Strange Matter Coffee Co.

Excellent cappuccino– fresh croissants and pastries. Went there twice! Highly recommend.

Initial review of my first visit:
1. I like their music. Chill, vibrant, groovy tunes.
2. They do not play their music too loud. This is important. I could put in my earbuds (not my normal noise canceling headphones) and listen to my own jams/​watch videos without fighting their music to hear mine. Also, music was at a good volume to not have headphones in and read a book or do whatever you do.
3. The shops’ setup is sleek, simple and has a modern feel to it. I enjoyed its’ ambiance.
4. Get here early (7−8am) if you want a place to get work done for a few hours. The place fills up quickly and people seem to stay once they set up shop.
5. You can never go wrong with pourover coffee. They have it, I had it when I visited and it was exactly what I need. Plus they serve it with these awesome 500ml scientific beakers — I like that.
6. Location is prime. Parked across the street in the public parking lot. No trouble finding parking and could get in and out quickly and easily.
7. Wifi is fast (or at least seemed so)! Although I was not uploading any large documents, streaming videos on YouTube and loading multiple webpages went pretty swell, even though most people had laptops who were surely using the same network.
/​/​password protect, just ask your barista
8. Prices seemed per-​usual. I dunno, I never fret too much about coffee prices. I mean, it’s coffee, not wine. I am really paying for the experience, *free* wifi & computer power, and the ability to use a space for several hours while I work.
Overall, cool place. I will be back the next time I am in the Lansing area and I hope you have a similar if not better experience.
Also, I was getting the feeling there were a lot of regulars (barista’s and patrons referring to each other by their first names), so do not be afraid to strike up a conversation if the opportunity presents itself. I could imagine the people who come here enough times are just as awesome as the space itself.
Cheers!
*my first review. dunno if that means anything*

This is the best coffee shop in the area. Although it can be difficult to get a seat to stay and study, it is still my go-​to study spot. They care about the pour over technique and the coffee experience.

Love strange matter. A bit expensive but it’s the best mocha I’ve ever had and the ambience is great. It is always packed on the weekends though

The Anne brought me here the day after thanksgiving. This was a very impressive coffeeshop, not only for Lansing by my experience, but by any measure. They only had one espresso option, but it was Four Barrel, so that is very legit, even if not one of my favorites. I did try too cappuccinos though, because I dropped one of them walking out the door, and thought they were pretty good. I also tried two pour overs, which were both nice, and they had a good selection. Cool place too. I’d be surprised to find a better coffee shop in the area.

I like this place a lot, except I don’t always feel very welcomed here. But the nola iced coffee keeps me coming back!

This modern and rustic coffee shop is the cutest thing I’ve been to. Ordered a cinnamon and honey latte for in the shop and it was DELICIOUS. THE way they brew their espresso is genius. Like who thought to brew espresso using and scientific beaker and steamed water poured over it? It’s an experience in itself just to watch them make your drink. When you order to stay you get a 10oz mug which is a decent amount but I did pay over $ 4 for my latte. This will be a good once in awhile place to hit up for a special treat. Definitely can’t afford to keep spending that on a regular basis. That is really the only reason why this place got a 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely check this place out!

This is the best coffee shop in Lansing, hands down. It has the friendliest staff, great atmosphere, and uses fantastic coffee. This place deserves to be your go-​to for coffee, no joke. My favorite drink — the cinnamon honey latte. Delicious!

Great non-​chain coffee stop in Lansing with a real hipster atmosphere. I have stopped several times ordering a pour over most often. Asked for a hazelnut latte one day which they did not have, but the barista recommendation was an awesome drink! Looking forward to many more stops!

Taking hipster to a whole other level, these baristas know their coffee. If you want a quick cup of cheap coffee, don’t go here. If you want an experience and are a bit of a coffee enthusiast, go here. I had some of the best coffee here and enjoyed the quaint and cozy environment.

Cool atmosphere, a good amount of seating given the size of the place, good coffee, friendly baristas, and fair prices.
If you’re looking for something that isn’t Biggby, this might be your place.

