The staff were very friendly and kind. There was a long line and more online orders coming in and…read morethey kept their composure under pressure. The pastry I had was Devine. The coffee was made to perfection. It has a lovely atmosphere.

Very festive and beautiful inside. Super neat that the coffee is kept in a vault since the building…read morewas previously a bank. Lots of unique drink options, scones, and muffins. The building goes way back there's room for groups or individuals to work. Parking options in front of the establishment. It does have stairs so it is not ideal for wheelchair or strollers. Large bathrooms with a changing table. Service was excellent and will be back when we're visiting the area!

Review Visit: November 28th, 2021…read more I couldn't wait for this place to open. I can wait to go back. Somehow, the building of the Coffee Can became this huge hyped thing among people living in Central Illinois. Being from Central Illinois, I got wrapped up in this hype. It's probably due to the unique building materials used in it's construction. You see, the Coffee Can is literally made from shipping containers. It's been a trend that seems to be gaining popularity over the last few years/decade. Take a unique structure and throw in some coffee and that is probably how I got hyped up to try this place. Sadly, with the world currently in a unique situation, the items needed by the Coffee Can took forever to arrive. This lead to the opening being delayed multiple times. But, we are sitting here reviewing it so that must mean they finally opened. It was a windy and sunny afternoon with a few of my friends and I stopped in for some coffee and chit-chat. I wanted something warm since it was just cold enough to chill your inside without freezing you out completely. Also, I made sure to come here on an empty stomach so I could try out their food (which I am never hungry when trying these places, so the opportunity to sample their food is always a failure on my part... but I am learning). My order consisted of a 20oz. Americano and a 'Grown Up Grilled Cheese'. The place was busier than I anticipated for a Sunday since the baristas were busy with the orders that came before us and orders coming in through the drive-thru. After about a 5 minute wait, Jenn and I were able to put our orders in. She got a Chai Tea Latte and a salad. The wait for my drink was short and my food came out a few minutes after that. Since I was hungry, I dived right in to my sandwich while the coffee took it's sweet time cooling off. With those first two bites, I knew my sandwich wasn't going to be a great experience. I didn't realize it came with spinach on it until it came to write these words. I knew it had a funky taste but I haven't had spinach since I was a kid, so I couldn't place what was off about it. It wasn't completely off-putting as I ate the whole sandwich but I can't help but think I would've enjoyed it more had I ordered it without the offending topping. But, who puts a spinach on a grilled cheese?! I chalk that mistake up to me talking and not paying attention to what I was actually ordering. After an eternity, my coffee was cool enough to sip. My taste buds are a glutton for punishment and I love the bitterness of Americanos, but this one tasted very bland. It's hard to say what I wasn't a fan of but I just didn't care for it and was debating on ordering a new drink and tossing it. But, wasting coffee like that hurts my soul so I ended up sticking with it. I do chalk my interesting experience to myself making a mistake on ordering my sandwich and also not ordering the coffee I was craving and getting something basic instead. As we wrapped up our hangout, we decided to check out the upstairs area. The second we stepped foot on the 2nd floor, I wished we had our hangout up there. It was super cozy and intimate with comfy-looking seating and what appeared to be a fireplace. I didn't snap any good photos of the area as there were people sitting there and I didn't want to invade on their privacy. I may have had a unique experience for the worst but, as I said, the blame on that was mostly on me. My friends want to come back when it's a bit warmer out so we can sit outside on the upstairs deck. That you can see below (with the American flag). Hopefully my next visit is a better experience. If I do get to return, I will update this post with any new info/photos/revise the score based on that trip. As always, don't let my blog post dissuade anyone from checking out a place. Go there and it may just be your new favorite place!

Two of us on our order. Our order was 1 medium coffee, 1 medium decaf mocha and a toasted bagel…read more This took 45 minutes to fill. There was one couple ahead of us that got coffee and ice cream and they left before they got their full order because they had waited so long. Our bagel was not even hot and the coffee tasted like it was burnt. Needless to say we won't be back.

Review Visit: June 6th, 2016…read more If you visit the blog often, you will notice my trend for visiting coffeehouses and see that I tend to order Iced Caramel Lattes at most places. Black Maple was no different. A perfect blend of milk, espresso and caramel made this one place I would love to re-visit. It would've scored a perfect 5, but they are a walk-up/drive-thru only, so if it was a rainy day, it could possibly affect trying to get something from there. Also, they could've used some benches outside, but since it is located in the parking lot of a hotel, they are doing great with what they have. I don't frequent Canton, but I am going to always visit this place if I do.

