Tuesday Coffee Brigade

Back to Westport Coffee House! I believe this was one of our top choices in the past, and we are excited to try it again :)

Dani- honey almond latte! Yummmmmmmm. I liked the barista here. She understood the fact that "surprise me" is not necessarily the cry of a coffee newb. She said she loved espresso, and I agreed, so she made me a latte with light honey and almond flavoring. It was light and lovely.

We are basically starting over so we can be reminded of the previous lovely tastes from TCBs past. Today we are re-attending the wonderful Hi Hat!

Dani: black cafe! I'm glad that some baristas understand that black coffee can totally be a favorite coffee drink. The Ethiopian was amazing.

Nicki: My mocha was delicious. Like the last time we were here, HiHat did not disappoint! I will say there is always room for more chocolate though, but mostly because there is always room for more chocolate. Good job, HiHat!

Austin: I purchased the dirty chai again. Although here it is simply a chai tea with an espresso shot… This chai was rather weak and bland. It tastes as though they used a chai tea bag then added milk and espresso. Twas decent and drinkable but very watery. However I have had their other lattes before and they are flawless!!!!

Erin: I love this place it’s so tiny and cute. Definitely not the place I would go if its raining or snowing. The seating is outside. Today’s cappuccino was probably one of the best I have had in a while. I would have to say the ratio of milk espresso and foam was “on point.” Plus they have 8oz cups which makes cappuccinos better.

Ethan: this is a great place to enjoy a beautiful morning with friends. I got an almond joy latte. It is perfectly sweet and flavorful. I highly recommend it.

Nicki: I got my mocha iced today. It was great! Some of my fellow TCB members thought it was too chocolately, but I know there is no such thing. It was great. My favorite part was the atmosphere! It was the kind of place you could hang out for hours! Loved it!

Ethan: I had a vanilla latte. It was sweet and smooth bodied. A delicious drink to enjoy in an excellent environment to chill with friends. If you are in the crossroads, you must visit.

Austin: I had the dirty chai. (Aka chai with espresso!) It was nice and not over Sweet Sweet and not too bitter. I thought they did very well . Depending on whether you like spiny or sweet chin will deter mine if you will like the drink. It was spicy from the espresso not the chai which is the way I like it. Good dink!

Erin: Cappuccino! I would have to say that it was a sold cappuccino. They only offer the traditional size 6oz. This is the way I like my caps, otherwise the milk to espresso ratio is off. Definitely a great place to go to get a cup of coffee!!!

Loose cannon here. Got a caramel latte. They dont have hazelnut which was a bummer. Kind of on the sweet side but not bad.

Hi friends and fans! Didnt mean to leave you high and dry for so long... but now the majority of us (all but one) have graduated from UMKC and are ready to get back into this coffee game!

Just a few changes, though...

Erin is no longer our tea lady. She will be drinking clsssic cappucionos.

Austin is now our dirty chai tea man- the beast of the teas!

We want to apologize for our hiatus. It has been about one year since our last post...yikes. Sorry lads and ladies.

But WE ARE BACK! And we will be spilling the coffee beans for you every week!

From the big-chains to the hole-in-the-walls,

Caribou Coffee

8722 Shawnee Mission Pkwy Mission, KS (913)789-9266

Nicki—Very chocolatey mocha! It was great! The saddest part of the adventure here was that though the mocha was excellently chocolated, there was no trace of the coffee. This is a good place for coffee beginners to stop by to work their way into loving coffee.

Dani- My surprise was the Berry white mocha and... EWWWWW!  Probably the worst latte ever.  Not only was it too sweet to handle... but like... it was bad...  It was the vanilla white mocha. I couldn't drink it... because it was gross.  Then.. oh then... it settled.  The syrup coagulated (unless it was spoiled milk)  and formed a mass at the top of my latte.  I tried to warm it up, figuring it was just sticking together because it was cold... it only made it worse.  I threw it away. GROSS!

Austin-I got the mint condition. It was really sweet, so if you don't like coffee and you love straight sugar then Caribou is the place for you.

From the big chains to the hole-in-the-walls,

We finally ventured to Down Beat!

4706 Holly St, Kansas City, MO 64112 (816) 533-5446

We had tried to go to Down Beat before… but regardless of the “open” sign, the door was locked.  We had more luck this time- the door was actually open!  This place was definitely a hole-in-the-wall.  I’m pretty sure that it’s someone’s basement- which is cool.   The decorations were lively.  They display different artists’ artwork, promote local music, and only provide natural flavors and sweetners for their coffee.  

Dani: I got a cuban! 