This place takes itself 100% too seriously. I would love to say that I was able to enjoy a coffee here, but the order my partner and I placed was refused. You see, Strange Matter seems to think it’s located in Italy and not EAST LANSING, MI. What I mean by this, is that they refuse to serve their espresso, macchiato, cortado drinks «to go». Not only were we refused service, the barista refused to make a cortado for «here» and give us a to-​go cup. She was rude, unapologetic, and created a scene in this small shop – It was disgusting, and my partner and I were mortified by this bizarre and uncalled for interaction.
I would never recommend this place to anyone, especially when the soul purpose of this place is selling an already overpriced product. You’ll be better off going to a Starbucks… Hell, live your Dunkin’ Donuts, Biggby Coffee, Tim Horton dreams, but do not go here if you want to be treated like a human being.

One of the worst customer service experiences I’ve had in a long time. I ordered a cortado to go and was refused the option. I then asked for a cortado and a separate paper cup and the barista still refused. She said «I will happily make you a latte.» She made a scene and it was uncalled for. If a customer asks for something, says they are fully informed that it changes the taste of the drink, then you give it to them.
I realize that the espresso tastes better in an actual cup, but life is busy and almost every café at home in New York or in the U.S. Will offer espresso to go. Only in Italy have I seen a barista refuse an espresso to go and that was because the café didn’t offer to go cups for any drinks. I know what I’m ordering and have done it for years. Don’t go for coffee here. It’s a little too big for its britches.

The coffee was great. It was high-​quality for a medium price. I was very pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is almost steam punk hipster with some other elements that I can’t really put my finger on. I would definitely go there again. If they had a bigger selection it would be better than Starbucks. The quality of what I experienced was, actually, better than Starbucks, but the selection was a little small — but adequate.
Great!

Very good latte! Above average coffee; not the best I have tried (much better in Texas!), but very good nonetheless. The regular customers all appear to be young hipsters typing on their Macs while sipping espresso as the ambience appeals to this type of customer. Not a problem if you are there just for the coffee. For a visiting coffee snob, I was satisfied.

Very hipster vibe but a much needed non-​chain/​franchise option for coffee in Lansing. The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable especially for pour over coffee. $ 2.50-$ 3.85 for about 2 – 2.5 cups of coffee. They use small batch coffees with various flavor profiles and I’ve only not liked one. Plenty of seating and outlets for doing work but it can get busy at times. They also started selling Zingermann baked goods. There is plenty of street parking on both sides of Michigan Ave and metered parking behind the building. It is my favorite coffee shop in Lansing.

I had the cinnamon/​honey latte and it was delicious (tastes like a liquid form of cinnamon crunch toast cereal: p)! My boyfriend had the iced coffee and it was the best quality coffee I’ve ever had! Not only were the drinks phenomenal, but the café itself was clean and had a hipster vibe to it. I am definitely going to be back!

Top-​notch coffee in an unexpected place. Yes, I’m that guy from a big city who’s looking for fancy coffee when I travel. Last time I was in Lansing (a year ago) I found some decent offerings but nothing that blew me away. This time? Strange Matter. They’re purchasing coffee from lots of great places (and some locals I hadn’t heard of, always a plus), they clearly care about what they’re serving, and they get it right.
We had a solid cappuccino, a pour-​over of something from Four Barrel, and some pastries, and all were great. I’m looking forward to coming back next time I’m in town.

Strange Matter is welcome edition to Lansing’s coffee scene. They have a lot of things going for them.
1^st they probably have the best quality coffee in the larger Lansing area and their baristas are talented and make a good drink.
The 2^nd big plus is that the café has a bar-​esque design. which I think is fantastic I like going to café’s to be around people so a bar counter to sit at makes it real easy to meet and chat with the other patrons.
Strange Matter has a few negatives though. First they don’t have an option for a regular drip coffee, you have to get a pour over which is fine if you’re staying in the café but, if you want to take a coffee and run you’ll have to wait the 5 minuets it takes for them to pour your coffee manually
The other real negative is that you’ll really pay for that quality/​atmosphere. In fact, their prices are a bit prohibitive. I won’t go their to regularly because of it, it’s really more of a special occasion sort of place for me.
Otherwise, It’s a great café.

This place just opened about a week ago. Its fresh. Its hip. Its friendly. Its delicious. I’m happy that I was able to try they coffee before leaving Lansing. And while I’ve reduce my coffee intake considerably in the last few years, I still know when I come upon great coffee. They might not roast in house, but they know how to brew and craft Quality. I suggest you try the try the cinnamon and honey latte, its unique and delicious.
They have decent space, but I wouldn’t say there are that many tables to camp and work. Their counter is setup up like a bar, which I find refreshing.