We were really excited to try this place but very unimpressed. They didnt have anywhere hardly to…read moresit inside. When we ordered we asked how sweet drinks were and were told they weren't sweet. My husband ordered a vanilla latte which had hardly any flavor (including coffee flavor). I ordered a caramel macchiato which was SO sweet. We also ordered a bfest croissant. The croissant was panini style so smooshed and burnt. Sorry to say we will not be back. Hope others have a better experience then we did.

From coffee truck to temporary location back to coffee truck…read more My friend Maria first told me about this place and how it is a coffee truck that's taking temporary residency in this Tropical Sno building until the end of winter. Not really wanting to stand outside and order coffee in 10 degree weather, I kind of forgot about it until we were at a hockey game and Maria said it was still open and was having their final day the next day. Having already plans to go to Weaver's for lunch on that same day, it only made sense to drop in next door to grab some caffeine before lunch. So, that's what Emily and I did. We both needed some caffeine before we dug into our lunch. The menu was pretty vast for being a mobile truck. I'm guessing them being in an actual building lets them expand their offerings. Being situated in the Tropical Sno building also lets them tap into that companies sauces and syrups to build some pretty interesting combinations and drinks. Emily got The Best Brew and I snagged Night Shift Special with some caramel flavoring. We took a seat to enjoy what little sunshine there was on this dreary day. It was a bit too cold to sit outside and enjoy our coffees so we took them to the car to sip them down. We tried Emily's first and it was really good. The cinnamon bun flavor was just subtle enough to not make the drink all about itself. Then we tried my Night Shift and we both fell in love. Usually when Emily and I grab coffee and food, she gets the better tasting thing but I won this one with the best tasting drink ever. This drink is legit a Top 3 coffee drink I've ever had. Every sip was smooth and delicious and full of flavor. After we drank most of our coffees, we wandered over to Weaver's for even more tasty goodies but we kept thinking about that Night Shift Special. With The Best Brew moving back to being a mobile truck, I am going to have to keep my eye on where it'll be setting up shop to get more of that sweet sweet Night Shift Special.

For the past two years, I have been getting best brew coffee before work when I can, and it is my…read morefavorite start of the day. The staff and ownership there is amazing and hilarious super welcoming. coffees to die for.

Caffeine with a post office vibe…read more Having visited the Eli's in Metamora and Morton, it was a matter of time that I would drop in on the Tremont location. Emily and I dropped in around 10am to a pretty busy cafe. The baristas were super friendly and patient while we placed our orders. I got my usual americano with a monster cookie and Emily got their Campfire Cold Brew and lemon poppyseed jumbo muffin. We looked around for a place to sit and were lucky to get seats next to each other. This place isn't big so a few people can fill it up pretty quick. I think this used to be a post office and it definitely has the vibes of one, if it was. It took a bit longer, about 15 minutes, for our coffees to be ready. We were ready to sit and chill so the wait wasn't too bad but if you were in a rush, might be something to keep in mind. Any who, we had some delicious baked goods to keep us occupied until the drinks came out. I took a few sips of my americano and it unfortunately fell on the lighter side of how they can be made. While it was good, it was a bit light on the bitter that I like. Emily suggested I actually learn the style of americano I like and see if places can make it like that. But, Emily was also not the biggest fan of her drink, either. She wasn't a fan of the syrup they used in it and didn't like the aftertaste of it. We hung out until we were about halfway done with our drinks and long after our baked goods were devoured. I really liked the vibe of the place and got a really cool sticker of the store front but it looks like a stamp! One of the cooler stickers I've gotten out on my adventures. With there being three locations, I will no doubt drop in to another Eli's at some point. When I do, I will have to try out their other coffee offerings and maybe some of their delicious-looking food.

Quaint coffeeshop with the perfect little lounging area and a delicious dirty chai! It wasn't on…read morethe menu but they were happy to make it for us. The staff was super nice and made our order very quickly! Not really the kind of coffeeshop to study/work at but it's nice to meet up with someone or read a book, etc.

My husband and I were traveling back home from Knoxville, Illinois and thought we'd swing by and…read moretry out a coffee shop along the way. This was my first time trying out Kickabrew Coffee so I didn't know what to expect when I went inside. We had been outside for a while so I was looking forward to trying out a nice hot coffee! I got the white chocolate coffee and my husband got a hot cocoa. While we waited for our drinks we took a look around the coffee shop and I have to say, it's quite charming! I was not expecting the back room at all, not to mention all of the seating and the log cabin look that it had to offer either. It felt like the seating options were endless including couches and designer chairs. There's even an upstairs loft as well which is a great place to hang out with friends! It's so cute! A few moments later, they called out our drinks from the side window, it's located in the hallway leading to that cute log cabin looking back room. I think more places should have a side window by the way. It was nice to be able to step aside and not be in the way while other people are ordering. There were lots of people coming in and out so I think it's a popular spot in town, I don't blame them! Time to try out our drinks! They were great and we warmed right up! I would definitely go out of my way to come back and try this shop out again. I'd like a little more time to look at the menu and see what else they have to offer. I hear they have some yummy snacks so I'll have to try one of those next time! To the owner: great job on your coffee shop! It's super charming and I love it!

