Horizon Line Coffee — Restaurant in Des Moines

When your coffee is roasted by the same people who hand you the cup, you know it's going to be good. The owners, Brad and Nam, and their staff are meticulous about the quality of their beans, and the preparation of their drinks. Beans are roasted fresh, ground to order, and measured to exacting standards. Every aspect of the drink is prodigiously prepared by careful hands, with the means of producing the best cup of "joe" you can get in the city of Des Moines; possibly even the state of Iowa. It's not just the coffee that's unique, in addition to the traditional dairy and almond milk offerings familiar to most java spots, Horizon Line makes their drinks available with something called "oat milk". Since the milk has a slight oatmeal knock to it, recruiting this smooth nectar when ordering a mocha results in a latte that tastes similar to an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Since most of their fans go into withdraw while they're closed, Horizon Line also has coffee beans available in take home packages. The staff is warm, and endearing to an overwhelming degree; but unlike the coffee, cannot be taken home with you. TIP: If you're a beer enthusiast, you should try Exile Brewery's Sir-Mocha-Lot stout, which is brewed with Stam chocolate and Horizon Line...

I visited Horizon Line for the first time today, and I'm looking forward to coming back! My shot of espresso was outstanding - one of the best I've had anywhere, let alone in Iowa, where third wave coffee is a bit hard to come by. Very pleasant bright acidity up front, with some nice complexity in the finish, and a smooth (almost creamy) body. I am not a barista myself, but I know it isn't easy to pull off a great light-roast espresso like this. On top of the great espresso, Brad was super friendly - and when he picked up from my comments that I am a bit of a coffee geek, he took the time to chat with me about their beans and process, which was I thought was really gracious (and interesting, too!). I didn't have the opportunity to try a filter coffee today, but I did take some beans home - they have a nice selection of single-origin coffees, including a micro-lot Ethiopian that I can't...

I come for the killer matcha latte, I stay for the fresh atmosphere and extra-friendly staff. The cafe has a cozy sense of community that the baristas help to foster while it is also a space where I feel free to be be my introverted self working away on my computer and geeking over space news. Even as I sit here typing this, sipping on my drink and scarfing down my scone (spoiler alert, I felt the urgent need to express my affection while still here in the cafe), a barista is high-fiving a customer who walked in-and one I can only assume is an avid Horizon Liner. If you are a Des Moines native or a welcomed visitor to our lovely city, I encourage you to stop into Horizon Line Coffee to find a stool to spend some of the afternoon or take a coffee to go (or my favorite-a matcha latte) and go take a stroll around the sculpture garden. I promise they won't disappoint :) ...