La Cosecha

3:16 PM

            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.

Share This Story

Tags: , , ,

You Might Also Like

0 comments