The Journal

Issue date: 3/9/06 Section: LifeStyle

Kim Nolan

With two days of midterms under students' belts and two more to go it's time to study somewhere other than the library. From gas stations to fast food dives coffee is abundant in St. Louis but a standard is being set by few coffeehouses.

From the northeastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes to the Baru Volcano in western Panama by way of Alterra Coffee Roasters in Wisconsin, Kayak's Coffee & Provisions, 276 North Skinker Blvd., is dedicated to serving organic and fairly traded coffees.

Kayak's, named after an Alaskan sled dog, whose legend claims he was too exhausted to finish the final leg of the Iditarod Trail with 600 miles already behind him. His musher poured him a bowl of coffee, fueling him with miraculous strength to beat out the other competing dogs.

Kayaks are strung from the ceiling, the cafe's interior is designed almost entirely of teak wood, woodland critters beckon through the bathrooms' speakers - just think - the lodge version of Starbucks.

With free Internet access, walking distance to Forest Park and situated at a to-be-completed MetroLink stop the only problem with Kayak's is fighting off a Wash University student for
a seat.

Nestled at the bend of a u-shaped street in the heart of Clayton's Demun neighborhood sits Kaldi's Coffeehouse, 700 Demun Ave., the original of the four locations. According to < http://www.kaldiscoffee.com, Kaldi's is micro-roastery that doesn't use computers, spectrometers or charts - they just use natural senses and good experience (to roast). They roast everything from single-origin beans to shade-grown to certified organic.

With a patio overlooking Concordia Park, Kaldi's is the ideal spring study setting.

The layout of their main room was seemingly designed with a bottleneck in mind. If you can make it through the inefficient flow the more private seating is in the back of the coffeehouse in an all-brick room. If studying sans Internet is your style then Kaldi's it is. The only downside to the atmosphere is an intercom where employees announce ready-to-be-picked-up orders.

From Kaldi's head north on Skinker Boulevard and west onto Delmar Boulevard to Meshuggah Cafe, 6269 Delmar Blvd. Meshuggah's, Yiddish for 'crazy,' prides itself as being a humble room devoted to a casual atmosphere.

Meshuggah's doesn't serve drip coffee. With loyalty to the craft of being a barista their "house coffee" is an americano, two shots of espresso in hot water. They get their beans from Starr's, a local roaster.

Regulars abound at Meshuggah's and can often be seen reading, playing chess or studying. The earth-toned walls feature a selection of artists that changes periodically. With outdoor seating on Delmar this coffeehouse offers better people watching opportunities than the airport.

If swank and selective is not your style, if you don't care when the last time a cafe was vacuumed or deck-scrubbed, check out The Grind, 56 Maryland Plaza. Open until 3:00 a.m., The Grind feels more like someone's living room than an established business. Late nights at The Grind appear to be packed with students or up and coming writers working fervently behind computer screens or in notebooks. The curtain of cigarette smoke adds to the Beatnik-vibe and rightly so, The Grind is just around the corner from the Pershing avenue boyhood home of literary maverick William S. Burroughs.

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