The walk from Jewell to Holy Grounds is around 10 minutes. Google Maps will tell you 13, but if you have long legs and/or embrace your inner New Yorker, it will take you 10. It is a nice walk through the historic neighborhoods of Liberty. Since the space is not a traditional coffee shop, it is quite an adventure. The front door to the coffee shop is on the south entrance of the church and down the stairs to the church’s basement.

The space is full of old books from the church’s library. alls that are not covered in books showcase the church organist’s original paintings. The dark oak of the table and bar creates a lovely, warm feel that contrasts with clean white spaces. They are always playing Gregorian chants or Anglican choir music, so, depending on your relationship with religion, you may find it peaceful and centering. However, if you are not used to being in church settings, you may find it a little strange. If you are not interested in the music, there is plenty of seating on their patio with shade and a peaceful ambience. 

The coffee shop’s menu is pretty standard, though a lot of their products are sourced from local small businesses. They roast their own coffee and they brew tea from Anna Marie’s Teas on the Liberty Square. I love their matcha because it is more on the gritty side. Their ratio of matcha to milk is the best in Liberty; many other local coffee shops dilute their matcha to the point where it is basically just green milk. Their espresso-based drinks are fine compared to the local standards of Liberty, but their espresso is just not quite up-to-par in my opinion. If you consider yourself a coffee snob like me, I would recommend getting a tea, a matcha or a drink with one of their many syrups. They make most of their syrups in-house, including my two favorites: vanilla lavender and cinnamon almond coconut.

There are many food options including pastries, and an extensive menu of more savory foods. Plus, they always have fudge samples from a local fudge maker up in Kearney.

Overall, it is a lovely walk from campus and a quiet place to study or hang out with friends. If you try it out, I recommend trying the fudge and getting a drink with one of their homemade syrups.

Bubble tea, also known as boba milk tea, is a refreshing drink favored by many. For those who enjoy tea yet want something with a little more excitement, boba can be a superb option. However, not all boba establishments are created equal. Despite each having that iconic fat straw, some boba cafés are more alluring than others. For anyone living in the Kansas City area, there may be more options to choose from than expected.

When judging what makes a good bubble tea, preferences are different. Nevertheless, a good bubble tea café should typically have several key factors: properly sealed drinks, evenly cooked boba, discernibly flavored tea, wide flavor variety, helpful staff and a pleasant atmosphere.

The Fat Bee Café is a popular choice for Kansas City residents. Online reviews describe The Fat Bee Café as “a solid boba option to natives and visitors alike.” Favorite bobas include the Crème Brûlée latte, Mango Jasmine Green Tea and Taro Milk Tea. The milk powder is of high quality, and the tea doesn’t have much water compared to other locations. This concentration enhances the tea’s flavor. The boba is soft and chewy: a great combination.

Bruú Café hosts tea of great quality with a comforting atmosphere to match. The matcha latte and Royal Milk Boba stand among many of the other flavors as top-notch. The décor inside the café is quite pleasant to look at and the staff is very helpful. Despite the café being rather small and not ideally sized for relaxing, it’s located on a plaza, so anyone strolling around can stop for a good boba drink and continue on their way.

Ari Delights is an ideal location for any boba tea fan. Several people who commented on the café remarked on the reasonable prices and the wide variety of flavors, such as the Hokkaido Milk Tea and Ari Goddess. For any lactose-intolerant customers, the store has a dairy-free substitute that can be used instead of milk. The boba is splendid; standing out in flavor and chewiness while not distracting from the beverage itself.

People have expressed their love of Ari Delights’ atmosphere as well. The café has a quaint aesthetic, and it is spacious enough to make anyone feel relaxed. The staff is quite courteous and friendly to customers. The store even has cards and board games for customers to enjoy while they sip their tea.

The three stores listed—despite being worth traveling to once or twice—are not possible for many people to visit regularly. The closest of these three locations, the Fat Bee Café, is 25 minutes away from William Jewell College. The farthest, Ari Delights, is a 40 minute trip. That being the case, Sonic and Dunkin’ Donuts both offer choices for boba, despite not specializing in bubble tea. So if all one wants is a quick boba tea, they can simply head to one of these locations.

This summer, a new bar named “Fern Bar” will be coming to Downtown Kansas City. Fern Bar is an agave and sugarcane-centric bar. Although the bar is stil being renovated, it appears there is a strong sense of what the future business will be. On Fern Bar’s website, it states that the Fern Bar is “willing to create a culture of community and hope, to stand out, to stand up and say: There’s a better way to do things,” and driven through a team of world-class hospitalists, they are to be housed in an inviting and connected space This short introduction to the bar shows a dedication to its craft and an introduction to its mission. So far the company has established some branding principles, a logo, its future location at the Crossroads, and some possible menu items. 

