One of our very favorite things to do in advance of travel is to read up on local alt weeklies. We grew up with and remain diehard fans of The Stranger, “Seattle’s only newspaper”, and have at various times made ourselves quite comfortable reading Creative Loafing, The Portland Mercury, and The Reykjavik Grapevine among others. Add to that list a paper called The Pitch, KCMO’s go-to source for local news, municipal affirmations, Kansas City Chiefs-related lament, and food information beyond the “try some BBQ” standards.
The Pitch’s Fat City food blog recently featured KC’s own Oddly Correct Coffee Roasters, a little boutique roastery with big skills and a brand new (like barely a week old) cafe space in KCMO’s Midtown neighborhood. Here’s some blurbage from The Pitch writer Jonathan Bender:
The bold white-and-black sign hanging out in front of 3940 Main is a deliberate statement from Gregory Kolsto and his team at Oddly Correct as they set up shop on Main – they intend to stay awhile. Two years after opening at 3934 Main, Oddly Correct’s new cafe space just three doors down is nearly complete.
“We’re putting life in this corner,” Kolsto says. “We want to help be part of the responsible growth of this neighborhood.”
“I don’t want people to come here because we’re local,” Kolsto says. “I want them to come to be exposed to something new.”
The article goes on to mention that Oddly Correct’s new cafe space will soon be home to a Slayer Espresso machine (for which Mr. Kolsto received hands-on training in Seattle), and that their original cafe space – on the same block as their new home – will eventually be converted into a roastery and letter press facility (indie printing is a VERY big deal in KC). To follow up on this read from The Pitch, we reached out to Tyler Rovenstine, a longtime Oddly Correct barista who we met in Chicago at last year’s BCRBC, where he made finals in the South Central Brewers Cup. Mr. Rovenstine was kind enough to step away from Oddly Correct’s new digs for long enough to conduct this interview.
Sprudge: Hey Tyler! We’re excited to get to visit Oddly Correct when we’re in town next week – you guys sent coffee to several of our cupping parties last year, and it was very tasty. What coffees are you serving right now in the new cafe?
Tyler Rovenstine: Currently, we are offering an Adado Cooperative washed Yirgacheffe, Santa Sofia Coban Guatemala, and a Finca Los Nacientes Tarrazu Costa Rica. We generally flip our coffee offerings on a weekly basis. At this point, we are brewing with Kalita Waves, but we hope to add other brewing options in the future. Our espresso bar will initially feature two different espressos, our winter seasonal espresso, “Stranger in the Alps”, as well as another coffee that we feel makes a tasty espresso.
I should also mention – The Pitch article stated that we have a Slayer, but we don’t actually have the machine yet. Our approach is to “expand on the basis of our success”, so we hope to gain some momentum in our new space before we make a significant purchase on a new (awesome) espresso machine. Right now, we have a two group La Marzocco Linea and no complaints.
Sprudge: We have never ever been to Kansas City before – can you tell us a little bit about your neighborhood?
TR: The neighborhood is weird and gritty. I don’t think that we could choose a better location for a new space, but it’s definitely a developing neighborhood. Main Street in Kansas City could be described as a cultural center of days-gone-by, now being renewed and revitalized after a period of cultural void. Our roasting shop is in the same building as the new space (just a few storefronts north), and we have been in that space for two years. So, we have established ourselves in the neighborhood already. We hope to inspire a spirit of creativity and craftsmanship to Midtown KC.
Sprudge: Talk to us a little bit about upcoming events – anything special for BCRBC?
TR: Oddly Correct and PT’s Coffee are co-hosting a party on Saturday, January 19th during the BCRBC. More details to come about that. We also plan on hosting cuppings and other classes in the future, hopefully on a regular schedule at least twice a month. More info about events at Oddly Correct can be found on our Facebook.
Sprudge: Thanks Tyler!
So yes, we’re officially stoked on visiting Kansas City for the first time in just 9 days. Watch for more on KCMO in the coming days here on Sprudge.com, including a must-read dining and cocktail survival guide for out of towners written by a devout KC local. And of course stay tuned to Sprudge.com and @SprudgeLive throughout the BCRBC for up-to-the-second coverage of every last competitor, leading up to Finals Sunday for the South and North Central regions.
Go to Oddly Correct when you’re in town! They’re at 3940 Main Street, with hour from 7am til 3pm – more info here.
