Field Trip : The Roasterie - Coffee in Kansas City

Sometimes it seems that locals are the worst tourists in their own city.  I have lived in the Kansas City area for roughly 13 years now and there are still so many places that I have not visited but always say that I want to visit someday.  This summer I am trying to cross some of those places off my list.

My wife loves coffee so I surprised her with a field trip last week to The Roasterie in Kansas City for a tour of their facility in downtown Kansas City where they roast their coffee, operate a cafe and sell merchandise.  If you are a coffee lover this is a definite can't miss.

I signed up online in advance for the tour.  They offer seven tours each day Monday through Saturday.  We arrived for the 10:00 AM tour and we part of a group of around 20.  The tour included videos on the history of coffee and details about how coffee is selected and roasted.  Following a short history of The Roasterie we participated in a live demonstration of "cupping coffee" - essentially how coffee is tested for taste and specific qualities.  My wife was selected as one of the volunteers to demonstrate.

Following the cupping demonstration we toured the portion of the facility where they store, air roast and then package the coffee.  It was interested to see the technique The Roasterie roasts their coffee with heated air to ensure a move consistent roast.  

Following the tour on the floor we moved to the cafe at which the barista demonstrated the steps in preparing a cup of coffee via French Press.  My wife and I use the French Press exclusively at home to prepare coffee and we learned a couple of great tips to make our brew better. The barista also offered some tips on making coffee with less acid, important to my doctor has requested that I cut most of my coffee intake because of the acidity. 

The Roasterie has a beautiful cafe and a large collection of merchandise - shirts, hats, mugs, and pretty much anything you need to make coffee from grinders to presses.  Of course they also had an abundant amount of coffee for you to take home and prepare.

We spent almost two hours at The Roasterie and had a wonderful time.  I left feeling as if I knew much more about the selection and roasting of coffee.  Everyone we met was cheerful and you could feel their passion for coffee.  The Roasterie earned a new customer this week and I strongly encourage a visit for any coffee lover. You can follow The Roasterie on Twitter - @TheRoasterie