Welcome to the second round of Des Moines Register’s Coffee Showdown, a competition to see where Des Moines most likes to drink coffee at local shops.
The brackets started on Sept. 23 by pitting eight coffee shops against each other. Contenders include only local coffee shops in the Des Moines proper area. You can help by voting for your favorite coffee shop. The seeds were randomly selected.
Your favorite coffee shops will battle it out with round-by-round voting through Sept. 30. The winner will be announced Oct. 1. We’ll keep you posted every step of the way until a winner is declared.
This round of voting remains open until Sept. 28, with voting in the finals taking place Sept. 29-30. The winner will be announced Oct. 1.
Who won the first round of the Coffee Showdown?
Four coffee shops move on in the competition. Daisy Chain Coffee in the East Village of Des Moines defeated Chain & Spoke with 55% of the vote. Horizon Line in downtown Des Moines captured 60% of the vote over Mars Café. The Slow Down Coffee Co. in Highland Park defeated Northern Vessel with 62% of the vote. Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure on Ingersoll Avenue won 65% of the vote over Smokey Row Coffee Co.
And now, to the match-ups:
Daisy Chain Coffee vs. Horizon Line Coffee
Daisy Chain Coffee
Daniel Bosman opened Daisy Chain Coffee in the East Village in November 2020, and his beekeeping hobby, along with local honey, is used to sweeten the drinks. The shop serves coffee roasted by Windmill Coffee Roasters in Ames. Try Daniel Bee’s Honey Latte made with local honey from Bosman’s own apiary. You can also buy honey to take home.
The coffee shop offers plenty of seating and is connected to Raygun, the T-shirt and gift shop.
Location: 505 E. Grand Ave. #104, Des Moines
Contact: 515-231-3426 or daisychaincoffee.com
Hours: Open Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Horizon Line Coffee
Brad Penna and Nam Ho opened Horizon Line Coffee in 2017. The friends relocated from Southern California to establish this sustainable specialty shop, which uses glass instead of single-use plastic or paper products. The friends source their coffee in small batches. Try the Gibraltar with equal parts espresso and steamed milk, only served in-house, and grab a seat that looks out on Walnut Street.
Location: 1417 Walnut St., Suite B, Des Moines
Contact: horizonlinecoffee.com
Hours: Open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Slow Down Coffee Co. vs. Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure
The Slow Down Coffee Co.
Drew and Kara Kelso opened The Slow Down Coffee Co. in 2020 as a community space in the Highland Park neighborhood of Des Moines. The cozy space in the former Hiland Park Hardware, a neighborhood fixture for 90 years, offers coffee beans roasted by Windmill Coffee Roasters, based in Ames, for drinks like oat milk lattes.
The weathered feel inside the shop invites customers to put together a puzzle or read a book, both sold in the shop.
Location: 3613 Sixth Ave., Des Moines
Contact: 515-630-7000 or theslowdowndsm.com
Hours: Open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure on Ingersoll Avenue started roasting its own batches of single-origin coffee beans on site in 1993. Try the house blend coffee, used for in-house espresso drinks, for a sweet and complex coffee.
Customers can sit at the counter or grab a table at this homegrown coffee shop owned by Julie McGuire.
Location: 2723 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines
Contact: 515-244-7694 or zanzibarscoffee.com
Hours: Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Freelance writer Heather Torpy contributed to this article.
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who moved on to the semifinals in the Des Moines Register’s Coffee Showdown? Vote now.
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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