The Only Thing Bad is the Music

Looking down the bar at Strange Matter Coffee

Although there are plenty of coffee houses in Lansing, few of them have decent coffee. I am by no means a coffee snob. I just like my coffee strong without an after taste. I do, however, prefer a nice good cup of drip. I don't need espresso, or any other kind of foamy drink, just straight coffee with a splash of milk. Clean and simple. Unfortunately, the local chain here has really bad coffee. I mean, really bad. It's actually kind of gross, so I won't name any names. And it has aforementioned after taste. I've tried it three times thinking it was just a fluke. But it's not. It's bad. The other thing about coffee houses is that most of the ones in East Lansing are swarming with undergrads pretending to study. And I just can't do it. There is one not too far from campus that is actually pretty decent, has a nice atmosphere, and the baristas are nice. But it is packed to the rafters with sweatpants and Uggs.

Upon hearing about a coffee house from one of my classmates that is about five blocks away from my house (yes, you might be thinking "why didn't she just look on the internet for a place?" I can't answer that. Sometimes I live in a cave) I decided to try it. My only hesitation; it is a pour-over joint. This partly makes my teeth cringe, because I just don't care that much about artisan coffee. I will emphasize again, I'm happy with a strong cup of drip with a splash of milk. It's what makes me love Dunkin' Donuts. Just give me a 16 ounce cup of coffee, one cream. I mean geeze, I'm not embarrassed to admit that even when I lived in Seattle I went to Starbucks almost every day for a tall Pike. So, I decided to try this place anyway, and put my feelings about one-hand-crafted-cup-of-coffee made with love from only the best beans that takes about 7 minutes to create, aside. I admit, it was good! And the atmosphere is great! And there is something kind of special about receiving a cup of coffee on a little tray in a beaker with a mug and a small shot of cream on the side. I savored it and read my book while seated at the bar. The one bad thing about this place? Their music station was set to bad music from the late 90's, a la Hootie and the Blowfish. I'm not sure I can forgive this, but I will try.