Gray and drowsy Saturday, what better to do than drive a few hundred miles and drink more coffee than your body can physically tolerate. This trip presented itself by way of much need leisure. A couple of the Alliance World Coffee boys got together and decided that I needed an escape from the day-to-day, and that we all needed to make happen a much talked about coffee tour to the City of Wind. A mildly last minute decision led to mildly detailed plans for the trip. Only one goal was on our mind: Drive and Drink Coffee. The loosely held plan: Experience the flagship of Intelligentsia, the Broadway store, and on the way check out the progress of Greyhouse Coffee in West Lafayette, IN.

10:00 a.m.

Steep two 8-cup presses... fill a carafe... grab a mug... hit the road.

11:30 a.m.

After a quick hour-and-a-half on the road, the five of us pile out of the car with much anticipation to experience the Greyhouse in the midst of this gray day.

Greyhouse Coffee

We stumble upon the corner shop with it's brown painted wood paneling, large windows, and dark awnings. Greyhouse Coffee is situated on the corner of State Street & Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The eclectic 'boardwalk' area lets you know that you're in a neighborhood that is right on the edge of the Purdue University campus.

Walking inside I am stunned to see one of the most aesthetically beautiful cafe's I have yet to see. Exposed brick everywhere, beautiful wood floors, bold dark colors contrasted with soft light colors, dark wood trim and chairs with soft wood tables, huge windows that hug all the way around the corner store. The bar area is enclosed by Gelato & pastry cases along with a rustic looking poured concrete counter top that is glossed over with what looks like some sort of epoxy. The kitchen area, which is right next to the bar is fully enclosed, save an order pick-up window that is set off by an exposed piano that is seamed into the wall. The cafe seating is a wide open area, with leather sofa chairs, bar-style seating along the front windows, and plenty of tables and chairs to accommodate the large university crowd. The cafe unfolds a little more as you walk towards the back where you find a silent study room with enclosed glass walls and doors. Every fine detail of the cafe is immaculately pieced together to give Greyhouse a great "touchable" up-scale feel.

The visual appeal is only a small part of what made our Greyhouse visit so great. Much of the joy came from their apparent passion to deliver quality on every level of what they offered. To start, they serve only pressed coffee... not a drip brewer in sight, only a Fetco water tower for steeping some great coffee in their numerous 12-Cup presses. (On a side note, they also have a second hot water system that sits at a higher temp for their wonderful hot teas.) The pressed coffees sit in airpots along their unique and beautiful drip brew bar area.

Time to start. First, 'A small mug, thank you'... and I'm pouring myself some of our Kenya AA Ichimara. I'm not sure if your cafe can have a bigger critic of your coffee than the person who roasts that coffee for you, and I'm happy to say that this was the best representation I've had of our Kenya away from the roasting facility; oranges and a sweet red wine acidity... hands down my favorite. Second, the true test of a barista, a cappuccino. Now if you can fault Greyhouse for one thing, it's that they don't have a $10,000+ espresso machine sitting on their bar, however, wherever the equipment may lack, their baristas surely makes up. Jessica poured me a lovely capp with some art that made me feel ashamed about my poor attempts. Looks were not deceiving either, sweet buttery milk paired our espresso made for a superb cappuccino; dark cocoa creaminess.

Quality for Greyhouse only starts with the coffee. They also serve some great teas, pastries, and Gelato... did I also mention fresh made crepes? You can tell the man who operates the joint is a culinary freak, there are more creative and delicious crepe creations than I could even begin to list. Also, did I mention homemade syrups? Only a few select offerings, including vanilla bean, cinnamon, and our last drink before we hit the door 'Dr. Strangelove'. The Dr. Strangelove syrup is an orange infused simple syrup with clove and cinnamon spices, and when poured in a latte gives the beverage a light tea taste with a soft sweetness and some clove spice in the aftertaste... really a tasty and unique beverage.

2:30 p.m.

Thank the Greyhouse Crew for a wonderful afternoon... walk out on coffee cloud 9... hit the road.

3:30 p.m.

After an ecstatic hour of coffee buzz and some Greyhouse kudos contemplation... we're all down and out in a caffeine crash.

4:30 p.m.

Jonesin' for coffee we take the Lake Shore drive toward North Broadway. The Windy City does not disappoint with miserable weather... gray has turned dark, dry has turned wet, calm has turned windy, drowsy has turned suicidal. Parking comes close and easy then we're fast paced into the door for some Intelligent coffee.

Intelligentsia Broadway

The outside of the store doesn't blatantly make itself known to passerbys, but for the seeking eye it is not a hard find. Through the push "I" door you walk into a place made and designed for the pursuit of coffee perfection. Meet FB/70, Clover, Chemex coffeemakers, the best roasted coffee in the Mid-West, and the top barista in the Great Lakes Region... literally.

Peering around you get the visual of well done ambiance. Well placed track lighting gives the room a dimmed feel, silvery gray painted ceilings, stainless steel bar that wraps around the left side of the cafe, some cozy seating along with ample table spaces, bar-style seating along the front window and right side of the store, soft green stucco-looking walls, and some crafty little art pieces. Let's be honest, I could care less if there were literally holes in the wall and the rest of the room plain white... I'm here to experience the current pinnacle of the progressive coffee world.

Let's get started. First things first, a cup of a rare micro-lot... scratch that... a Chemex of Kenya Ndaroini Auction Lot, and a cappuccino while the coffee infuses, thank you. Slide down the bar, meet your barista... Michael Phillips, a gentleman and a coffee wizard. Mike pours me a beautiful cappuccino and I couldn't be in a better mood. The capp is great; the citric crema suspended wonderfully in the foam, the perfect texture, milk chocolate and an overall harmoniously amazing cup. Just as I'm finishing up my cappuccino the Chemex arrives, and to my surprise, a second Chemex arrives as well. Little did I know that one of my fellow road-trippers had it out with another Intelli barista and ordered a Chemex of the Rwanda Zirikana. Wash the palate and prepare for a glorious ride. I hit the Kenya first; sweet berries, punchy acidity, and a pie crusty finish. No hesitation before I'm into the Rwanda; a myriad of spice in the aroma, sweet ground cocoa, ripe acidity, and again a myriad of spice in the finish. After some conversation and a run down the block to feed the parking meter, we're ready for more. Someone goes for the Clover while I'm off for some whole bean purchases. I had to bring back something for everyone to experience back home, so I grabbed some Black Cat Classic to spro down back home, along with some of their Guatemala Itzamna to press as well. Of course I couldn't leave the store before trying a double of Black Cat Classic since the Black Cat Project has taken over. The double was great; dark brown sugar, lime acidity, sweet and salty finish. I was buzzing six ways to Sunday when we walked back out into ice rain, and we were on our way.

6:00 p.m.

Stop for food, wind down from Intelligentsia coffee mania, make the next move.

7:00 p.m.

Pull up to The Coffee Studio for another wonderful visit. (Read my previous blog post for a review that should suffice.)

8:30 p.m.

On the road back home, rewinding the day, soaking in Coffee Saturday.