6120 Shoger | 618-650-9086
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Since its founding, in 2002, Goshen Coffee has established a cult following in its Edwardsville home and beyond, thanks to its mix of popular staples and exclusive roasts. The bestselling Bona Fide and Old School Tattoo are traditional blends, consistently bright and crisp, that work well as everyday coffee or espresso. Goshen’s Secret Stash line, harvested just once a year, comprises small-batch single-origin coffees with lighter, more unusual flavor profiles: fruit, floral, earthy. “Every four to six weeks we’ll come out with a new Secret Stash from a new origin, like Peru, Ethiopia, or Ecuador,” says Jennifer Hughey, co-owner and CEO. In August, Goshen Coffee Café opened in Edwardsville, serving fresh coffee, espresso, and such healthy house-made dishes as chickpea smash toast and goat cheese, onion, and garlic scones.
Multiple locations | 314-727-9991
From the opening of its original café, on DeMun, in 1984 to its network of 20 cafés and 500 wholesale partners, Kaldi’s has built its business on specialty coffees. “We have trusted relationships with specific coffee-growing communities and farmers, and we buy coffee from around the world on seasonality, much the way a chef should buy produce,” says Frank McGinty, director of sales and marketing. One such example is the sweet and citrusy Colombia Monserrate, comprising limited-edition single-farmer coffees so exceptional that Kaldi’s highlights the name of each farmer front and center on its label. If espresso is more to your liking, 700’s smooth caramel notes and dark chocolate finish might be just right for you. Love to snack with your drink? Kaldi’s café menu offers everything from breakfast burritos and salads to its wildly popular peanut butter energy bites.
Multiple locations | 314-472-3267
St. Louis native Peter Cohen set out to create a bold coffee with no bitter aftertaste. He sold his creation, Redeye Roast, to customers at the Clayton Farmers’ Market, eventually quitting his corporate job to build his coffee company. Today, Redeye is Stringbean’s signature blend, but the company sells a variety of single-origin coffees, too. Brazilian Estate is a rich, creamy roast with a chocolate finish that tastes great as espresso. For a truly uncommon brew there’s Malawi Peaberry—peaberry accounting for just 5 percent of all coffee beans harvested, Cohen reports—with its stone fruit taste. “I’m the only one in St. Louis roasting this,” says Cohen, who uses a non-computerized roaster, perfecting each batch by hand. “Before COVID, we held open houses on the first Saturday of each month with kombucha, cheese-making, yoga, and discussions. Hopefully we can bring them back.”
310 S. Fillmore | 314-772-0700
Coffee has been the Charleville family business since 1930, but the name Chauvin (a family name) was adopted in 1984, by “Java Joe” Charleville, grandfather of the current co-owners, Dave and Mike Charleville. A passion for coffee is the company’s driving force, first in its early days as Rose Coffee on South Jefferson and now in its current location, in Kirkwood. Connoisseurs are drawn to Chauvin’s artisan coffees, including the flowery Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and the rich La Minita, from Costa Rica. “After our dad, Dave, went to Europe in 1973, he was determined to match the taste of the rich, balanced espressos there,” says Dave. Espresso Oro is a light Northern Italian–style roast; the darker Espresso Traditional is reminiscent of the intense flavors from Southern Italy. “When people who know their espressos sample them, it inspires instant devotion,” Dave says.
