Finding Peace and Quiet…and Tea…in This Little Neighborhood Coffee Shop

There is always a quiet space, friendly people, and something delicious awaiting me in this tiny treasure of a shop

Coffee is a big deal. And there are a lot of big places selling it. Go down most any busy street in any city and you will come across multiple big-name coffee shops full of big coffee drinks and frozen food selections waiting to be popped into a microwave. People everywhere are carrying big (or as they would say, grande or venti) paper cups full of their personally customized coffee drinks with any number of familiar logos printed on the sides of those cups.

But as for my drink, I’ll take tea, please. I’ve tried for many years to like coffee and I just cannot do it. (The same is true for beer, but that’s another story for another time.) Now, I do know that those big coffee shops sell a token tea drink here and there. Actually, I discovered my favorite hot tea drink in the café of a Barnes & Noble store many years ago when I was complaining to the barista in the Starbucks there that the tea drinkers were feeling left behind. She asked if I’d ever had a London Fog. No, but please tell me about that as I’m intrigued just by the name of it. It’s Earl Grey tea with vanilla syrup added in and topped off with either steamed or foamed milk (depending on who’s creating it). And I love it! Love it! It’s always what I order when I go out for “coffee,” and I frequently make one for myself at home.

But back to the big coffee shops. I realize that they do have their place in the world, and I certainly have spent my fair share of time in them. But they are big. And noisy. And crowded. And many times, my “coffee” partner and I have to raise our voices to hear each other over the commotion of coffee machines, milk being steamed, people in cars at the drive-through, and all the conversations at the tables surrounding us. Some tables are filled with friends getting together just like us, while others are business meetings being conducted or people making (not so private) phone calls. Between the caffeine and the activity, I have found them to be very stimulating places!

So when I found out about a newly-opened, locally-owned small (seats fewer than twenty) coffee shop in my neighborhood, I couldn’t wait to try it out. But I was apprehensive. Would it only have coffee…no tea? Would the owners be friendly, or would I be a pain for them to wait on? Would the atmosphere be warm and welcoming, or stark and cold and noisy? Would they go out of business before I could get there since they were located only a few blocks from one of those big coffee shops? Well, there was no better way to find out than to get myself there and experience whatever was there to be experienced. And what did I experience? Peace, and joy, and friendliness, and warmth….and tea! And even better yet, delightful, delicious, homemade pastries to savor with said tea. I discovered that this coffee shop is a tranquil little haven in the big world of…everything.

This quiet little gem of a place that is situated right in the middle of this big world is called Sweet Dude Coffee and Café and is located in West Des Moines. And it is totally sweet, dude. The owners are amazingly friendly and caring. When I returned for my second visit, they remembered me and what I had ordered the first time around. Since it was late summer at the time of my first visit and I saw they had Italian sodas, I asked if they could create an Italian CREAM soda. They were unfamiliar with that version of the soda, but they jumped right on it as I described what it was, and they created an almost-perfect raspberry Italian cream soda for me. And then they made one for themselves so they could try it and were delighted to discover this new (to them) concoction. They commented how it was almost like drinking ice cream. Yep – so good! And on my next visit when I requested the Italian cream soda again, they created it perfectly.

But now, as we wait out winter, a London Fog is my requested drink when I’m there. And that tea, beautifully presented, along with a homemade cream puff filled with a light, chocolate mousse-like filling…. sublime! Other available fillings are crème brûlée, vanilla, coffee, and matcha tea. But that chocolate one is just so delightful I cannot pass it up. There are also made-on-the-spot crepes and waffles with toppings like Nutella, bananas, strawberries, cream cheese, whipped cream, and chopped Oreos. And croissants. And baklava. Also served there, and best of all, is the ambiance of quiet and friendliness.

Top: A caramel latte and strawberry/banana crepe. Bottom: A chocolate-filled cream puff with a London Fog tea.

I find myself going to my little coffee shop every couple of weeks for a quiet escape. Sometimes I just take myself and settle into that comfy leather chair in the corner with my journal or book. Other times I go with my husband, as he loves their banana/strawberry crepes. And when I meet up with a couple of girlfriends for a quiet catch-up chat, that’s always where we find ourselves.

My favorite corner at Sweet Dude Coffee and Cafe.

We are definitely surrounded by a big world, and it seems like it’s getting bigger and noisier all the time. But I love that I have found the treasure of a quiet little spot within this big world that brings me peace and joy. And a London Fog tea. What could be better? Well… maybe one of those chocolate-filled cream puffs….