Northwest Coffee Profile
4:21 PM
Roasting
style: Medium roast
Opened: 1993
Drinks
Menu: A mix of traditional and Starbucks-style drinks. You can find an espresso macchiato or con panna, as well as blended espresso drinks and a long list of syrup flavors. You won’t find third-wave coffeehouse drinks, such as cortados or sidecars on this menu.
Food
Menu: Breakfast and lunch options.
There’s no kitchen, but you can order smoothies, sandwiches, waffles and Barista Eggs, which are steamed on an espresso machine steam wand. I haven't
seen this method anywhere else in the city. Because the eggs are steamed, there
is no oil or butter used, making them healthier, but also lacking much
flavor on their own. Throw some cheddar cheese and salsa on them and they taste
pretty good.
Espresso
Machine: Manual La Marzoccos in both stores
Brew
Options: Not a lot of variety. They
offer toddy cold brew, V60 pour overs and standard autodrip.
Locations: Clayton and CWE
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (The drinks can vary depending on which
barista makes them, so there have been times when the espresso was bitter or
sharp and the milk steamed improperly. When pulled correctly, I give the espresso 5 out of 5.)
Specialty
drink: Iced coconut water americano. It's exactly as it sounds – espresso and coconut water. It's refreshing and richer than a standard iced americano.
Review:
I have to start this one with a
disclaimer: I worked here for three years.
This is my homebase as a coffee drinker and barista. I still pick up shifts
occasionally when I am itching to make drinks.
That said, I’ve remained a customer
and barista for almost four years
for a reason – the coffee is phenomenal. This is one of the few shops in St.
Louis where I can drink the espresso on its own. When pulled correctly, the espresso is smooth, rich and
chocolaty. Sometimes it even has a hint of cinnamon. The trick, though, is
getting it pulled correctly. Unfortunately, the service at Northwest is hit and
miss. Because of training issues and turn over, the baristas don't prepare the
drinks the same. Depending on who's working on bar, you could either get perfect
foam on your latte topped with beautiful art or a hot mess. The inconsistency is my main complaint. Otherwise, the coffee itself is great and the shops are interesting.
The two locations have very different
vibes. The Clayton store is a large thin room with the customer area cut into
an L-shape hugging the long bar. Small wooden tables line the windows, and a
leather love seat and chair sit in one corner. The wall behind the bar is an
ugly clash of colors: sherbet orange and aqua blue. The rest of the walls are white and covered in dark smudges and a few gaping holes in the plaster. The look is not the draw of this coffee shop. It is a good place for a
business meeting or catching up with someone over coffee.
The CWE location has a better look, though it's also rough around the edges. It's a roastery first
and cafe second, which is why there's such a cramped seating area. The small
building sits pushed back from the street with a large rocky courtyard full of mismatched outdoor furniture and a covered seating area leading up to the shop. It used to be an autobody shop and still has
garage doors that open up in nice weather to let in the breeze.
The beat up shop perpetually looks
dirty. The floors are scuffed. The bar is a thick concrete slab full of pockmarks and discolorations.
If it rains too hard, water floods in under the garage doors. This unpolished quality gives the CWE store its charm and makes it a comfortable place to sit and study. Plus, if you go in on Tuesday and Friday
mornings, you can watch them roast while you sip your coffee.
I hope Northwest can fix the inconsistency issues beause the shops have potential to be great. It's one of the few shops in St. Louis that serves a medium roast, so if you like this style, it's worth a visit. I recommend the CWE location on a roasting day just to smell the sweet, nutty aroma of freshly roasted beans spilling out of the 1957 Probat roaster.
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