There’s something about golden milk that sounds so California, Gwyneth Paltrow, yoga and crunchy granola. But one sip of the beverage at Century Coffee Company (3730 Foundry Way, centurycoffee.com), and your preconceptions will come tumbling down around you.
The drink’s subtly earthy sweetness is the first thing you’ll notice, along with its appealing spice-flecked appearance. It’s lightly spicy, akin to a chai latte but also totally different. Then the bite of the turmeric takes hold of your tastebuds, momentarily cutting through everything else before receding as the drink finishes with a softly sweet note.
In other words: It’s a totally unique cup in the best way.
That such an offering is on Century’s initial menu is a good sign for the City Foundry coffeehouse, which opened its doors for the first time this morning. Located just within the entrance to the Food Hall, the coffeeshop is a primarily grab-and-go spot from New + Found — the company that developed and curated City Foundry — and General Manager Matt Foster, known for both his specialty coffee and mixologist chops.
“We’ve been really excited to build out this concept, which is a multi-roaster coffee shop,” Foster says. “I just want to bring these unique coffee experiences here at the shop.”
A coffee shop, Foster says, has long been on the request list for City Foundry and something he’s been working on for about a year with the New + Found team. That started by transforming the 800-square-foot industrial space.
They kept a lot of those industrial elements, like the high ceilings and cement floors, and then added on. “We also wanted to soften the space a little bit,” he says. “So we have blues, we have accents of pinks whites, open wood shelving.”
Though the bar and pastry case are front and center upon entering, there is a small seating area by a window with a few spots for patrons to sip on their drinks — as well as the large open seating area just steps away in the Food Hall.
Instead of a traditional espresso machine, Century uses a super-automatic Eversys machine that will ensure that every drink served in the shop is made to exact specifications. But Foster says that staff members still get trained with the traditional knowledge of grind specifications, dose and so on.
“The machine provides the consistency, the barista the quality,” he says. “[Also] that lets us have a really warm, genuine interaction in a very small window, essentially, because we aren't face down looking at scales.”
Foster is the mind behind the menu, which includes both the sort of familiar espresso drinks you’d expect as well as a rotating menu of seasonal offerings that are more varied, like the aforementioned golden milk and a peppermint mocha. There’s also a large selection of loose-leaf teas from Kansas City’s Hugo Tea, baked goods and mocktails that tap his bartending background, such as a n/a mulled wine. Long term, the coffee shop will add on pour overs and, Foster hopes, alcoholic beverages.
One benefit of having so many beans on hand is that Century Coffee is able to offer something fairly unique: different brews based on whether you like your cuppa black or with milk and sugar.
“We want people to feel taken care of,” Foster says. “Our coffee selection is very curated.”
Century Coffee Company is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
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