Flyover Flavor

            When you walk into La Cosecha, it’s easy to see the love that the owners have for coffee. The walls are decorated with framed burlap coffee bags and pictures of coffee farms. Right inside the doors, green coffee bags are piled on pallets, and the condiment bar is decorated with hand-crank grinders, French presses and more coffee paraphernalia. This all comes together to create a casual, cozy shop that serves phenomenal coffee.

            La Cosecha has been open for 10 years and is located on the main strip of Maplewood. It sits in the front half of a long, narrow space that it shares with Great Harvest Bread Company. That means the space almost always smells like fresh bread or cinnamon rolls. A dark wooden bar acts as a boundary, separating the coffee section from the bakery and enclosing the small Diedrich roaster and Simonelli espresso machine.

            This coffee shop stands out for me because of the espresso. This is one of the few places where I can drink the espresso straight without the need to cut it with milk. With prominent chocolate and caramel notes, this espresso leaves no bitterness or sharpness behind.

            La Cosecha also offers a lot of variety. While you won't see dozens of flavored syrups or a long list of specialty drinks with cutesy names, there are several brewing methods to choose from, including nitro and clever dripper.
            Don't worry. If you like sweet milky drinks, you can order a mocha, flavored latte, or seasonal drink. For fall, the specials include a maple spice latte and a creme brûlée latte, for which the barista uses a torch to caramelize sugar on top. I tried the maple spice latte and was surprised how good it was (I don't typically enjoy sweet or milky drinks). I ordered it in a 12-ounce mug, which was the perfect portion and maintained a nice milk-to-coffee ratio. With the perfect amount of sweetness and spice, it was a nice alternative to the pumpkin spice latte.

             All in all, La Cosecha is a comfortable spot that serves great drinks. There is a lot of competition in Maplewood. But even with Foundation Grounds to the east and Living Room to the south, I still say La Cosecha wins as best coffee in Maplewood.

                But, I'm happy to say, Café Andiamo proved me wrong. Located in an old building across from the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office, this little eatery broke with the Lincoln theme. The small space has white and black tiles on the floor and exposed brick walls. Chalkboard menus line the walls and small plants add a homey touch.

                Café Andiamo offers an Italian-inspired menu. I say inspired because most of the items were American – turkey sandwich, scrambled eggs, barbeque chicken pizza – but there were some focaccia sandwiches and an Italian breakfast casserole that at least sounded Italian even if it wasn’t authentic. This shop also has a long list of coffee drinks. A friendly barista explained that the coffee is roasted locally and the espresso used there is a single-varietal Burundi. I ordered a double shot to experience the espresso uncut with milk. I also ordered a breakfast sandwich.

                The espresso was prepared well with no bitterness or sharpness, but it was boring. I was expecting some kind of interesting fruitiness, maybe some citrus flavor or a spicy finish. Something! Anything! But I got nothing except basic coffee flavor. I’m not sure what the explanation for that is. Typically African coffees pack serious fruit or wine flavor, but I didn’t get anything from this coffee. Either the barista misinformed me or the way it was roasted sapped anything interesting from the flavor. A friend ordered a latte, which was better. The milk had great texture and the latte art was decent.

                My sandwich was a bigger hit. While it isn't difficult to scramble eggs, top with American cheese and crispy bacon and place them all between two pieces of wheat toast, some places definitely achieve better flavor and texture than others. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful. The bacon was thick and crispy – I can’t stand limp bacon! My only complaint was that the toast was a bit dry and a little too thick. It overpowered the other flavors, but only slightly.

                The menu also featured an interesting dish I haven’t seen elsewhere: a breakfast salad. One of my more adventurous/weight conscious traveling companions ordered it, so I got to take a look. The dish is exactly as it sounds: a large bowl full of mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing and veggies topped with a fried egg. It was… different. Not something I would want to order, but certainly a healthy choice.

                While my sandwich and drink could have improved in a few ways, this meal was excellent fuel for playing the tourist. A trip to Springfield is incomplete without a pit stop at Café Andiamo.

Service - Prompt, friendly and helpful.

Food - Nice flavor and quality, though a little dry. Good portion size.

Drinks - Prepared well, but not very interesting flavor.

Atmosphere - Clean space with an interesting layout.

Overall score - 7 out of 10