Austin: I also got a Cuban! It was very tasty and very unique!! A cinnamon, nutmeg, cuban infused coffee latte. It tasted like coffee and flavoring but hard to describe… Just try it!!!!! (They played jazz too :D)  

Nicki: I got a mocha! It was really good! There was a lot of chocolate, but still had a coffee flavoring in in. If I had to make a scale with 1 being no chocolate and 10 being pure chocolate, I would give it a 6. Just about in the middle, with a little more chocolate than coffee ratio.

This lady did a fine job of running a make-shift coffee bar.  She knew her stuff.  Go Downbeat!

One early morning (a couple weeks ago… sorry), we ventured down to the crossroads district to Mildred’s.  The lovely coffeehouse opens at 7 am, which coincided perfectly with our 6:55 arrival.  Then… it was on.

Mildred’s Coffeehouse 

1821 Wyandotte, KCMO

(816) 471-1155

Dani: Mildreds was yummy!  I was surprised with a honey-cinnamon latte.    I think that I’ve fallen in love with the honey-cinnamon latte (the HCL for short).  The HCL is great for coffee lovers who want a little bit of sweetness in their life.  Mildred’s did a good job here.  It wasn’t too sweet for little Dani.

Austin: I got a caramel latte. It was in fact good but it was just a caramel latte. I wanted to order a raspberry latte but the Batista explained that fruit and milk equals curdles…. I have had a raspberry latte before… :/ 

Nicki: This weeks mocha wasn't my favorite. It wasn't as chocolate as I would have liked to have in my drink. While I do love the taste if pure coffee, I prefer chocolate over anything. On the coffee to chocolate scale, I would rate it at a 3--with 30% chocolate 70% coffee.

Top Three

1. Opera House

2. One More Cup

3. West Port Coffeehouse 

Cute and friendly.  We like. 

From the Big Chains to the Hole in the Walls,

This week we went to a wonderful hipster hot spot: Westport Coffeehouse!  Now don’t let the “hipster” comment, or vibe, turn you off- the customers were not THAT pretentious, and the workers were funny.  They are equipped with a Pac Man machine, Juke Box (with CDS), working telephone booth, computers, more arcade games, yummy looking food, and of course COFFEE!

4010 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111 (816) 756-3222

Erin- Tea!! I love this place they use Kansas City’s own Hugo Tea! What’s great about this place is they tell the customer how long they should steep the tea. Something that is unheard of in all the coffee shops that I have gone to in the past. I chose to get a London Fog! It was delicious. It was made with steamed milk and vanilla, with earl grey tea. It was the best London fog in the Kansas City area. I highly recommend this place for a great cup of tea. They really know what they are doing.

Nicki: I got a mocha (shocking!), but this time it was iced. I absolutely loved it. The only issue I had was how fast I drank it! Loved the whole drink, and really love this coffee shop. It is definitely one to check out if you’re ever in KC.

Dani: You trickster coffee men… I love you!  I asked them to make me something delicious- this time I made sure to say that I don’t want it too sweet- and they did a great job!  I was guessing what flavor of latte they made me, and I guessed almond.  It was mainly delicious latte flavor with a hint of something sweetish.  They said “close!” but they LIED! I was not close! It was a latte with a hint of peppermint and chocolate.  This is NOT close to almond! But, that’s okay. I’m just a bad guesser :P.  It was the perfect amount of flavor.  I really enjoyed my latte!!!!

Top Three:

1. Opera House

2. One More Cup

3. WESTPORT COFFEE HOUSE! - while you did not beat out the upper two, you made top three!  Your coffee was spectacular and you have a sweet set up.  Nice :)

Westport Coffee House, especially the mustache man, we promised we would be back… and we WILL be back SOON!

From the Big Chains to the Hole-in-the-Walls,

THIS JUST IN THE TOP THREE COFFEE SHOPS HAS CHANGED! We went here about 2 weeks ago!

Opera House and Food Emporium! You are so cool!  Not only are you a delicious coffee shop, but you also have food, baked goods, and a stage?!  So much to do in this chill little area in the River Market. The dim lighting and good vibes made this experience a treat- not to mention the delicious coffee/tea drinks!

500 Walnut

Kansas City, MO 64106

816-888-4858

SIDE NOTE:  If you are like TCB and get down to Opera House before its doors even open, stop in next door to Cascones!  This is an amazing Italian-family-owned diner with amazing breakfast!

Erin— tea! So the Opera House get it’s tea leaves from Adventures with Tea. The blends created by this company are truly unique and well adventurous. Checkout their website for more information, at www.adventureswithtea.com. But on to the way it tasted! I selected a low-caffeine green tea called Blueberries in Maine. I thought it was delicious. Had a great blend of flavors! They had a lot to choose from I’m looking forward to trying their other blends! :-)

Ethan: The Opera House’s Vanilla Chai is a real treat. It is sweet, hearty, and full of flavor. Probably one of the best chai lattes that I have had, and I do not say that lightly. What really sets the Opera House apart is its excellent atmosphere. Once you sit down, you will be in no great hurry to leave.