During the last week of March, Fern Bar held an early pop-up event in anticipation of its future opening. At this event, the business was able to showcase all the hard work that has been put into Fern Bar thus far. The pop-up contained a variety of drinks that were in the spirit of its agave-forward mission. The drinks I tried were the margarita and the Daiquiri. The margarita was made from Libélula tequila Joven, Tapatio Blanco, Duckett curacao, lime, and agave. The Daiquiri was made from Probitas blended rum, Gustoso Mexican rum, Uruapan Charanda Blanco, lime, and Demerara. These drinks were bright, refreshing, and thoroughly developed. They were also served in glasses that were visually alluring. Tacos Valentina, a local taco restaurant, and Casio Mccombs, a local DJ, were also present at the event. The event was held at Big Mood Natural Wines, a warm and eccentric wine store in the Crossroads. This was fitting as Fern Bar will be opening its upcoming location at 2045 Broadway Blvd in Downtown Kansas City. 

Interacting with the owner of Fern Bar, Bryan Arri, at the event was insightful. He’s an enthusiastic individual passionate about great cocktails. He shared parts of his vision for Fern Bar at the event as well as expressed his thanks for those who came to support him and his new business. The event appeared to be successful. Personally, I enjoyed the food, drinks, and music that were present. Other people looked as if they were enjoying themselves as well. There was also a line extending through the door for the majority of the night. Although it is not yet known what exactly Fern Bar will look like, the spirit and community of  Fern Bar seems supportive. Although there is no set date for when the bar will be opened, it is estimated for late summer of 2023. Until then, I will be looking forward to re-visiting!

It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are changing colors, sweaters are now part of everyday attire and everything smells like pumpkin. Coffee shops are finally free from the curse that is summer weather – no one wants hot coffee in the summer. Seasonal drinks have at last become part of the menu again. Therefore, I’m here to provide my opinion on which seasonal drinks are the best seasonal drinks. I actually work at Caribou Coffee, so you’ll get some of the best tricks and tips to make your coffee experience that much better.

First up on the list, as everyone knows, is the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

As far as fall drinks go, this one is actually kind of bland. It’s just a regular latte with some pumpkin added to it. I know I sound biased when I say to go to Caribou if you want your general Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I firmly believe it’s the best place for it. At Caribou we use a sauce instead of a syrup, so you get the rich flavor instead of a sugary filler. I also recommend adding nutmeg or cinnamon on top of the foam in order to add a little extra kick. We call that a Pumpkin Pie Latte. Also, order it hot for the best experience.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Mocha

What’s even better than a Pumpkin Spice Latte? A pumpkin spice drink with chocolate. Ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte with white chocolate is the best way to get the best of both worlds. While you could get other chocolates if you so please, white chocolate pairs the best with this pumpkin delight. You can get it hot, iced, or blended, but ordering it hot is the best way to fuse these flavors together. It’s quite sweet, so I would avoid it if you prefer more savory drinks, but I still believe it’s a great treat.

Caramel Apple Cider

Here’s my personal favorite on this list. It’s just steamed apple cider but with an added twist – added caramel. Hot apple cider with caramel is, in my opinion, the best way to end a hard day when you just want to wrap yourself in a blanket and watch Netflix for the rest of the night. It’s a secret menu item at Caribou, but you can order it anywhere you can find apple cider. If you don’t want the caramel, you can order it without, but the caramel is what makes this drink extra special.

Spiced Pumpkin Infused Cold Press

This particular drink is only available at select Caribou Coffee locations, however, it isn’t difficult to replicate. If you’re someone one who likes their coffee cold but still wants in on the pumpkin cheer, then this is the drink for you. All you have to do is order a cold brew coffee with pumpkin. It’ll have more coffee flavor than any of the other drinks on this list, but if that’s what you like, then this is perfect for you.

Hot Chocolate

This drink is available year-round, but it isn’t really until the fall season that people start ordering it again. Depending upon the location, you can get hot chocolate with milk or water and with milk, dark or white chocolate. Of course, the most popular combination is milk with milk chocolate. This drink is the best way to transition from fall to winter. 

Chai

This drink is also available year-round. Most customers order it iced on the warm days of fall and hot on the chillier days of fall and winter. At Caribou, we make our chai with milk. Starbucks makes their chai with water in addition to milk. Therefore, where you order this drink is up to which recipe you prefer. This drink is the best example of a fall drink that you can order at any time of the year.

Pumpkin Chai

This used to be a fall menu item at Caribou, but it has since been removed. However, all the ingredients to make a pumpkin chai are still present, therefore it’s still available to order anywhere there’s pumpkin and chai. You can just order a chai and request pumpkin to be added. It’s very sweet compared to some of the other drinks on the menu but still qualifies as a great fall treat.