Appendix E-J

Coffee Shop: The Coffee Ethic

Location: Springfield, MO

Drink: 8 oz. Latte, Clover

Drinker: Chris Hess

Back in August, Everyday Joe’s took a field trip to Springfield, MO. It was a trip centered on serving people and an attempt to transport the heart and spirit of 144 S. Mason to another locale, even if just temporarily.

While researching locations in Springfield where a gear distribution to the homeless might work best, I found that the town’s downtown square was ideal. I also found that a magical place called The Coffee Ethic occupied one of the store fronts.

Why magical? First things, they have a Clover…the dying breed of coffee preparation due to certain things not beneficial to discuss here. Second things, their web site is the hotness and they love Helvetica, which is a direct path to my heart. When reading the Helvetica on the hotness of that site, it’s clear The Coffee Ethic knows coffee…and they want you to know about it too.

Fast forward approximately two weeks. We are in Springfield. It is not as hot or miserable as everyone said it would be. It has been busy day full of meeting those in need and hopefully meeting their needs and learning the stories of everyone…homeless or not. Our afternoon distribution has gone well at Park Central Square and I now have a moment to slip away. The Coffee Ethic is within shouting distance. I go there. I walk into quite a beautiful space. The exposed brick walls remind me of a place I love and the connected library reminds me of an IKEA catalog. The barista on duty (who’s name has now left my memory bank) is a good fellow willing and able for conversation. He finds out we’re from Ft. Collins and we begin to talk beer, the industry he hopes to get into sometime soon. He let’s me know of hopes to come to FC soon, but that is a story for another day.

I order a Clover. I don’t remember the bean. I do remember that the taste was deep and good. Earthy with a bit of spice. I then order a latte. It too qualified itself for the delicious tag. The drinks were top notch, but not what impressed me most.

There is a trend these days in the specialty coffee world…away from the coffee house idea and into what might even be described as a coffee studio. Away from Central Perk and towards an atmosphere that makes you expect something wonderful to enter your mouth. I can dig this…most of the time. What I can’t dig is when someone is made to feel inferior or intimidated when they walk into a shop and don’t “know” coffee.

The Coffee Ethic is not guilty of this. Our friend behind the bar engaged us. He willingly and even lovingly talked with us about anything we brought up: from beer to marriage to design of the shop to Twitter. This trip to The Coffee Ethic was one of the few times I felt like a barista at a shop on this level was happy to make me my drink and made me feel welcome enough that the counter between us disappeared.

The people of The Coffee Ethic take coffee seriously, but they also take people seriously. I thank them for that. I also thank them for delicious beverages.

FURTHER:

• The Coffee Ethic
• The Power Of Clover
• Another great review of The Coffee Ethic
• Everyday Joe’s Goes To Missouri

Popularity: 3% [?]

Coffee Shop: Stauf’s Coffee Roasters
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Drink: Latte & Clover
Drinker: Seth Daire

I’ve been traveling on business quite a bit this summer, and when not working, I have a chance to explore the nearby culture, including the local coffee culture. As I often do, my search begins in Google with “best columbus coffee house”

First I went to this site, which informed me that this coffee house has been around a long time. Stauf’s has been roasting coffee onsite since 1988.

Stauf’s is along a small strip in the Grandview area. Upon walking in, I was welcomed by the aroma of dozens of coffee barrels along two walls. This is the coffee and merchandise area of the store. They have an assortment of coffees in all price ranges, including $30/lb Hawaiian Kona. The staff was incredibly friendly and inviting.

I chatted with the barista about our coffee house and told him I was visiting for a few weeks. Since I never had their coffee, he made me a sample espresso shot. After that, I ordered a 16oz latte. It was sweet and flavorful, not the least bit bitter.

Later in the day, I returned and headed straight to a curious coffee maker I saw earlier in the day: The Clover. I’ve heard about the Clover, which is a single cup coffee machine costing $11,000, which seems to be a cross between a french press and a vacuum pot. You can learn how it works here.

The barista was enthusiastic about the Clover, and I was equally excited to give it a go. Given a choice of any of their coffees, I chose the Kona, and paid a marvelous $3 for this coffee adventure. It’s kindof like a French Press that takes 50 seconds and pours the coffee for you.

My Clover cup of Kona coffee is very, very good and quite refreshing. Cream and sugar need not apply. It’s thicker than an Americano, but a bit thinner than French Press, in my opinion. Being a bit cleaner than a French Press, it manages to give you the coffee minus the sediment. But hey, for $11,000, it better have some perks! (no pun intended)

The atmosphere of the coffee house is nice too. Lots of  tables, wood floors, wood chairs, sidewalk patio, track lighting, and the smell of coffee. I highly recommend you visit.

Further:

• Stauf’s Official Site
• The Clover

Popularity: 24% [?]