Austin: This time the special was a little different. ‘Twas a shake. A mint chocolate double espresso shot shake. It was the St. Pattys day shake. So good. So good. Also it had whey protein so it was a meal. I love the Opera House!!!!!!!!!!!

Dani:  While done well, this White Chocolate caramel latte was still a tad sweet.  I may have to rethink how I word “surprise me!” or just suck it up and drink only sweet coffee drinks for the rest of my life… ANYHOO! Regardless of the sweet dranky drank that I had today at Opera House, it is most definitely one of my favorite coffee shops.  Like I said, it was a tad sweet for my taste but it was created well.  

Nicki: The Mocha was sooo good! I can still taste it! there was a perfect amount of chocolate for me, but I could still taste the coffee. I was satisfied on all fronts. It was amazing, and I cant wait until I get a chance to go back!

TOP THREE: Now, we haven’t really posted about the top three in a while… nothing had really impressed us since Twisted Sister.  Ladies and Gentlmen, I am so glad to inform you that we have a NEW TOP THREE!

1. Opera House- With your mad vibes, wide selection, and delicious drinks, you have fought your way to the top of our list.  We love you!

2. One More Cup- You will remain in our hearts, and probably in our top three, forever.  You’re mission for locality still astounds us.

3. Twisted Sister- Good show, Good show, you’re still in the top three!

Oh Opera House, could you amaze us anymore?  You’re charming good looks and delicious drinks… man. You will be seeing us again. 

Hey sorry again for the super late post we went here about 3 weeks ago!

Scooters!!

This is a combo frozen yogurt - coffee shop. Which makes it a great place in the summer to cool off or in the winter for a cup of coffee that just warms the soul.

446 W 47th Kansas City, MO 6411

Erin- Tea! Okay I cheated this week I’m sorry… I was super craving a chai tea, but not just any chai tea, an ICED chai Tea. They do offer a selection of green and black teas, but the one located on the plaza does not have them listed on the main display menu. So until I go to the cash register I thought the only tea they had was chai…. But the iced chai was perfect! It was creamy without being too heavy. And it didn’t have too much spice but at the same time it was not watered down either. I’ll have to go to Scooters again to try their teas…. Sorry guys…

Ethan- I got the classic hot chai. I agree with Erin’s assessment. Definitely solid flavor.

Austin. I got a pot of gold specialty drink. It was waaaay too watery! Might have been good if there was more flavor…

Dani: AGAIN! WAY TOO SWEET! Dang… its been a streak of sweetness. Scooters made me an iced turtle latte. It was so sweet that I couldn’t finish it. Sadly… :(

Nicki: The mocha wasn't my favorite. It had a good amount of chocolate and coffee in it, which is what I look for, but it was just average. It's a good place for a quick mocha fix, but that's it.

Other than their chai, it doesn’t seem like scooters has much going for them.  They didn’t even have vanilla or chocolate frozen yogurt- now that is just ABSURD! From the Big Chains to the Hole-In-The-Walls,

Hey Guys sorry this post is late!! We went here about 4 weeks ago.

PANERA Bread co.  Really, you can just say BREAD CO.   We love bread co a lot.  It’s convenience and delicious bread and food is astounding.  While we love it… we must admit that their drinks are not as special as their food stuffs.   4700 Pennsylvania Kansas City, MO 64112

Erin— Tea. Panera bread is known for it’s bread not necessarily their coffee or tea drinks. The tea was good. There was nothing spectacular about it. It was a premise tea bag. I got the classic English breakfast. It was good but not amazing. Hot Chocolate. I had their hot chocolate there not too long before this. I love it. If your in the mood for soup in a bread bowl, and you want more comfort food try the hot chocolate. But don’t for get the whipped cream!

Nicki: My mocha was so good! The was a great ratio of coffee to chocolate and I loved every ounce of it. It definitely has the Nicki stamp of approval!

Dani: I love Bread Co (and yes, its Bread Co). Regardless of my undying love for Bread Co, this coffee was not my favorite. This is definitely more of a bakery/cafe than a coffeehouse. They made me a caramel-vanilla latte. It was WAY too sweet for this lady. Too sweet… that… I couldn’t even finish… :(

Oh Bread Co… get some better Baristas to match your delicious Bakers.  Then we will be back (for something other than bagels).  

From the big chains to the hole-in-the-walls,