The roasters writing the coffee scene in St. Louis: who they are, where they source from and where to drink it.
The roasters writing the coffee scene in St. Louis. who they are, where they source from, and where to drink the result.
Kaldi's is the roaster that put St. Louis specialty coffee on the map, supplying its own cafes and grocery shelves across the metro from a DeMun flagship.
Tip: The DeMun and Euclid cafes are the most atmospheric pour spots; whole beans are sold at every counter.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Sump roasts light, precise single-origin coffee that built a national following, now produced at an Old North roastery with retail and tasting on site.
Tip: The light roasts are best brewed as filter; ask which lots are freshest off the roaster. Bags travel and keep well.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia
How they serve: Filter, Espresso, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Blueprint is a roaster known for clean, precise coffee, supplying its Loop, Watson and Washington cafes from a design-forward operation in the Delmar Loop.
Tip: Each cafe pours the day's filter on the bar; ask the barista to walk you through the rotating single origins.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Filter, Espresso, Whole bean retail
Northwest roasts on site at its Central West End cafe, a long-running operation that supplies local accounts and pours its own coffee at a busy patio counter.
Tip: The patio is the prize on warm mornings; ask which single origin came off the roaster most recently.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Sumatra
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp roast ethically sourced beans, many from their native Honduras, at this South City micro-roastery near Cherokee Street.
Tip: Ask after the Honduran lots the brothers source directly. The cafe is compact, so it is more a buy-and-go than a work session.
Sources from: Honduras, Colombia, Ethiopia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Comet roasts in small batches and pairs the coffee with an in-house micro-bakery at two cafes near Forest Park's south edge. The pastry case rivals the cup.
Tip: Pastries sell out by midday, so come early. Two cafes pour the same roasts, on Shaw and on Oakland.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Kenya
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
A privately owned roastery and cafe on The Hill, Shaw's roasts in house using green coffees from the three major growing regions among the Italian groceries.
Tip: Pair a cortado with a stroll through the Hill's groceries. Roasts rotate, so ask what is fresh.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Sumatra
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
The Larson family roasts in house and runs a full breakfast kitchen at this Maplewood cafe, a community hub that does coffee and a meal equally well.
Tip: It works as a full breakfast spot as well as a roaster; the biscuits and breakfast bowls are the orders.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
La Cosecha roasts Latin American coffees in Maplewood and supplies many local cafes, a small operation with a bright tasting room on the Manchester strip.
Tip: The Latin American single origins are the focus; ask which harvest just landed. Maplewood is walkable for a coffee crawl.
Sources from: Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Goshen roasts across the river in Edwardsville and supplies a long list of St. Louis cafes, including the coffee poured at Rockwell Beer Garden by day.
Tip: Find Goshen on the bar at many metro cafes; the Edwardsville roastery sells bags and brews direct.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Founded in St. Louis in 2003, Kuva roasts and pours coffee tied to a mission supporting growers, a long-running local roaster with a downtown-edge cafe.
Tip: Ask about the producer-direct lots that anchor the menu. A quieter alternative to the busier Loop and CWE cafes.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Park Avenue Coffee roasts its own beans and pours them with more than 70 varieties of gooey butter cake, the St. Louis dessert it is best known for here.
Tip: Pair a roast with the Mom's Traditional gooey butter cake. The Lafayette Square original is the most charming branch.
Sources from: Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail