to sample three distinct coffees from the same country of origin.
A bit farther
Three Keys Coffee | Houston, Texas
Coffee and jazz converge at Three Keys. The shop has reimagined the coffee flavor wheel to connect flavors with jazz artists. For instance, Ella Fitzgerald is paired with bright and delicate notes, while Louis Armstrong is more brazzy and vibrant. Similarly, you’ll find that the coffees are cleverly named: Bossa Nova for Brazilian beans, Cumbia for Colombia, and Congo Square for Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Try: You can’t go wrong with any of the coffees. Just be sure to pair them with one of the playlists available on the website.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters | Lakewood, Colorado
Connecting the consumer with the producer is at the heart of Sweet Bloom’s work. Case in point: Its website shows photos of producers working alongside staff members at its Colorado cafés and roastery. Sweet Bloom's team members not only visit origin countries, but the roaster also hosts producers in its roasting facility each year, which creates better relationships and better coffee.
• Try: Flor de Corazón, a sweet and balanced coffee from Oaxaca, Mexico
