The Beanhive

Over the weekend we found ourselves in Galesburg and I was looking for Kaldi's Coffeehouse on East Simmons Street, but instead I found The Beanhive, which used to be called Kaldi's.
The coffee shop had several customers sitting at tables or in comfy chairs visiting and enjoying coffee and the shelves were lined with Leaves N Beans coffee beans, roasted in Peoria Heights.
In addition to coffee The Bean Hive offers sandwiches including a vegetarian option, cookies and smoothies. They also host live music events.
My husband ordered a latte with an extra shot of espresso and was informed that for the same price he could have a triple shot, which he was all over.

Leaves-n-Beans Roasting Co.

We stopped by Leaves-n-Beans Roasting Co., 4800 N. Prospect Avenue in Peoria Heights, to pick up some gifts a couple of weeks ago.
We used the downstairs entrance, since we were looking to buy some beans, and found ourselves at the end of a line of coffee buyers.
There was a lady busily scooping and bagging coffee, and soon the new owner popped down, saw the line and happily pitched in.
We ended up getting some of their Snickerdoodle, a long time favorite, and a vanilla variety as gifts, and some bananas foster beans for us on a whim. We aren't as much into flavored coffees as we used to be, although I still appreciate a good brew with cinnamon flavor, especially during the holidays. But bananas foster seemed interesting enough to give a try.
Since visiting Leaves n' Beans, we have noticed our regular home brew, Yuban, which I've drank for 15 years or more, at least the can we are using now, is not as bold as it always was, so we may be on the lookout for a new bold home brew.
The owner had us set in minutes, and I was surprised to find the old punch cards still on file from several years back when I started one. He said that he would add us to the computer, and that he has plans to do some demographics studies as far as where customers are coming from and such.
The lady in front of us was actually from the suburbs of Chicago, and he mentioned that they offer shipping, but she said she does make it to the area often enough to stay stocked up.
We then popped upstairs and each ordered a cup of brewed coffee to go and found a few people sitting at tables visiting.
The coffee shop is featuring live music some evenings, and has added dining options. I am looking forward to making it over there for lunch one day soon.
It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm the new owner has for the business, and great to see them doing so well.

April, 2009 — Leaves-n-Beans is now serving both breakfast and lunch, including some vegetarian options. They also carry organic coffees.

Eyesal's Coffee Roasters

Last week on our way back from East Peoria we had a chance to stop at Eyesal's Coffee Roasters, 400 E. Washington Street in East Peoria.
The coffee shop has an unusual name which I thought must be the last name of one of the owners. I found out instead that Eyesal's is an acronym for Espresso Yourself, Smile A Latte.
So the owner's name is not Eyesal, but he made us feel very welcome and recognized that it was our first time visiting the quaint shop, furnished with dark leathery chairs and couches situated on bright red carpet.
Eyesal's roasts their own beans, and both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised at the bold flavor of our chosen coffee drinks.
The menu features teas in addition to the coffees, and smoothies as well. There is a meeting room available, and free WiFi access. They also offer a punch card that they will keep on file for you in the shop, in case you're tired of toting around all of those membership cards.

Kaldi's Coffeehouse & Tearoom

I spent many years visiting Galesburg, both for work and pleasure, and never knew about a little gem called Kaldi's Coffeehouse & Tearoom.
Located at 124 E. Simmons Street, Kaldi's was brought to my attention by a lady who used to work at the Register-Mail. She informed me that the shop was right behind the newspaper, and that there were wonderful ginger cookies to be had there.
We made it in on a recent weekend, to find a cozy, casual, hip hangout fairly full of patrons on a late Saturday afternoon. StfRon and I ordered our coffees, then perused the pastry selection. I scored by finding a ginger cookie, which I'd been thinking about for many months since I'd heard about it, and StfRon went with a brownie topped with goodies.
We sat down to enjoy the free WiFi for a minute, and to sample our treats.
My ginger cookie was crumbly and delicious, with a subtle ginger flavor, and StfRon's brownie had a layer of white mint near the top, which gave it a York peppermint patty cool mint sensation.
Spending a short hour in Galesburg made me realize how much I miss it, and I made a personal vow to visit every few months from now on. This is a town that respects historical buildings, and has a lot of unique businesses, and it's not far from home.

The Blend

For weeks we've been driving by the banner that said "The Blend Opening Soon" in Washington at 1128 Peoria Street.
This week we saw The Blend was open, and stopped in to check it out.
The decor is upscale coffeehouse, with orange and yellow walls, pendent lights, eclectically upholstered booths and glossy cement floors.
The Blend roasts their own coffee, and on the day we were in, the bags were marked "fresh roasted on 10-4". There are several varieties of coffee to choose from. Next time we need some, we'll go buy some so it's fresh and we'll brew it up at home and see what we think. I also have my eye on some flavored varieties for Christmas presents.
The Blend serves bagels, muffins, scones and something called Wally Biscotti, which look awesome with flavors like Ginger Binge-ers, The Lemon Sisters and Pistachi-o-wie. They also have huge cinnamon rolls. We opted for the bagels, covered with poppy seeds. I had mine with garden veggie cream cheese, which was very savory. StfRon's been raving about the softness of the bagels. Our only complaint: they should see about a faster toaster, maybe one of those chain dealies where you put the bagel it and a few minutes later it pops out on the conveyor belt ready to go.
To quench your thirst, The Blend has espresso drinks, hot chocolate, chai, teas, smoothies and juices. I opted for some Minute Maid orange juice, having already caffeined up at home that morning.
If you decide to hang out at The Blend, they have some magazines and books to read and WiFi access, and so far are open in the evenings as well as mornings.

August, 2008 — We rode our bikes to the Blend before a weekend road trip. We were disappointed to find that they had seemingly changed both their bagels and cream cheese. The bagels were not as soft, and the cream cheese was not as savory. They are still roasting their own coffee on a regular basis, though, which will make for great gifts for coffee lovers.

Random

While shopping at the newly updated Junction City shopping center in Peoria Heights a few weeks ago, we noticed a new store, Random. We went in to see what it was like.
Random, Coffee • Clothier • Vintage, is a family-owned shop with a large selection of trendy men's clothing including T-shirts and vintage apparel. There were some really hip guys' duds in there when we stopped in. They also have womens' clothing and coffee. Heck, you can even drink coffee while you shop.
KISS FM is currently featuring a Random T-shirt of the week. You can view the selection on their web site and save on the T-shirt of the week.
Random also has a Myrtle Beach location.
It's nice to see the guys getting some unique clothing options in town, too.

Java Jolt

I remember the little coffee hut going up in the parking lot of the old Eagle grocery store on N. Knoxville Ave. in Peoria, later to be the Leath furniture store; now the large building is probably vacant again.
This Java Jolt coffee shop in the parking lot is so cute, just a little stop to drive up and zip away with one of your favorite beverages.
Later, I heard tales of an extreme toffee coffee concoction that StfRon would partake in from the Java Jolt located in the bank building at 230 SW Adams in Peoria. By the way he talked about this coffee, it sounded like crack or something.
Just last week, I mentioned the extreme toffee coffee to my friend Minney, and she also went into fits about how good it is.
I have heard that the bank Java Jolt location also has flat-screen TVs.
Personally, I have never been to the Java Jolt, only due to the locations not being convenient to where I am, but it sounds like the place is right up my alley. It's on my list to check out.