A T M O S P H E R E Warm and cozy! Perfect for coming here…read moreon the weekend to chill, after school to work on homework, or after work to hangout! Plenty of seating and HANDICAP/DISABLED FRIENDLY! (They have 2 entrances - the front and side with a ramp) S E R V I C E The barista was so nice! I was on the fence about what to try and she immediately recommended a couple different things, which landed me with their featured Blueberry Latte... IT WAS AMAZING! Could not have enjoyed my drink more! F O O D I didn't get any food this time, but like I said above... my Blueberry Latte was delicious and left me totally impressed with the taste and quality of their coffee!

Great place! welcoming atmosphere, high-quality drinks, and efficient, friendly staffread more

This place kicks butt!…read more My friend Tim told me about this place awhile back and has been waiting patiently for it to open. Fast forward 2 months when we planned a day to hang out and play board games when I suggested we check it out. Matt, Tim, and I popped in on a Saturday afternoon and all was quiet. As we walked up, we almost turned around as it looked closed (there was a big lock on one of the doors) but I wanted to 100% be sure it was closed so I walked up to visually confirm there was no one inside. Come to our surprise that it was open. We quickly dipped inside to avoid the humidity and heat of the day and made our ways to the giant tvs that displayed the menus. Said menus quickly irritated us as they were on a continuous scroll every 5 seconds or so... of the same photo. There are 3 tvs and each one displayed one portion of the menu. Each one was set up to a slideshow effect and would transition to the next photo of the same photo it just showed you. So, we kept having to re-focus on where we were despite it being the same image. It took a bit longer to figure out what we wanted to order because of this. But once we knew what we wanted, we ordered with the cashier and waited for our drinks. Tim was distracted with his phone when Matt and I got distracted with something behind the counter. It was this machine that shook the drinks and let me tell you... we were mesmerized by it. We both commented on it at the same time and kept watching the workers load drinks in it. Then we were mesmerized by the machine that put a seal on the cups. Both Matt and I said we could watch this process all day. I've had sealed drinks like this before but never one that was done within viewing range. Any who, like us getting distracted by that machine, I am getting off topic here. We were served our drinks and we walked over to Costco to get some pizzas for our game night. My first sip of my drink (which was a caramel macchiato) and I knew I made the right choice. It was a delicious mix of what you would expect a caramel macchiato to taste like but in a slush-form. For it being a hot and humid day, it was the perfect thing to sip on during the walk over and through Costco. I can see myself coming back here for a special treat once in awhile. The Levee District in East Peoria has a lot of cool shops but severely lacks a place that I think Kung Fu Tea fills in nicely. Sure, there is a Starbucks and Dunkin' nearby, but this place adds something to the area that I feel that it's lacking. This was evident by the fact that when we walked in, there were only 2 people in there but when we left, there were about 12-15 people milling about, waiting to order or waiting for their drinks. I hope they continue to do well as the landscape of most areas needs some diversity over the usual big chains and corporations.

Quick stop for a quick pick-me-up…read more I've always known about this place and actually came here for a Christmas-themed sample party with my friend Maria back in winter of 2024 but knew I would need to come back and visit it properly. Finally came that time on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon. I thought there was a small coffee menu from my prior visit but alas, the owner only makes brewed coffee by request. Emily and I both needed some caffeine so we requested a cup of their normal coffee, despite being offered a flavored one to pick from, too. The owner was super nice and friendly while we sat there and waited for the coffee to brew. We got our coffee and were offered free refills, which we took her up on before leaving. We decided to sit there for a bit to let the caffeine hit before we hit the town for some antiquing and thrifting. For it being drip coffee, it may have been the best I've had in a looong time. I put a little sugar in there and it was the perfect blend of smooth, flavor, and caffeine. They do sell syrups but I am not sure how much tweaking of drip coffee they offer, which is fine with me since I usually like my coffee black. Despite the small size of the dining area, this place is very cozy. It has the vibe and feel of someone who has been dreaming of a tea room since childhood. They have little knick knacks and various other things for sale besides coffee and a food menu. Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind popping in for a lunch sometime to see how that is. Any who, if you need a cozy little place for a cup of good coffee and possibly a good meal, Emerald Tea Room might just be that thing for ya.

Quiet little tea room that has delicious, made from scratch food that satisfies! Desserts keep me…read morecoming back! Staff is very friendly and it's an awesome place to meet friends.