KC Perky

Tea Drops, previously of Westport only, has recently made a splash down in Power and Light.  Good for them.  I love their first shop, the only thing that would make it better would be to have as many samples lying around as Teavana does at Oak Park Mall.  They’ve moved into the space in the H&R Block building where a Starbucks used to be.  You know, just 2 blocks away from the quazi-Starbucks in that hotel and just 3 blocks away from the Starbucks with the one great chair.  So, this is a good thing.

Keeping with TeaDrops’ mission, the downtown branch is taking it upon themselves to educate us about a new tea every day.  I encourage you to subscribe to their blog, as it will certainly broaden your caffeinated morning beverage horizons.

Now on with the review and the explanation of the silly title.

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About darn time.

And no, I’m not talking about the delay to post this review (although it was substantial…).  I’m talking about the space at 310 Southwest Blvd.  Ever since Coffee Girls moved their shop down to Waldo, the Crossroads has been far too decaffeinated.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled YJ’s and Mildred’s held strong.  But it just seemed … off.

I’m amused that they chose the name ‘Crossroads Coffeehouse’, after Rev! had that as a working name for about 9 months.  But that’s where the joking stops.  Crossroads Coffeehouse is a treat to visit.

One thing that is immediately apparent when you walk in, is that the proprietors A) know what makes a good shop, B) had the money to make it so, C) had the restraint to not go over the top.

Power outlets every few feet, and where there aren’t… power strips.

A mix of comfy chairs, meeting tables, solo tables, bar stools… you want to sit in it, they’ve got it.  Rocking chairs!  And if you’re bold enough, an acoustic guitar to casually play.

They seem to have settled upon a new-to-me bean, Intelligentsia Coffee.  Bold move, considering we’ve got great beans in both Parisi and Roastarie, right here in KC.  But the taste doesn’t disappoint.  The espresso tasted good; both the beans and the barista did their things.

And of course, friendly enough people running the place.  All in all, a good morning coffee.

I wanted to try the yogurt+fruit+granola, but wasn’t that hungry today.  But it certainly looked good.  On the flip side, they didn’t seem to have much in the way of food or snacks for mid-day non-coffee cravings.  That’s fine though.  I’d much rather go to LuLu’s for that.

Brian and Jay are a couple of top-notch guys.  They’re relatively new to town and love to explore KC, including coffee.  They do a podcast about all the things they learn about KC called KC Newbz.

A couple of weeks ago, they got together with me and talked about coffee over coffee.  I sincerely recommend subscribing to their podcast.  Unlike many talk-radio podcasts, they’re actually fun to listen to!