Caffeine Crawl KC Fall 2015

~ Caffeine Crawl number 40 lived up to the hype in the city that started it all! ~ 

The phrase 'Art from the Cup' isn't an exaggeration at Parisi Coffee, and the coffee and the service (with a smile!) are always on point. Kate took the Caffeine Crawl presentation to creative heights with cherry air atop chocolate cream, finished with coffee infused cherries. We swooned. 
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Phil and Ozzie entertained and educated as we sipped various varietal brews at PT's Coffee Roasting Co. while discussing direct trade. 'How much coffee does a single coffee tree produce?" someone asked - Ozzie's answer: "I drink a tree a week - 52 trees a year!" ​​
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Kaldi's Coffee divided and conquered, splitting Caffeine Crawl groups in two for separate info/tasting sessions and dissecting their 'Tis the Season espresso blend for single origin samplings. Ginger beer and lime mocktails explored acidity and bitterness in coffee, and were complemented by sips of Firepot Teas. We left the River Market training space well caffeinated and well informed. 
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Headrush Coffee Roasters took us through a well-explained roasting demo, a matcha tea ceremony, and a compelling history of Japanese tea. We snagged Askinosie Chocolate bar samples from our swag bags as a sweet finish to the freshly roasted Ethiopian brews. 
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Midwest Coffee Trading debuted the Brew Gallery - their new multi-roaster cafe & coffee lab inside PlexPod. Alpha Dominche brews of Java Brothers Guatemala & Ethiopia, a Torn Label Brewing + Thou Mayest coffee beer collaboration & Yummylicious cookies kept our taste buds happy while we learned about green coffee quality & the vision of the new space. 

How to steep green tea was the focus at Hugo Tea, and we admired their warehouse & retail space while sampling a special black tea from 100 year old wild tea plants not grown on plantations. 
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About The Coffee is a powerhouse labyrinth of all things coffee, community and creative - roasting, brewing, classes and more - if you're into coffee and you need it, they've got it. A tour and Sowden SoftBrew samples sent us on our way happily caffeinated and in the know. 
Black Dog Coffeehouse gave us a taste of all three sides of the business - Ibis Bakery, Messenger Coffee & the cafe where it's all combined, deliciously! 
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Once again, Broadway Cafe & Roasting Company took us to school with a variety of coffee experiences - a table of green coffee on display, one with a few different origin brews and paired with treats, and Le Nez Du Cafe set up for aroma mastery and the chance to win a free bag of coffee. Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard served up creamy scoops of coffee custard topped with a luscious Elbow artisan chocolate. 
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Heirloom Bakery & Hearth combined food and coffee in a nearly complete meal - a Thou Mayest orange infused Toddy on ice alongside a pork slider, and an affogato with blueberry shortbread. 
Homer's Coffee House served steaming cups of pumpkin chai and Kenya pour overs alongside chocolate cookies, live music and good vibes. 
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Maps Coffee gave us the scoop on their collaboration with Boulevard Brewing for the coming-soon Early Riser Coffee Porter, and showed us around Velo+ bike shop as we sipped coffee cocktails. McClain’s Bakery and Cafe offered a gorgeous array of pastries - cheese danish, butter rolls, doughnut holes, fresh baked breads & local jellies just to name a few, and we washed it down with Thou Mayest's whiskey barrel aged coffee. 
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We got an in depth lesson on coffee processing and varietals at Oddly Correct Coffee Roasters, and Parkville Coffee welcomed us to the loft for brewed Burundi, pour overs, pastries and a lesson on cold brewing at home. 
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Post Coffee Co brought the VW bus to River Market for a delicious pop up - kyoto & cascara tea made from the husks of the same beans were a refreshing accompaniment to the brisk fall weather. 
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Quay Coffee demoed toddy, Kyoto and japanese style ice brew, and we sampled all three side by side for flavor nuance exploration. RevoCup blew us away with a entire traditional Ethiopian meal and freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee! 
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Ruby Jean’s Juicery served up coffee smoothies and highlighted their brief history as a three month old specialty juicery in Kansas City. t. loft welcomed us to their sleek new Plaza store for steeps and sips - Masala Chai, Moroccan Mint, and White Coconut Cream ​teas were on the menu. 
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We're KC proud and glad to call it home - so much local support from our awesome sponsors  - Yelp KC, InterAmerican Coffee, Print Time, MoBank and Regal Distributing, just to name a few!  

Be sure to check out the other awesome (non-caffeinated) beverages we drank around town - until next year! ~ Cheers

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