KC Coffee ~ Caffeine Crawl Trail, Part 2

~ More of the shops and roasters participating in KC's spring Caffeine Crawl. ~

Doughnut Lounge - Westport
Last drink I had there: Pour over of a coffee from Octane Coffee.

What do you suggest for new visitors?:  I would get our berry cheesecake doughnut that is offered exclusively in the evening with a traditional 6 oz. cappuccino. - Jordan Hickman
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What's coming up that you are excited about?: We are proud to announce a new exciting combo of roaster accounts. Octane Coffee of Atlanta, GA., and homegrown Messenger Coffee of Kansas City, MO. We also have a new exciting seasonal drink that we like to call a Costa Rican Sunrise. Dialed in we have a fresh single-origin shot of Costa Rican - El Higueron, orange juice, orange bitters, and house batched vanilla bean syrup. Shaken with ice, and strained into a stemmed cocktail glass. Tying together bartender aesthetic and craft coffee creation. Expect subtle vanilla bean, orange Tootsie Pop, and Orange Julius flavors. - Jordan Hickman

Shang Tea - South Crossroads / Crown Center
Last drink I had there: A 9 year aged white tea (read more about it below).

What do you suggest for new visitors?: The drink I recommend everyone trying when they first come in is our 9 year old brick aged white tea. It is our white tea (Bai Mudan) from 2007, that has been pressed into a square brick of tea, or a Zhuān chá, and left to age for 9 years. Over time the tea naturally soaks in moisture and oxygen from the air, creating a more bold and sweet white tea. If you're into something spiced, or floral, I would recommend our house blended chai tea, made from all organic spices and tea leaves, or our naturally scented tangerine blossom red tea, which is a darker style tea infused with real tangerine flowers to give off an amazing taste and aroma. - Ross Allman
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What's coming up that you are excited about?: Recently we have been hosting a Monthly Tea Meetup on the last Sunday of every month that has been a great success. We get to teach a little bit about the history of tea and the production of tea, all while getting to taste some of Shang's private tea collection, and enjoy a traditional dumpling dinner that Shang cooks for everyone. It is a lot of fun, and a great way to learn, relax and socialize on a quiet Sunday night. You can check out our Facebook page or come into the store to get more information on the meetup! Limited seating each month. - Ross Allman

The Roasterie - SW Boulevard (2 other locations around town)
​Last drink I had there: 8 oz latte with a single-origin Guatemala espresso.

What do you suggest for new visitors?: Grabbing one of our pastries alongside either a mocha made with Shatto chocolate milk, or a pourover of one of our current reserve coffees.
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What's coming up that you are excited about?: We are excited for our launch of the nitrogen cold brew! - Mike Valent

The Filling Station - Midtown (2 other locations around town)
​Last drink I had there: 8 oz cappuccino using Messenger Coffee.

What do you suggest for new visitors?: I love a pourover of the Peru Jacinto Jara from Messenger Coffee paired with the Leige waffles that we just started serving. They are sweet, crispy waffles topped with a whipped honey pecan butter. The Peru finishes nice and buttery, so it's a really great pairing.  - Tyler Hader

What's coming up that you are excited about?: It's cold brew season, so that's really exciting to us. We will featuring the Nitro Cold Brew from Alchemy Coffee in Lawrence. They are experimenting with some really great flavor infusions. We will be featuring the Orange+Hops, Vanilla, and the regular Ethiopia Wote Konga. - Tyler Hader

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