Second annual Lansing coffee tour kicks off

For the second year in a row, 517 Coffee Co. co-owner James Defrees is encouraging customers to buy from his competitors.

The Grind, a “coffee tour” inviting Lansing coffee fans to buy at eight independent, locally owned coffee shops, kicked off Saturday (Nov. 15) and will continue until Dec. 15. Customers who buy at each of the six participating locations will earn a coffee tour T-shirt and an entry into a grand prize drawing.

Punchcards can be picked up at participating businesses, where customers can earn a punch for making a purchase. The suggested price is $10, but it’s up to individual stores.

Defrees said the goal is to encourage local coffee fans to see the diversity of options in locally owned, independent coffee shops.

“Our local coffee scene serves our local community, it’s a reflection of our local community, and each of the shops on the coffee tour has a different experience to offer,” he said. “It’s a way for people to be able to experience what makes us different, what sets us apart.”

While chains have the advantage of recognizability, people often don’t know what to expect from local, one-of-a-kind shops, Degrees said. While there are more independent cafes now than any time in his 23 years in Lansing, Defrees said many locals don’t know the options available to them.

“Each business is a reflection of the owners,” he said.

Defrees’ own 517 Coffee Co. specializes in lighter roasts and makes all its syrups from scratch, as well as drinks like chai and horchata.

The Hob Nob, sitting right underneath the state House of Representatives building downtown, brings in beans from roasters all over the state just as the building above it brings in legislators.

Hooked is a lot of things: a cafe, a bookstore and a wine bar. Also, customers can order their coffee drink spiked.

Château Coffee Co. has a lighter roasted espresso than normal and features Mediterranean-inspired coffee drinks and pastries alongside standard cafe items.

Strange Matter, which introduced pour-over coffee to Lansing in 2014, roasts its own beans and features a selection of vegan baked goods alongside standard “third wave” coffee fare.

Constellation Cat Cafe is, well, a cat cafe — but it’s also got a full espresso bar and syrups made from scratch. Customers can pay an additional fee to hang out with the cats while they enjoy their drink.

Those six shops will earn participants the T-shirt and a grand prize entry. Ordering from two bonus stores, Brewitt Cafe & Bakery and Peculiar Coffee Co., earns an additional entry into the grand prize drawing, which Defrees said will likely be an electric burr coffee grinder in the $200 range.

Brewitt, which focuses on cold brew, is located in the Allen Neighborhood Center’s Rathbun Accelerator Kitchen, and Peculiar is a portable coffee cart that often works events.

Visiting one of the three Château locations will earn the necessary punch. The MSU Student Union Strange Matter is not participating, but the two participating Strange Matter locations will punch cards.

The tour is meant to be completed over the course of multiple days. Not only would completing the whole tour in one wired-up day be a difficult task, but it would be a health risk: The FDA recommends a daily maximum caffeine intake of 400 milligrams, and a single 16-ounce coffee has around 180.

Defrees said the coffee tour is an expression of unity and collaboration.

“The franchises, the corporate chains, they don’t need each other. They’ve got massive advertising budgets, they’ve got a lot of money,” he said.

“We’re all in the same boat as each other — or in different boats, but we’re sailing the same waters. So, it’s a way of showing that there’s unity within the local coffee scene.”

 

Hooked

3142 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing

8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday

8 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday

 

Château Coffee Co.

1701 S. Waverly Road, Lansing

7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

 

2359 W. Grand River Ave., Okemos

7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily

 

223 M.A.C. Ave., East Lansing

7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily

 

517 Coffee Co.

6030 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lansing

7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

 

Constellation Cat Cafe

1041 N. Cedar St., Lansing

Noon-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday

10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday

9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

 

The Hob Nob

120 W. Ottawa St., Lansing

7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday

 

Strange Matter

2010 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing

7 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday

7 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday

 

331 S. Washington Square, Lansing

7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday

8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

 

Brewitt Cafe and Bakery

1615 E. Kalamazoo St., Lansing

7 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday

8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

 

Peculiar Coffee Co.

Location and hours vary, see www.peculiarcoffeeco.com