Spyhouse Coffee Roasters | North Loop - Minneapolis, MN

Address: 907 N Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Coffee Roaster: Spyhouse

B's brew:  12oz Latte w/ whole milk

C's brew:  12oz Spygirl (latte w/ lavender & honey)

Sweet: Black Walnut Bakery - buttermilk scone w/ currants

Tunes played: L.A. Leakers, 2 Milly, T.I., Lil Dicky, IamDLOW

Website: spyhousecoffee.com

 

We were only planning on visiting one coffee shop while we were in the Twin Cities, but after hearing Kirstin at Quixotic's fervor for Spyhouse we figured we couldn't head back to Chicago without trying it out!  It's always nice to see small businesses supporting each other! 

The first thought I had when we walked up to the floor to ceiling windows was, "How is this place not crowded right now"?  As much as I love people watching in Chicago, it's always a breath of fresh air to be able to walk into a coffee shop and not worry if we'll be able to get a seat.  I can't help but say that out of all of the coffee shops we've visited thus far, Spyhouse wins for the most attractive. Even the light that filled the space was hard not to fall in love with.

I am a creature of habit, and typically order a 12 oz latte at each coffee shop we visit.  Charlie, on the other hand, is more adventurous. I am pretty sure that regardless of what we ordered though, it would have been satisfying.  We paired our lattes with an equally tasty butternut scone with currants and sat at a small round marble table waiting for Charlie's Mom to join us for a bit.  We love having guests on our coffee shop adventures, and it was a perfect way to end a family filled weekend.

Quixotic Coffee | Highland Park - St. Paul, MN

Address:  769 Cleveland Ave S Saint Paul, MN 55116

Coffee roaster:  Bootstrap Coffee Roasters

B's brew: 12oz con miel w/ Autumnwood Farms organic whole milk

C's brew: 12oz con miel w/ Autumnwood Farms organic whole milk

Tunes played: Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, Santo & Jonny, Amy Winehouse, Ernestine Anderson

Website: quixoticcoffee.com

Leaving Chicago for Minneapolis in the middle of winter isn't always ideal.  When you have a new nephew to meet, though, the quick flight to colder temps is definitely worth it.  We stayed at The Grand Hotel downtown Minneapolis, and split our time between there and St. Paul.  It was a perfect weekend for overdue family time.  We had read a lot of good things about Quixotic, and we managed to sneak away from family for a quick 30 minute visit before they closed. 

The staff was so friendly, especially Kirstin who was sincerely excited for our new blog and even gave us a list of other coffee shops to try!  We told the baristas that we love getting coffee in the Twin Cities because of the Cafe Miel, or Cafe Con Miel that is oftentimes on the menu.  We explained that you won't find the word "miel" on coffee shop menus in Chicago.  Little did we know that it is just the French word for honey.  I read somewhere that said a Cafe Miel "is basically the liquid version of the world's best graham cracker".  I would have to agree 100%.

Aside from the friendly staff and our delicious Cafes Con Miel, the atmosphere was lovely.  Even though our visit was short, we spent 15 minutes sitting in the window admiring the abnormally quiet street and the Highland theater across the way.  After a few of the patrons left, we were able to slip into a cozy wood booth to finish up our drinks.  Our visit ended with the baristas sharing with us their enthusiasm for Quixotic.  They wanted us to know everything that makes them such a wonderful shop.  For instance, the milk they use is organic, and comes from a local farm! 

C.C. Ferns | West Town - Chicago, IL

Address: 2806 W Augusta Blvd, Chicago, IL 60622

Coffee roaster:  Metropolis Coffee Company

B's brew: 12oz latte w/ whole milk & cinnamon

C's brew: 12oz latte w/ whole milk & cinnamon

Sweet: Doughnut Vault - Old fashioned pistachio doughnut

Tunes played: Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Ray LaMontagne, The Haunted Windchimes

Website: ccferns.com

Our first blog post.

I'm not going to lie, It's pretty exciting.  Looking back on this past year, I think about how lucky the two of us are that we were able accomplish visiting 50 different coffee shops within 50 weeks. There are many people in this world that don't have access to clean water, let alone a coffee shop, so for us to be able to choose out of hundreds in our own city is pretty amazing.  We definitely don't take it for granted, especially the fact that we feel we are helping so many small businesses who are working with fair trade farmers across the world.  While that's only one part of our weekly routine that I love, the best one of all is that we continue to learn so much about each other.  Every week we are put into a completely new situation together.  Naturally, as creatives, the two of us observe everything.  It has become part of our dialogue to discuss the moments, and everything having to do with what we are experiencing. If you've ever been to C.C. Ferns, you will know right away that it lends itself to that conversation well. 

We had high hopes for C.C. Ferns strictly based on photos that we've seen.  Since our blog was going to be photo focused, it made sense that we wanted C.C. Ferns to be the first coffee shop featured on our blog. We went there on a day that it was negative degrees outside. From what we knew (based on the photos again), it was going to be the perfect break from the freezing cold temps.  From the second we walked in, we were not disappointed.  The vibe we got was exactly what we wanted as we were greeted with warm hues, wood floors, and a beautifully textured ceiling. The barista was friendly, the couch was comfy, and the coffee was the perfect temp to warm us up.  Last but not least, our one hour coffee shop visit was filled with observing and discussing the somewhat hipster, somewhat vintage, somewhat random, eclectic atmosphere.  We will for sure be back!