C.F. Blanke Tea and Coffee Company interior, 218 South Seventh Street. Photograph by W. C. Persons, 1909. Missouri Historical Society.
Coffee: St. Louis In Your Cup
When: Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Continues through Jan. 3 2016
We've known a few people who don't like coffee; they prefer soda, inexplicably, or they just don't like/need any sort of caffeinated drink, period. All a mystery to us — we can't imagine a viable existence minus the invigorating buzz of a cuppa joe. Coffee is king. If you feel the same way, get to the Missouri History Museum (Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue; 314-746-4599 or www.mohistory.org) for a joint new exhibit, Coffee: the World in Your Cup and St. Louis in Your Cup. Coffee: the World in Your Cup was conceived by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle; it's a traveling exhibition that delves into coffee's decisive international impact on trade, environment, culinary patterns and culture. The St. Louis portion of the exhibit assumes the majority of the show space and illuminates our city's prominent (but little-known) role as both a coffee-loving mecca and a key producer of the bracing beverage. Both exhibits remain on display daily through Sunday, January 3, 2016. Admission is free.