The Conscious Bean

OUT OF BUSINESS
You should have gone there more often.

This place has the best coffee and teas in the area, by far. The owner has organic beans that she roasts right in the store.

Organic, fair trade coffee. Gluten free sweets. Nourishing sandwiches and soups from local providers. Of course I’m giving this five stars!!! They also have a farm drop, are somehow involved in a local adoption/​foster program and have many free lectures to educate about local, sustainable and nourishing foods. The staff and owner are very pleasant! I like to go there for lunch and sit next to the little waterfall. I’m not so crabby when I go back to work :) Down with Starbucks! We need more of these!

Pretty cozy little coffee shop tucked in the stripe mall of Great Falls… The white chocolate mocha was delish! Probably the best I’ve had in the area thus far. I love that it also has free wifi and there’s not too much traffic so it’s a pretty good place to work on your laptop. Given its location, its clientele is definitely more family-​oriented, unlike Murkey Coffee in Arlington.

We visited at the weekend with our crew of ankle-​biters, to grab a few bites before visiting Colvin Run Mill. The place was empty, bar us and the barista, but we enjoyed some freshly-​made sandwiches (the Caribbean cheese on turkey was mighty fine!) and really excellent beverages. I hadn’t tried acai before — it’s a blueberry-​like fruit from the nether reaches of somewhere-​or-​other, discovered by surfers, apparently, which does seem to give it a more fashionable air — and was really delighted by the smoothie that it made.
We spoke briefly with the owner, who seems genuinely excited and enthused by the products she sells, the events she’s organizing (including the bee keeper who makes the honey she sells in the café!), and the future of her beautifully-​decorated establishment. It was refreshing to chat with the owner of the coffee shop, as opposed to a franchisee or a Starbucks ‘team member’. That said, there’s a fine line between enthusiasm for one’s product and coming across as pushing products that customers don’t want to buy. As the place gets more traffic, which I definitely hope it does, that will be a problem that will disappear.
Our kids really loved the hot chocolate, and I understood why when I sneakily sipped a bit of one of them. It was insanely chocolate-​y without the cloying sweetness that accompanies some café’s versions of it. Really excellent, like Jacque Torres himself was behind the curtain, fondling his cocoa butter. (If you’ve never seen his TV show, you really need to look it up. Check
for a taste of his expertise.)
My one major concern with The Conscious Bean is its location, tucked in a strip mall in froo-​froo Great Falls. It’s not the place to get passing trade, so people will need to make special trips to enjoy it. It’s surely worth the journey, however. Free wifi! Indulgent coffees! Good for the Earth! Come on, people! If Al Gore lived around here, he’d set up camp at the place.

I am starting to go there to meet with friends for writing sessions. I liked the peace and quiet and nice waterfall they have. My friend and I were able to talk and have a good session together. I hope the owner, Kathy, is a bit more aggressive in her marketing, or I fear the residents will forget that it is there. I am trying to meet more people there to help keep a good coffee shop on our side of town. I ordered three different drinks and they didn’t have all the ingredients…that was a bit frustrating.

I’m working from here at this very moment, and I’m absolutely in love with it.
It’s cute, there’s a ton of random organic and sustainable coffees and teas. According to a sign on the front window, there is fresh organic food (salads and sandwiches) that will be coming soon. Plus, the owner, Kathy, is just a genial and friendly personality who obviously cares a lot about the products that are offered at The Conscious Bean. What more could one ask for?
How about comfy chairs, a long bench with small tables to park a laptop, free wi-​fi, and plenty of outlets? Right now, there’s some totally chill spaced-​out acoustic music playing. Earlier, it was «My Girl.» Can this be my new office space?
A friend and I shared a pot of the Moroccan mint tea. With a few dollops of the local, raw summer thistle honey, this was a tasty afternoon pick-​me-​up to keep me engaged with my computer screen.
Now if only they would give a little more TLC to the cleanliness of the boy’s room, I might just move in!

Another coffee house has finally arrived to Great Falls! Conscious Bean is tucked in a tiny shopping center off of Colvin Run Road near the intersection with Walker Road. They offer plenty of tables for individuals and couples with four comfortable red leather chairs in front of a mini indoor water wall.
I stopped by for a quick chat with a neighbor. We both enjoyed our cappuccinos — hers regular, mine vanilla. Their sweets looked delicious and homemade, but a tasting of those will have to wait until my next visit, which will be sooner rather than later! I am hoping this coffee place is here to stay!