Post Coffee Co. officially opened its Lee's Summit location on January 1. Together, owners Tanner Stevens and Levi Holland opened their specialty coffee shop, which features direct-trade coffee that is roasted on site.
Stevens and Holland have an extensive knowledge and long history of working with specialty coffee. Stevens helped found Quay Coffee in Kansas City's Rivermarket, and Holland has worked in specialty coffee shops across the country. Both men share a vision of sourcing high-quality coffee for their city and bringing together its community.
“The name Post Coffee Company came from the idea of a literal fence post. A connecting point where people can come together,” Stevens says.
This strong sense of purpose comes to life as you walk into the inviting coffee shop. Dark wooden tables and minimal black and white walls are surrounded by warm sunlight streaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows. There is an eclectic group of community members mingled at every table, from young to old, including studying students, families with small children and visiting friends – all of whom are enjoying their thoughtfully sourced direct trade coffee.
"Our coffee can be traced back to a specific co-op and directly to a specific farm," Stevens says. "You know the farmer and know more details about the coffee that is grown." Post mainly sources from Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders, an importer from Orange, California, that extensively researches every batch of coffee beans imported to provide the highest quality bean. Another source is Café Kapeh-Utz, a local Kansas City company, which provides Post with its Kenya roast.
Each month, several 152-pound bags are ordered and small batch roasted in the shop's 5-kilogram Detrix drum roaster. The roaster is located in the heart of the shop, and every Tuesday shop visitors can leisurely watch the roasting process as they enjoy their coffee. The varieties of coffee beans are rotated, every two months, to accommodate the changing seasons.
“Coffee is an agricultural product and each crop harvested changes from season to season,” Stevens says. Post’s current offerings are the Brazil (Sitio Barra), Kenya (Murang’a), Ethopia (Lomi Tasha) and Guatemala (Serapio) coffee beans.
Post features a traditional espresso menu, Stevens says, featuring espresso, macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, Americano, flat white and latte. All coffees are a Kalita pour-over, a popular brewing method. Currently, one of their most popular roasts is from Kenya and a personal favorite of Stevens. Post also offers a variety of housemade syrups, which change with the season, such as brown sugar and cinnamon. All pastries are made in-house and include pop-tarts, scones, granola bars and addictive Dutch Letters (a flaky pastry with an almond cream center).
In the future, Stevens and Holland have plans for a Coffee Lab. Here, they hope to conduct brewing technique classes, public cuppings (tastings) and provide opportunities for further education on the depths of coffee. Post Coffee Co. is also currently developing its wholesale business, and has begun selling its beans at Café at 407 in Liverpool, New York. Holland once worked at the company, in which all proceeds go to Ophelia’s Place, a nonprofit dedicated to changing the culture and conversation around eating disorders.
Post Coffee Co. is open Monday though Saturday, 6:30am to 8pm, and Sunday 8am to 2pm.
Post Coffee Co., 200 NE Chipman Road, Lee's Summit, Missouri, postcoffeecompany.com
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