Olathe’s Pour Coffeehouse brews local flavor

Olathe residents who crave the flavors of midtown Kansas City can drive 20 minutes northeast on Interstate 35 — or pop into Pour Coffeehouse.

The family business at 11120 S. Lone Elm Road serves coffee roasted by Broadway Roasting Company and Oddly Correct, breakfast burritos and pastries from Baked in Kansas City and vegan, gluten-free doughnuts from Hana’s Donuts.

When owners Nicole and Braedon Cagle opened Pour Coffeehouse nearly a year ago, their goal was to offer high quality, locally produced coffee, pastries and other treats.

“And that’s pretty much what we’ve done,” Nicole says.

The shop, located near Olathe Northwest High School in the Shops of Sunnybrook, was bustling on a recent Thursday morning with customers sipping locally roasted coffee. Among them: A group of moms catching up over lattes as their toddlers played next to their marble-top table, two men talking politics in a corner and workout buddies rewarding themselves post sweat-session.

Pour Coffeehouse overlooks a lush field of green, but the decor has an urban feel, with concrete floors, gleaming white subway tile and eclectic mix of modern and retro furniture.

The bakery case is usually filled with all kinds of temptations from Baked in Kansas City: Flaky croissants, cinnamon-dusted slabs of brioche toast and miniature apple pies topped with a star-shaped slice of golden pie crust.

When I went, I was in the mood for something savory and sweet, so I chose a ham and Swiss cheese croissant ($4.70) and a mini apple pie ($4.50). The former was so light and buttery it practically melted in my mouth; the latter had a warm cinnamon sweetness that made me look forward to fall.

Pour Coffeehouse’s menu is transitioning from summer to autumn. Last week, the shop reintroduced its popular pumpkin spice latte, made with real pumpkin.

“Everyone loves that,” Nicole says.

Other customer favorites include classic drip coffee and a vanilla-honey latte made with organic vanilla syrup, honey and a double shot of espresso.

I tried a double shot of the shop’s “seasonal spotlight” drink, Oddly Correct Slow Jams espresso ($2.50). A sign on the counter said that the Ethiopian beans boast tasting notes of blueberry popsicle, lemon candies, almond and milk chocolate. I definitely tasted the lemony brightness in my tiny cup of crema-topped espresso.

The citrusy coffee paired well with a few handfuls of “paleo” granola from Overland Park’s 3 Women and an Oven. The grain-free snack costs $8.95 for a shareable bag and mixes organic pecans with almonds, coconut, dried cranberries, raw honey, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt. The boutique bakery also supplies Pour Coffeehouse with cakes and sugar drop cookies ($1.95) topped with pastel buttercream frosting and edible gold glitter.

If you have a thing for dark chocolate, don’t miss the Mast Brothers chocolate bar display in Pour Coffeehouse’s front window. The New York-based artisan chocolate company collaborated with Stumptown Coffee Roasters on an espresso-flavored chocolate bar with just three ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar and coffee beans. The $8.25 bar comes in a red wrapper with black motorcycle silhouettes. Each silky-smooth square explodes with roasty coffee flavor.

Pour Coffeehouse also sells bags of coffee beans, canisters of Hugo Tea Company tea, hot chocolate from Christopher Elbow Artisan Chocolates, Mexican Coke and Sprite made with cane sugar and grab-and-go sandwiches that are popular with customers on their way to school or work.

The Cagles know what it’s like to be in a hurry: They have four active kids under the age of 13, including a 9-week-old baby boy. Luckily, they have plenty of access to caffeine and a short commute.

“We live two minutes from the coffee shop,” Nicole says, “so a lot of our customers are neighbors.”

This story was originally published September 8, 2015 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Olathe’s Pour Coffeehouse brews local flavor."