After previous success, the caffeinated experience came back to Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 14 and showcased local cafes in downtown Columbia
Jeremy Whistance led the first route of the Columbia Caffeine Crawl and guided coffee lovers throughout downtown Columbia to try a variety of coffees. From Pura Vida coffee to Italian roasters, the crawlers taste-tested coffee and other caffeinated beverages from around the world. The crawl toured four different cafes: Lakota Coffee Company, Love Coffee, La Calle 8 Cafe and Shortwave Coffee.
Meghan Alexander (left) and Claire Bryan (right) laugh while sipping coffee on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 at Lakota Coffee Company in Columbia, Mo. The Caffeine Crawl route started at Lakota Coffee Company and stopped at three other locations before the crawl ended at noon. Colin McElduff, a barista at Lakota Coffee Company, pours coffee into a cup. McElduff used a Chemex to make a steaming pour-over coffee for the caffeine crawlers. Dana Johnson, left, and her daughter graduate student Jacey Johnson, right joke while waiting for coffee at Love Coffee. Located in the Tiger Hotel, Love Coffee is a non-profit that gives people with intellectual disabilities a welcoming work environment. Rafael Bobea, the co-owner of La Calle 8 Cafe with his wife, introduces the new business to caffeine crawlers. Rafael Bobea and his wife Itzel Bobea opened up their cafe in the beginning of August 2023. A caffeine crawler holds a steaming hot cup of coffee in La Calle 8 Cafe. Crawlers would get food and coffee from every coffee shop they stopped at. Ana Manzano, a barista at Shortwave Coffee, tells crawlers how roasting affects the taste of coffee. Before she was a barista, Manzano was a roaster for Shortwave Coffee where she learned the details of roasting coffee beans.
Edited by Michael Baniewicz | mbaniewicz@themaneater.com
