The Cof­fee Chron­i­cles

.

This week on the Cof­fee Chron­i­cles I checked out the Grounds Cof­fee Lo­cated in Ball­win, Mo!

The Grounds Cof­fee­house (Ball­win, MO)

Dis­tance from Maryville: ~15 min­utes (ap­prox. 9 miles)

Pros:

1. Chill, Cozy At­mos­phere

• The in­side gives off a warm, woodsy vibe—cozy couches, soft light­ing, and a quiet en­vi­ron­ment that’s per­fect for study­ing or read­ing.
• Feels like a sec­ond liv­ing room, which can help ease study stress.

2. Great for Study­ing

• Mul­ti­ple ta­bles, couch seat­ing, and a few tucked-away cor­ners that are ideal for longer study ses­sions.
• Quiet enough to fo­cus but not dead silent.

3. Friendly Staff + Quick Ser­vice

• The baris­tas are su­per wel­com­ing and fast with or­ders.
• They of­ten ask for your name and re­mem­ber reg­u­lars—very “small town lo­cal” en­ergy.

4. Solid Drink Qual­ity

• The Iced Vanilla Latte with oat milk is around $6 and is both smooth and fla­vor­ful.
• They also have cre­ative sea­sonal drinks (think: s’­mores mocha or honey cin­na­mon lattes).

5. Lo­cal Charm

• It’s a small, in­de­pen­dently owned shop with lo­cal art­work on the walls and oc­ca­sional live mu­sic nights—adds char­ac­ter and makes it feel dif­fer­ent than a chain.

---

Cons:

1. Lim­ited Out­lets

• Not every table has ac­cess to an out­let, so it’s a bit of a gam­ble if you’re plan­ning to stay for a while with your lap­top.

2. Smaller In­te­rior

• It can get cramped dur­ing peak hours (es­pe­cially mid-morn­ing or week­ends). There aren’t a ton of seats, so come early if you want a good spot.

3. No Drive-Thru

• Not the most con­ve­nient for a quick cof­fee run be­fore class. It’s a sit-down and stay kind of place.

4. Lim­ited Out­door Seat­ing

• There are only a cou­ple of small ta­bles out­side, and they’re right next to the park­ing lot—so not su­per scenic or spa­cious.

5. Shorter Hours on Week­ends

They close a lit­tle ear­lier than some other cof­fee shops, so it’s not ideal for night owls or late-evening study ses­sions