Another coffee town flying under the radar in a big way.
Beautiful view of downtown St. Louis
Smorgasbord at Comet
After driving clear across the state of Missouri we rolled through the city of St. Louis. It was funny to us how both the major cities in Missouri are on opposite borders, yet the cooler side of both of those cities is the Missouri side. The first thing we wanted to do was get a sweet view of the Arch and skyline and so we drove to the Illinois side of the river. We parked at a casino, trespassed through some train tracks and climbed down to the river side where the view was magnificent. After Periscoping for a second it was time to figure out where we were going to stay.
Tasty coffee at Blueprint
It was our first night sleeping in the back of the truck and we found a nearby RV parque. I was stoked on it, but I wasn't too sure about Shaunte. The park was nice, relatively empty, had clean amenities, and was in a great location. Getting to bed was no problem, but at 4am it started to rain so hard! After an hour of it coming down I had to check my phone if there was a tornado or something, because the rain went on for hours. I found it to be a really cool experience!
Barista on bar at Blueprint
The next day we decided to start at Blueprint which is a roaster and store front in University City. Again, we popped in unannounced and not knowing anyone. When we told the barista our story she pointed us to one of the owners and a top six barista competitor, Nora. She was super chill and was totally into helping us out. She made two v60s for us of some bomb ass coffees and we discussed her company, city, and perspectives. It was a gorgeous space, with an invigorating atmosphere, excellent service, and great drinks.
Barista making pour overs at Blueprint
Nora told us to check out Comet Coffee down the street which we had never heard about. Since it was so close, was known for pastries, and was on the way back into town we stopped in to check it out. The staff was almost overly friendly and we were quick to hit it off. Their multi-roaster concept was outstanding and Jules prepared us 2 v60s of the coffee we ordered from the shelf. Their reputation proceeds them and by the time we had started diving into our brewed coffees 4 or 5 espresso drinks were brought out to us along with 3 of their killer pastries. It is definitely a place where you leave happy, full, and fulfilled.
Crazy macchiato art at Comet
Sweet line up at Comet
We wanted to get Sump in Coffee Scene before we took off for Chicago ourselves and so we stopped by on a whim in case anything cool happened. We got in and it seemed a little bit slower than usual; most likely because the space is quite big. There was a hella cute barista working and I ordered the Yemen coffee recommended by the Comet crew which costs $8 a cup. While she was making it, I told her about the purpose behind our trip and she told us she could grab the owner for us. Scott came out and Shaunte and I were a little intimidated. He is this big, bald, bearded dude and he was really curious as to what we wanted. By the time we got him mic'd up, roasting, and talking to us, he was joking, smiling, and telling amazing stories.
Set up at Sump
Barista making an amazing Yemen coffee at Sump