Javapalooza Celebrates the Metro East Coffee Scene All September

Southwest Illinois coffee shops will offer signature drinks, compete in latte art and offer chances to win prizes

Aug 25, 2023 at 10:17 am

Courtesy photo

Javpalooza will include a latte art competition.

When you think about the greater St. Louis area food and drink, gooey butter cake, t-ravs, sweet wine and lot of craft beer probably come to mind, not artisanal coffee roasters. But really, with java giants Kaldi's, Goshen and Blueprint in town, you should be thinking bean.

Our near neighbors in southwest Illinois, on the other hand, are ahead of the game in this respect. The Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau announced a month-long coffee celebration today in the form of Javapalooza, which kicks off next Friday, September 1.

For a month, local participating coffee shops will be showcasing their skills and creativity by creating a signature drink. Those same shops will be invited to submit photos of their best latte art for a competition that anyone can participate in.

Coffee shops already signed on to participate include Goshen Coffee Café, Edwardsville; 222 Artisan Bakery & Café, Edwardsville; Blackbird Bakery & Café, Staunton; Brantzels, White Hall; Café Birdie, Edwardsville; Chocolate Covered Creations, Granite City; Foxes Boxes, Bethalto; Kismet Coffee Co., Litchfield; Maeva’s Coffee, Alton; Meme’s Coffee Shop, Granite City; Post Commons, Alton; Rachel & Co. Coffee House, Wood River; Rise & Grind Coffee Co., Litchfield; Sacred Grounds Café, Edwardsville; and Verona Coffee, Collinsville.

“Southwest Illinois is brimming with great coffee shops that day in and day out serve up amazing coffee creations,” Cory Jobe, president and CEO of the tourism bureau, said in a statement. “We wanted to find a way to highlight their work and bring new awareness to coffee shops in the region. Javapalooza is our way of celebrating our local baristas and shops.”

Customers of these businesses have a chance to win prizes such as an espresso machine or coffee subscription. Simply scan a QR code at participating sites to enter.

More details at riversandroutes.com/events/javapalooza.