Stauf’s Coffee Roasters is a coffee shop in Grandview recommended to me by a fellow scholars student. Upon entering I was instantly reminded of an Apple store due to the sheer amount of Mac books everywhere. Most of the laptop users were wearing either a beanie or a plaid flannel. It almost felt staged. It was as if a Hollywood movie director was trying to convey that this was a cool, hip hangout for rebellious millennials. The store was split up into two sections: one side selling merchandise and one side selling coffee.

After perusing the aesthetically pleasing chalkboard of options, I decided to buy a hot chocolate because it was 7 pm and I didn’t want to stay awake all night. In the words of one Michael Linzinmeir, “I felt like a tool for ordering a hot chocolate in a coffee shop,” but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The hot chocolate was pretty standard but it tasted so much better because of the atmosphere. After all, that’s why people go to coffee shops, right?

Overall, I would absolutely recommend it to a friend. There was a lot of cute artwork on the walls and it was dimly lit which is always a plus for those who can’t bear the sunlight or even bright lights in general. Also, who doesn’t want some sick merchandise to showcase how hipster they are for going to Stauf’s? I know I do.

When I first heard the words “tea salon” my mind conjured images of upper class women in petticoats sipping tea and adjusting their broaches while getting their hair shampooed. When I walked into ZenCha Tea Salon, however, I found it completely different that my bourgeois expectations. With bamboo ceiling panels and a soothing slideshow of Japanese landscapes playing on their television, ZenCha Tea Salon catered to the tranquil dreams of a tea-drinking hippie more than anything else.

Upon receiving our tea and cookies, my friends and I immediately took pictures of the teapots and mugs the staff brought out. Though the service was slow, they clearly had good reason. All of our teapots were arranged on one large tray and came with a mug and a napkin. We also ordered tea cookies which were situated in two small bowls on the tray.

The tea itself tasted pretty good. I ordered an Earl Grey Latte, which tasted a bit bland and overly milky for my taste. My two friends ordered a type of green tea and a rose tea latte, which turned out to be a lot better than mine. The cookies tasted floral, which the taste of the tea masked, for the most part. Overall, I was slightly disappointed with my tea order. Nothing the sweet sound of 90’s pop music couldn’t fix though, which is what the tea salon was playing in the background. A strange albeit effective music selection for an otherwise completely serene experience.

If I were to recommend ZenCha to a friend, I would make sure to tell them to sample some of the teas before ordering them. I would, however, recommend it simply for the experience. With a group of friends, the experience was completely enjoyable. I would absolutely return with a different tea order in mind.

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