Last weekend, I made the 4.5-hour drive from St. Louis to Joplin along the I-44. As far as long drives go, this one is not unpleasant. The heat and humidity of a Missouri summer is awful, but it produces a stunning green landscape. Heading to the Southwest corner from St Louis, you pass cliffs, rolling hills and small farms with hay bales scattered haphazardly across neatly trimmed fields.

                It’s wonderful to enjoy this landscape. For an hour. The rest of the drive needs something else to keep you alert as the road disappears beneath your wheels. The challenge of where to stop for caffeine fuel is real.

                Typically I find myself at Starbucks. While it’s not my first choice, at least I know my order will be drinkable. I like to support local coffee shops when I can, but there often isn’t one around or the shop tries to pass off mud as coffee. I’ve been burned several times trying to use Yelp last minute to find the best local choice, either showing up after the recommended shop is closed or discovering that the coffee is swill.

                But I wanted this trip to be different. I mapped out a few promising coffee oases in the green no-man’s land between point A and point B of my trip. So the next time you find yourself traveling the 44 in Missouri and want a unique place to stretch your legs, keep these stops in mind. While they aren't the fastest or cheapest, they provide a taste of the local flavor.

Luna Java Coffeehouse – St. Robert, MO

               St. Robert is about 30 miles South of Rolla near the Fort Leonard Wood base. Luna Java is located in the middle of a mini-mall so close the the highway that you can see the large wooden sign from the 44. The interior is full of dark wooden furniture and antiques. One side of the bar is covered in terrariums of various sizes and a little play area for children takes up one corner.  It felt clean, homey and eclectic – the perfect combination for a coffee shop. I watched several people come in who were clearly regulars from the conversation, which added to the community feel.
                Luna Java serves Kaldi’s coffee and prepared my espresso macchiato very well. While many third wave coffee shops do a free pour and finish the macchiato with art, my barista prepared it the traditional way, with one dollop of foam on top of two shots of espresso. The foam had a few larger bubbles and the espresso was a little sharp, but otherwise it was pleasant. I would go there for fun, not just out of caffeine desperation. For road coffee, it was an excellent treat.

Mudhouse – Springfield, MO

                This coffee shop is located in downtown Springfield in the middle of a busy block of boutiques and bars. It’s about 5 minutes from the 44, but it’s worth adding the extra time to your travel to see a cute part of Springfield.

                Mudhouse opened in 1998 and roasts its own coffee. A long, narrow space with very high ceilings, the shop was surprisingly large. The bar stretched an impressive distance down the left wall, and when I reached the end of it, the seating area kept stretching farther and farther back. Even more impressive is that almost every table was filled with people chatting and working on laptops. It looked like the quintessential college city coffee shop with tattooed baristas in faded band T-shirts and mediocre art on the walls.

                What I really appreciated about this spot was the service. The young man who took my order asked questions about what I wanted when he saw I was unsure. “Hot or cold? Coffee or tea? Sweet or not?” The usual dichotomy to determine the best order.

                I ordered an espresso macchiato and trekked to the end of the bar to wait. It arrived in a small ceramic mug that looked homemade. The dollop of foam was a little disappointing with large bubbles blemishing the surface, but the espresso was the true disappointment. It tasted ashy, almost charred. 

                After I took a couple disappointed sips, the barista asked me how I liked it. I told him it was bitter and he made it for me again. The place was packed, yet he took time to follow up.  Unfortunately, the second drink was worse than the first because in addition to the espresso tasting burnt, the second mug he served it in was dirty, streaked with dried-on espresso.

                The entire shop was quite dirty. There was no dish bin, so when customers were done with their plates and cups, they left them on the bar. In the ten minutes that I was there, many dishes piled up, but none were removed. They sat a few inches from where you picked up your drink, covered in food scraps and attracting flies.  Even worse, every inch of the white cutting board of the cold table was stained pink from the tomatoes used to make sandwiches. Bread crumbs, onions, and bits of plastic covered it as well. It was filthy, as if at least a day’s worth of sandwich residue was caked to the surface.

                It makes me wonder why the place is so popular. Then again, I feel I should give it another try. Good service goes a very long way.

Joplin Avenue Coffee Co. – Joplin, MO

                This shop also is several minutes from the 44, deep in the city of Joplin. If you want to explore this small boarder city before you leave the state, this is a decent place to stop for local flavor.

                Joplin Ave sits on one of the main streets in the city. The shop was filled with comfy furniture and black tables and chairs. Old tin coffee cans, coffee bags and other coffee paraphernalia filled the space. It looked like a cool, comfortable place to hang out.

                Unfortunately, the atmosphere was the only draw. One barista manned the bar and he couldn’t keep up. Only a couple people were in front of me, but it took several minutes before I could order. On top of that, latte wasn’t on the huge chalkboard menu behind the counter. There was room for a few basic coffee drinks – Americano, Café au lait – and numerous milkshakes-pretending-to-be-coffee drinks with cutesy names like “brunette” for mocha and “blonde” for white mocha. But no room for latte? Get your priorities straight!

                I ordered an iced coffee and it gave me the energy boost I needed to get back on the road. It had the bitter aftertaste that often comes with iced coffee that is made by refrigerating old hot brewed coffee, but the flavor had a nice fruitiness to it before the harsh finish. It was better than stopping at a gas station or McDonald’s, but probably not worth the detour unless you’re interested in a taste of Joplin culture.