(Some of The Last Drop’s seating options + the coffee bar)
Onward towards North Loop! Today we’re highlighting The Last Drop located in Graze Provisions & Libations.
Some Background
I remember stopping by here for the first time ever. It was a week after their grand opening (April 7th 2021). Imagine the excitement of opening up a new toy as kid for the first time mixed with the comfort and relaxation of hearing you get to take today off, that’s what I felt here. At the time, Erin was the manager, she is the one who thought of their signature coffee flight idea. This woman is extremely passionate about coffee and a deep love for the people in her community. With 12 years under her belt she dreams of opening up her own coffee shop one day.
I was instantly greeted upon approaching. She shared her story and her idea of the coffee flight, their signature specialty. Sometimes things can feel a little more intimidating in the North Loop area based on how you dress or behave, not here-it’s a very laid back and low pressure space. The Feng Shui here is top notch, the service is great, and the specialty menu is very unique.
~Side Note~ Fast forward 6 months to October 1st-Erin ended up opening up her own coffee shop on Lyndale called Third Space Cafe. It’s absolutely amazing, definitely go check them out!
(Some of The Last Drop’s Feng Shui)
The Scoop
Okay, let’s dive into it. You’ve probably heard of them of before, but if not, let me bring them light. The Last Drop is a coffee icon around the cities. They blew up and are most known from their coffee flights. What’s a coffee flight you may be asking? Think of a beer flight. Four 5oz glasses of beer snuggly fit into tiny divots on a paddle. Now instead of different types of beer, conceptualize specialty coffee. The flight is the go-to if you want a little taste of everything. The original flight had their homemade cold brew, an iced latte, their miel creme, and their MJ.
The day before the most recent flight Song, his girlfriend Emilia, & I actually had the chance to try out their flight. Graze was actually closed that day so it felt pretty exclusive. I got there a few minutes early to speak with Natalie and some of the baristas, it was like they were working on a big project with their sampling, theory crafting in a sense. Baristas from Last Drop spend a lot of time figuring out different combinations switching out different ingredients. It reminded me of research methods from going to school, trying different variables and testing to see what has significance!
(The Last Drop’s Summer Flight 2022, pretty fun drawings!)
What it’s like
Surrounded by a lively and easily accessible environment, The Last Drop has a strong competitive edge compared to some of the other shops in the area. Being a part of Graze, The Last Drop has lots of exposure from all of the other restaurants in their food court or their two bars inside of the building, not to mention they’re just a few blocks away from Target Field.
Ambiance
Seating wise there is an abundance of space. Between the cafe space seating, the two levels of food court areas, the outdoor patio, and the rooftop patio, it’s tough not to find some prime real estate. If you’re staying around the cafe, they’ve got a comfy swing chairs, suede chairs, ones that look like bamboo turtle shells, & even some mats (like the ones you’d use for meditating).
The music is all around, It’s shared throughout the whole building. More often than not, you’re likely to hear hip hop or some more mainstream songs, but that all really depends on who is on the aux.
Who you’d run into
Demographic wise, there is a pretty good mix of everyone as well. To be more specific, I’ve seen families with kids during the day all the way to anyone between their 20’s-40’s in the afternoon and evening-not too many elderly people here. In previous experiences, I’ve observed more of the preppy crowd, basic people, and as it is a very aesthetic & photogenic space-many foodies and influencers as well.
With it’s distinctive location and uncommon variety of specialty drinks, it’s certainly one of the more amusing shops out there. With that being said, The Last Drop is more of a meet up spot to catch of with your friends a perhaps place of respite. Of all of the times I’ve been there, I haven’t seen all too many people spend more than a few hours working here, to reiterate, The Last Drop is more of a leisure coffee shop.
(The Last Drop’s Spring Coffee Flight 2022)
Why it’s a popular spot
What I’ve mentioned before is pretty much the foundation of what The Last Drop is all about. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Natalie, the new manager on sampling their new drinks and the coffee club. Just like SK from last week’s blog post, the Last Drop also always stays sharp and on their toes. They are similar to other shops as well when it comes to seasonal drinks, the difference is they also make it into a seasonal flight on rotation every… Season hahaha.
Being in such a comfortable space is another reason too, there aren’t too many spaces where you can flop your feet around on a swing or play boardgames while having a flight of coffee-seriously-I can only think of 3.
By The Way
Oh hey, on top of the space, service, & coffee I completely forgot to mention they also have CBD shots available to add to your drinks and wine flights so umm, pick your poison! I tried a CBD shot at the end in my to-go matcha. I don’t use THC much anymore, but I remember feeling so incredibly relaxed and calm. Some of my girl friends have had the wine flights here and have loved them. Options here are not an issues as they’ve got quite the array.
(The original coffee flight+ CBD shot for tropical oasis iced tea)
Useful Things
Their Instagrams:
The Team: @thelastdropcafemn
Erin’s New Shop: @thirdspacecafempls
Natalie: @nat.nachtsheim
Ari: @ariana_andrews24
Their Website: https://www.grazenorthloop.com/
The Coffee Club Info: https://16ozdays.com/16ozdays-coffee-club/
The Coffee Club Signup: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLGS3KYY5Q73T/checkout/KAMMCVAJV23YDLTB5BTNMNHG?src=embed
Our Team: @16ozdays
Wrapping Up
It’s a good time here. Whether you’re here during the week or the weekend, day or night, it’s just a fun and creative space to be in. The time they put in shows through the design of the space, the quality and depth of their drinks, to even the drawings and labels of the names of the drinks on the paddles-it really gives is more character and life.
Song, Grace, & I often meet here because of the open environment and atmosphere. We’ve had updates, catch ups, and have even planned trips with Matt & Simon here as well. Hearing it out loud now, a lot of it is the atmosphere. The Last Drop is a really well-liked space in a well-liked area with an outstanding menu & creative team behind the bar, this is one you absolutely need to try out!
Hey Coffee Addicts, thank you all for making it to this point. I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday!
With Gratitude,
Dil
(The Coffee Fam planning out trip to Seattle)
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