Maps Coffee & Chocolate — Restaurant in Lenexa

2023 Update: With inflation, I often opt for great deals on local Repetition or Thou Mayest beans at Whole Foods, but Maps is still my favorite roaster by far and I try to grab a bag every month or two, or whenever an interesting seasonal comes out. Their "Kenya PB Windrush" was recommended by an employee for its peach notes, and ended up being one of the best light roasts I've ever purchased! I've been using a small bag of their "Decaf Sprint Espresso" blend (prepared in an immersion style) for evening Irish Coffees, and it has been delicious as well. "Emerald of the Andes" I would say has held up as my favorite in their regular rotation. I am very much looking forward to one of Vincent's public classes on Roast Profiles in a week. It should be an excellent experience!

I've only been 2 times in the past 3 years, but I cannot say enough great things about Maps! In 2019, I stopped in after a 4th of July 5K race that started right outside the building. I could tell the shop was a little sparse and transitioning to it's current format, but Vincent was awesome to chat with, talking about the old bike shop, and all about his newer chocolate making ventures. I imagine the coffee was great, but left with a fun berry White chocolate bar.

Fast forward 3 years. I have been getting more interested in coffee and just purchased a grinder and French Press to start brewing fresh coffee at home. The bag of Valentine's Day Roasterie beans I got from the store weren't the best hot (Cold Brew was better), and Maps was the first place that jumped in my head to get quality single-origin beans. I was delighted to see how lively the store had become, with several groups hanging out, numerous employees, and a well stocked retail section with equipment, coffee options, merch, and chocolate galore. I'll definitely be back when I have more time, but I left with a bag of "Emerald of the Andes" Single Origin Medium Roast Columbian beans. They were absolutely delicious.

This is exactly the kind of small business a crowded suburb like Johnson County needs. Ditch Starbucks...

Where to begin… The shop itself has a fun décor and the limited seating fits the surroundings. The location boasts about making their own chocolate and roasting their own coffee. The chocolate is on display with little dishes sitting around each of the varieties for samples. The chocolate I found to be pretty good, albeit at a premium. There were your typical swag and brew accessories on sale as well, with a variety of bagged beans available for take home. Seeing the roaster on the floor in full display, gave me high hopes for the coffee at this location. I ordered a cortado, as this is one of my go to drinks to rate the quality of everything. They appeared to have decent equipment and a solid grinder, however, I wasn’t immediately familiar with the single group machine they were using. The cortado was a complete disaster of a beverage. The barista was friendly but as I was watching the extraction and the steaming of the milk I became quite nervous of the drink I was going to receive. The way the milk was poured, left no doubt that the beverage was not going to be great. The pour left an incredible amount of untextured foam that completely took away from what a cortado is supposed to be. The beverage was scalding. Leaving zero flavor from either the milk or espresso. Made an attempt to let it cool to see if there were any redeeming qualities, there was not. Really had high hopes for this location and found that it was quite surprising that the attention to detail was lacking when they are trying to sell themselves as a quality roaster. If the baristas of the roaster are unable to craft an excellent beverage, to demonstrate how great their coffee is, what am I to make of the beans for sale? I wondered if it were because of the machine hadn’t been calibrated, since it was 30 minutes until closing time, or something else. Or maybe, this is just their style? Either way, I do not recommend the coffee here, but the chocolate, might be worth a...

Their pastries (cookies, etc.) come from The Pantry KC (?) on Thursdays only, so don't expect many to be left if you visit here early in the week.

EDIT: I came back a week later, on a Tuesday afternoon again, and this time the owner had just stocked up on pastries. Maybe he read this review? Either way, I was pumped to see that! I got to try one of the salty-yet-sweet, crave-able deep-dish chocolate chip+chunk cookies. Very satisfying!!

This place is all about the craft. Don't expect much in the way of atmosphere, places to sit, etc. but if you come for a great cup of coffee, espresso, cold brew or some unique homemade chocolate bar(s), this is one of the best places in town for it!

Ordered a mocha and absolutely loved it. Rich, smooth espresso, properly pulled with no unwelcome bitterness, well-steamed milk, and some amazing chocolate flavor. The chocolates themselves are an experience. I especially enjoyed "Grey Line," which seemed to have fruity citrus notes to it.

Came back a week later to find that the selections of beans and chocolate had been restocked and shuffled around a bit with some new flavors on show. I tried the cold brew. That stuff has some seriously deep flavor! Multiple layers to enjoy. What another reviewer said about it being super smooth is on-point. For being coffee, it's amazing how NOT bitter it is. Next time I'll have to try adding some cream.

Also purchased the espresso blend of beans to use with my grinder and machine at home. I'll be serving my family for Christmas. I am eager to see how it tastes with...