On B-line’s inaugural coffee shop review, we go to Downtown Overland Park to Summer Moon Coffee Shop.
Summer Moon is a chain, located across the midwest. With stores in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas, the brand sells wood-fire roasted coffee from Texas on their website. This coffee is also shipped to the several midwest stores, and is used in the menu.
But this menu is different. Almost every single drink contains the word “moon.” This choice is quirky and interesting, a perfect use of the store’s title incorporated into the drinks. But, is this choice somewhat confusing to the coffee drinkers that arrived at the store?
I went to the cafe with fellow senior and B-line writer Leilani Galles ‘24 directly after school. Hoping to finish the Human Geography homework that I had procrastinated for the past week and a half, I entered the shop.
The menu varied slightly, with multiple different categories of drink. The “moon” portion of each drink was a bit confusing, especially when mentioned in tandem with “half” or “quarter.” After some sleuthing and help from the kind barista, we figured out that a “quarter moon latte” has their special moon milk, a “blend of seven secret ingredients – rich, sweet, creamy goodness!” Compared to the half moon latte, the quarter is less sweet. The moon milk, probably something adjacent to sweet cream, can be adjusted to your ideal sweetness level.
We ordered two drinks, a hot mocha moon latte (Galles) and a blended Java Chip moon milkshake. Our orders were around $6-7 total, after tax and tip.
The coffee was delicious. Galles described her latte as “the best latte I’ve ever had,” high praise for someone as well-versed in coffee as Galles. Additionally, my java chip shake was unsurprisingly delicious, and the barista provided a generous heap of whipped cream, always a pro for these frappe type drinks.
As for the study atmosphere, this cafe would fit your needs if you want a mid noise level area for maximum productivity. The music was completely Taylor Swift, a good upbeat pop feel that allowed me to fall into my work. However, if you enjoy almost total silence or the quiet hummings of slow jazz, this shop may not be the study spot for you.
Galles quite enjoyed the space, saying that the cafe was at the perfect volume to “talk to each other without feeling judged, but also doing your work without being disturbed.”
The decor was tropical in nature, with large-leafed plants and tan, woven chairs against a white marble background. This is where I think the cafe fell short. Expected from a chain cafe is this sort of feel, but if you need a homey, cozy feel to your study spaces, try a different shop.
All together, Summer Moon was incredible. The drinks were definitely the highlight, exactly what you are looking for in a coffee shop. I could see me digging myself out from under my gargantuan pile of college applications with Summer Moon as the perfect backdrop.
