The Bean Journal

Where We've Been: Sioux Falls, SD

Coffea Roasterie and The Breaks, but not in that order.

Hello, fans of the Coffee People podcast. We’re enjoying a brief interlude on the interviews this week. We still have two more episodes of our extended Season 14 to release. Our conversations with the Lizzotte brothers of True Love Coffee Co. (San Juan Capistrano, CA) and Ben Saur of 10 Speed Coffee Bar (Hood River, OR). They’ll be dropping over the next couple of weeks. Until then, some notes on where we’ve been.

We’ve been traveling extensively this year, and with each new town comes a new coffee shop (or three) to explore. Our Bean Journal photo folder has gotten bloated. Check back regularly to see the new shops. We won’t be e-blasting them out to you because, frankly, that would be really annoying. They will be posted in the Bean Journal on our homepage.

SIOUX FALLS, SD

We stopped by two shops in the Downtown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota recently—Coffea Roasterie and The Breaks—albeit, not in that order.

From L-R: L-The front window of a coffee shop with a black and white sign for The Breaks mounted above. The stucco concrete wall is painted grey and the picture window trimmed in white. Middle: Red vinyl topped stools are set up underneath a countertop mounted inside a picture window at a coffee shop. R: The coffee roasting machine in the back of a small workspace. — That’s me in the reflection!

The Breaks Coffee Roasting: 311 E. 12th St., Sioux Falls, SD, 57104

We’re glad you are here.

The garage door was rolled up when I arrived, not long after the shop opened. There were already customers inside and outside enjoying the beginnings of a lovely summer day in the Midwest. The wildfire smoke from Canada was just beginning to waft in, creating shimmery horizons. The air was dewy and humid, and I was grateful for the breeze pushing the bold Pride flag back and forth. It didn’t wave so much as roll and casually flop back and forth in a sleepy Welcome-vibe.

I felt at home less than a step inside. The baristas were friendly. The confines are comfortable and lived in. Windowsills have become dioramas, the merch screamed 2000s skate, and there was a lived-in yet organized feel to the space. It was just about perfect—oh! They have beer. It’s a little early, but I love a coffee shop you can get lost in until the time bleeds into Midwest Happy Hour.* I’m not sure if South Dakota is considered Midwest or Plains, but I’d put Sioux Falls right on the dividing line.

I ordered a shot and a drip, my go-to coffee order in any new place. Both were solid. The shot was flavorful but not overwhelming (or over-extracted). The drip I saved for later. It was still quite pleasant, having cooled quite a bit.

A menu board leaning up against the coffee bar said, “We are glad you are here.” I believed it.

See more on the socials: @thebreakscoffeeroasting

*3:00 PM Central Standard Time unless it is Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday, or a sunny day in the summer, or you’re on a boat, or a ski hill, or at a wedding on a Thursday or Friday—then it is earlier.

L-R: An artistic sculpture leads the eye into the glass picture windows and doorway of Coffea. A black and white sign hangs out over the sidewalk and is backed by the upper levels of the historic brick building. Middle: Postcards with illustrations of Badlands landscapes in the foreground lead back to an espresso in a rocks glass on a bamboo serving tray in front of a blurry espresso machine. R-Coffee People Podcast matchbooks lean up against a bamboo serving tray where an empty espresso rocks glass waits to be cleared from the countertop.

Coffee Roasterie: 200 S. Phillips Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

You’ve got a corner coffee shop in a brick building anchoring a historic downtown Main St.? * Sign me up. One of three locations, this version of Coffee Roasterie is light and airy with a counter bar that feels classy without being pretentious. I ordered and took a seat at the bar between someone reading the morning paper** and a woman asking for a matcha drink like the one she liked somewhere else. Bless you, Barista, for your patience knows no boundaries.

You’ll never guess what I ordered…

Just kidding. It was a shot and a drip. In this case, the espresso was a washed Ethiopia Guji Suke Quto with tasting notes of Peach, Jasmine, and Juicy. It was all of those things, and the Guatemala drip was the perfect balancing act.

The register line never really slowed down. There was an energy inside and out of the cafe that I wasn’t expecting when I arrived in Sioux Falls late the night before. Perhaps it was the orange slice moon (thanks wildfire smoke) or an effort to get a jump on the weekend that had the streets humming that morning, or maybe, just maybe, it is always like that in Sioux Falls. Where other towns we passed through in the Dakotas had boarded-up windows and For Lease signs, Sioux Falls had art galleries, a vintage movie theatre, hip boutiques, and by my count, five places to get coffee open on a Friday morning.

I sat and watched the counter flow while filling out postcards for a while. Never did I hear a cross word or a complaint emanate from the baristas, and fewer complaints from the customers. I ordered a chai latte to go, which was reportedly less spicy and a bit on the mild side, and bid downtown adieu. Next stop, The Falls.