61. Road trip on the "other" side of the ocean: Coffee in Ohio

Sept. 12, 2016

This post is a "peek" into a different coffee world for my friends and colleagues in Rwanda. In Rwanda, good coffee, in the form of a brewed cup, is hard to find. But good coffee in the form of a cherry on a tree or parchment at a washing station is plentiful! So if you're a N. American or a European reading this, try to imagine how everything I describe here may be as interesting to Rwandans who have not been to the North, as descriptions about origin are to us.

On my road trip from Sep. 9 - 12 from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Memphis, Tennessee and back (720 miles/1,158 km one-way) , I had three nice coffee visits in Ohio, which is "the middle of America" in many ways. This was a great "re-introduction to the USA" for me after living in Rwanda for almost a year.

The stops in Ohio were on my return trip.
First: a visit to the roasting plant of Deeper Roots Coffee in Cincinnati, OH. As I drove down the broken asphalt street past modest single-family homes, I was sure my GPS had taken me to the wrong place. But, no! Deeper Roots is located on a surprisingly large piece of farm property tucked away in a residential neighborhood! It is super quaint to look out of the windows of the roasting room and see traditional red barns, farm fences and a few milk canisters for the fresh milk from the cows!

Adam, Courtney and Brandon, 3 of Deeper Roots' staff

Adam, Master Roaster

The farm scene at Deeper Roots Coffee

Second: Winan's Coffee & Chocolate on Miller Lane in Dayton, OH.
Awesome place to stop, since you get a free taste of one of their hand-made chocolates if it's your first time to the store.