Roadside Espresso

Coffee Creations: Moscow’s Best Brew

By Joan Opyr, 7-13-06

The first time my mother visited Moscow, Idaho from Raleigh, North Carolina, two things surprised her. The first was that our local McDonald's took checks, often without I.D. The second was that we had drive-through espresso stands -- stands that sold serious coffee. Out West, is there any other kind? We don't mess around with our brew. No weak-kneed, percolated, muddy church coffee for us. We know the good stuff, and we won't settle for anything less.

And that's why I am hooked on Moscow's drive-through espresso stands. The best of the best is Coffee Creations on Highway 8, next door to the RV Center and across the road from Pets are People, Too. Botticelli's drive-through at the Palouse Empire Mall deserves an honorable mention (they make an excellent double-shot Dilettante tall skinny mocha) but Coffee Creations is the best. I spoke with owner Kim DeMeerleer, a registered nurse turned barista, about the coffee business, drive-through stands, and the amazing zombie espresso.

"It's about love," DeMeerleer said. "I can teach anyone to make coffee. I hire people who are funny, personable, and great to work with. I have the best staff in town."

DeMeerleer does indeed have a great staff. They make the best dry capuccino I've ever had; no liquid, only foam. When I stopped by yesterday morning, the barista spooned the foam onto my double-shot and then stopped and sniffed. She sniffed again.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That foam smells scalded to me. If you've got the time, it'll only take me a second to whip up a fresh batch."

I had the time. This is not the kind of care you get at Starbuck's. This is not the kind of care you get at any of Moscow's hyper-cool, sit down, and hook up to the Internet coffee houses. Those are places to meet and greet and, if you're lucky, get a bit of writing or emailing or web-surfing done. When I feel gregarious, that's where I go. When what I want is caffeine in its finest incarnation, I go to Coffee Creations. Lately, I've gotten hooked on zombie coffee, beans roasted so lightly that they're white. A shot of zombie tastes a bit like edamame or fresh-picked sweet peas. I can drink it straight, but I prefer it with a shot of vanilla bean syrup and a few ounces of steamed milk. Why drink zombie? Because it contains 30-plus percent more caffeine than fully-roasted coffee. Zombie is hard-core.

Kim DeMeerleer is an interesting woman. She's taken a hiatus from nursing to run her coffee stand so that she can spend more time with her kids. She hopes to go back to nursing eventually, but in the meantime, she's happy with Coffee Creations. She has seven employees, every one of whom seems to love her, and she likes what she's doing. I like what's she's doing. When in Moscow, don't pass by the roadside espresso stand. Gourmet coffee in the comfort of your car -- it's American as fried apple pie. To go.

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