soulardPublic cafe
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
lafayette-squarePublic cafe
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
claytonPublic cafe
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
tower-grove-southPublic cafe
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
delmar-loopPublic cafe
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
central-west-endPublic cafe
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