Herban Coffee Lab - Plattsmouth, NE
As part of my efforts to continuously be a tourist in my own city, I look for new places to visit especially coffee shops or fun libraries with wifi to write from that are about 20-30 minutes from home.
Plattsmouth is a small town about 20 minutes south of Omaha, Nebraska. I was picking up Thai food from the amazing Sisters Cafe across the street one Friday afternoon when I noticed Herban Coffee Lab's storefront.
I looked it up and checked their hours. Open on Saturday with free wi-fi coffee and food. Perfect, so I made a mental note to check it out one Saturday. The drive to Plattsmouth was about the same amount of time as my drive to my favorite Omaha coffee shop also perfect.
The wife and husband team owners were behind the counter Saturday when I was there. It's a cute little shop that fits a small town downtown. I love places that takes the old and turns them into something new and helps to grow the town they're a part of. The tables were old junior high chemistry tables lending well to the "Lab" part of their business.
The wifi is run through the Southeast Community College Learning Center that is located next door. You login as a visitor to the SCC network and you have free access for 24 hours. The back door of the coffee lab leads into SCC's lobby. It looks like they have some interesting continuing education classes that would be fun to check out too.
The Herban Coffee Lab menu is extensive, but familiar when compared with other cafes. Quiches, sandwiches, flatbreads and baked goods in addition to the coffee and tea drinks.
On my first visit, I ordered a sandwich, salad and blended coffee the first day. The salad was really good as was the chicken salad, but the croissant was a little stale. On my second visit in which I didn't take any pictures, I ordered one of the blueberry scones and an iced mocha. The scone was almost too sweet for my taste in scones and a little more of a soft muffin texture then what I'm familiar with, but those big chunks of real blueberries in there were delicious. The iced mocha is made with Ghirardelli chocolate syrup and tasty. Sometimes the coffee can get masked in a mocha, but I thought this was a good balance. I haven't asked about where the beans come from, so I'll have to do that on my next visit.
Continuing the education theme from SCC, the owner says they offer classes on things like coffee home brewing and host other events. I haven't been to any, but I'd suggest checking their Facebook page for upcoming events. Also setting them apart from other cafes and adding to the shop's vibe, they sell local made soaps, open stock grains, spices and tea, and it's decorated in a very eclectic sensibility.
All in all, it's a cute place to visit for some quality food and a quiet place to work for a bit. The owners couldn't be any friendlier or helpful, so if you're in need of a smile, check it out.
Herban Coffee Lab will be in my rotation for places to frequent around town.
Carolyn is a thinker doing her best to be a doer.
She works with brands and individuals to create story driven experiences to engage the world.
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