Central USA Coffee Tour
During our fall 2021 road trip, we drove through parts of tornado alley (some call this Central USA). Normally, we don’t think about this part of the states as tornado alley as we don’t tend to travel with such precious cargo (our kids) if there’s any severe weather possible in certain areas. However, upon returning home to Colorado, we found out that we just missed the deadliest December tornado outbreak by just a few days in the areas we were visiting. While we feel so lucky to have been safe at home, we feel for those communities we just visited. It didn’t even occur to us to watch the weather closely while we were there in case of severe weather such as 71 tornados that would soon find their way there.
That November, we found ourselves with a plethora of coffee options in OKC, Wichita, and unexpectedly ended up staying longer because of the coffee in northwest Arkansas. Our favorite part of (loosely) planning our road trips is getting recommendations from our followers! We wish we could visit every recommended shop & roaster, but that would literally take us months to visit each one so we paired down to the shops that were near our route, checking out their social media for clues about their quality. Here’s our favorites and must visits for your next trip!
Check out our other blogs from our coffee tours in the Southwest USA and Southeast USA.
NO. 1
Sincerely Coffee Roasters - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Before we even stepped foot inside, we knew it was going to be a sweet shop from the branding itself. We https://sincerely.coffee/
NO. 2
Puritan Coffee - Fayetteville, Arkansas
Puritan Coffee & Beer is easily a favorite and a place we could see ourselves hanging out at if we lived locally. The amount of beer taps with excellent coffee was breathtaking. The multi-level shop makes it a desirable place to be. Not to mention that Fayetteville is such a sweet college town. The rolling hills, the quaint houses, we were hooked instantly. If you ever find yourself there, check out Fayettechill as well! It’s the coolest outdoor shop (in a house!) that we’ve possibly ever been. Find them at 205 W Dickson St, Fayetteville, AR 72701 or order coffee on their website here.
NO. 3
Onyx Coffee Lab(s) - Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers - Arkansas
If you’ve ever had Onyx or even seen their marketing, you know that their coffee is excellent or at least must be. We knew the hype and decided to check them out in person. We. Were. Not. Disappointed. Let me be clear, Onyx Coffee Lab sets themselves apart from any coffee business we can think of. In northwest Arkansas, they serve coffee from 4 locations (not to mention Hail Fellow Well Met, see below). Onyx has unique locations in museums, like the pink, neon, transparent counter tops, and a conveyer belt in the Mometary (link). We had a hard time picking favorites, but their HQ in Rogers pretty much takes the cake. I’m not joking this place is a barista training facility, roasting and production facility, a legit working bakery, has an epic coffee bar, an events space, offices and green storage. It is practically coffee heaven and where some of the best green coffee transforms into some of the best coffee on the market.
NO. 4
Hail Fellow Well Met - Springdale, Arkansas
So, you already know how much we loved our visit to all of the Onyx Coffee Labs, but we’re now ready to tell you that you might as well plan an entire coffee vacation in northwest Arkansas because the latest shop in Springdale is jaw dropping. In their own words, “it is everything you’ve ever wanted. Specialty coffee, Natural wines, Freshly baked pastry, and breads, a Curated Market, and quite possibly the greatest breakfast you’ve ever encountered.” We had to stay longer to check this spot out and it was 1000% worth it. Don’t believe us? Go check out their website because is it is a thing of beauty all on it’s own as well: https://hailfellowwellmet.com/.
NO. 5
Leslie Coffee - Wichita, Kansas
We didn’t have a lot of time in Kansas, but with the time we had - we made it count by going to Leslie Coffee downtown Wichita, Kansas. Definitely worth the stop! We enjoyed their cappuccino and pour over. Downtown Wichita is really changing and we’re stoked to see more businesses like Leslie Coffee open.