Montana Coffee Traders has long been one of the most recognizable coffee brands in northwest Montana. The company started in nearby Whitefish in 1981 and built a loyal following through its house-roasted coffee. For many years, its downtown Kalispell café was a popular stop for breakfast, lunch, espresso drinks and bags of locally roasted beans. Unfortunately, the downtown Kalispell location permanently closed in August 2025 due to rising operating costs and lack of profitability, according to company officials. Montana Coffee Traders still operates other locations in the Flathead Valley, including Whitefish and Columbia Falls. The coffeehouse menu centers around espresso drinks, house-roasted coffee, teas and blended specialties. Breakfast options included hearty dishes like the Big Sky breakfast, scrambles, omelets, breakfast wraps, quiche, oatmeal and granola. For lunch, the menu featured sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and vegetarian specialties, with favorites such as the Glacier Melt and Black Bean Hummus Quesadilla. Fresh pastries and baked goods rounded out the menu. I enjoyed a small haul from this coffee shop: hot chocolate, quiche and a delicious everything seasoned biscuit. I enjoyed everything, though my hot chocolate was more ~artisanal~ and not as sweet. No matter - it was still tasty, as was the flavorful quiche. If you're in the area of Glacier National Park, it's the perfect fuel-up spot. Grade: B

While driving through Ripley, I spotted this funky little camper off on the side road. CampGrounds Espresso offers espresso, tea and refreshers, plus some small snacks. I ordered a lemonade refresher with peach and cherry. These are flavors I absolutely love, the texture was on point, and it lived up to its "refreshing" name on a particularly warm day. Grade: A

Calming Goat Coffee Co. is a small, local coffee shop in Point Pleasant that has a playful “goat” theme throughout its menu and branding. The shop leans into specialty drinks and creative seasonal items — things like flavored lattes, cold brews, matcha drinks and more. The décor leans into a modern farmhouse style with modern lighting, metal seating, wood tones, and lots of little decorative touches. For food, their offerings include hot sandwiches and paninis, wraps, bagel sandwiches, and flatbreads, along with lighter options like protein bowls, egg bites and soups that rotate depending on the time of year. They also have a playful “boujee toast” selection that elevates simple toast with creative toppings, plus grab-and-go lunch items for convenience. On the sweeter side, the bakery program is a major highlight, with daily rotating pastries such as cookies, brownies, scones, danishes and occasional specialty desserts inspired by trending flavors. So, I wanted to try a little of everything - drinks, food & bakery! Let's get into it. I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie, which is basic, but also a sure-fire winner. Lightly sweet and fruity. I also did a rice krispie treat that was sticky and satisfying. We didn't really do rice krispie treats growing up - maybe that's why I love them - but I always pick one up when I see them for sale. The avocado toasted bagel had avocado, everything seasoning, cream cheese & balsamic glaze. It was simple, but nice. Creamy but acidic. Good balance. Grade: A

Heartwood Coffee is a small coffee shop tucked inside the lobby of New Heights Church in downtown Milton. It opened in 2020 and operates with limited daytime hours, primarily serving morning and early afternoon traffic. The vibe leans simple and friendly. It’s understated and functional — but still cute. On the menu, you’ll find the expected lineup of espresso drinks — lattes, flavored coffees and seasonal specials. If you're looking for food options, they offer muffins, brownies, cookies and the like. I enjoyed a caramel frappe, which had a nice balance of boldness and sweetness. For me. A savory biscuit sealed the deal. Have you been? Grade: B

Tucked into Huntington, Hill Tree Roastery operates as both a café and a working roastery, with coffee roasted on-site in small batches. The focus is on single-origin beans sourced from small farms, with an emphasis on transparency and bringing out the natural characteristics of each origin. You’re getting coffee that’s roasted on-site in small batches, which keeps flavors fresh and dialed in. The drink menu covers the expected espresso lineup (lattes, cortados, cappuccinos, pour-overs), but they also push into more creative territory with globally inspired drinks like spiced “Turkish Delight” coffee or dessert-style lattes built around flavors like honey cake or chocolate-hazelnut. I went for an iced mocha with all the whipped cream. The chocolate adds a rounded richness without overwhelming the coffee, while the ice keeps it crisp and refreshing. That soft cap of whipped cream melts slowly into the drink, adding a creamy, slightly airy contrast to the darker mocha below. Have you been? Grade: A

Cool Beans is a mobile coffee bar -- and so much more: teas, lemonade, and food like fried pies, funky spuds and biscuit bites. I ordered a cherry lemonade, which was flavorful, and it had these fun circular ice cubes. For a snack, I ordered the sweet corny niblets, which are like fried pieces of corn on the cob. With some southern spices & honey. This was tasty but stickyyy. Have you tried them? Grade: B

Mori Coffee Co. is a Belington-based coffee roastery that makes "coffee for the dead tired." I first saw this while in town and placed an order for "Experiment" through their Facebook.

“'EXPERIMENT” is a Medium-Dark Roast, and a perfect classic-tasting coffee for those who are just starting to step into the world of specialty coffee! I am SO proud to bring you this coffee, all the way from Zarcero, Costa Rica! A long journey to make it all the way into your cup!"

This is a perfect Drip Coffee, Pour-over, or even used as your new espresso! Giving tasting notes of Trail Mix, Chocolate Scone, and Homemade Cookies! (these notes are a guide to help you understand the undertones of the cup, and to help guide your tasting experience, not actual flavorings!) it has a beautiful clean cup, and a slightly acidic finish!

For this coffee, we recommend a 1:14 ratio! (14g of water per 1g of coffee.) that’s about 24 grams of coffee for a 340g cup of coffee.

WHERE IT COMES FROM: Nestled in the West Valley growing region of Zarcero, Costa Rica sits Maria Elena's Farm, "Finca Danto". Sitting ~1700 masl, Maria and Son Luis Salazar opened their micro-mill back in 2011, after many years of traveling and delivering their coffee cherry to other mills and co-ops. This coffee is a "first generation hybrid" between the Timor Hybrid and Ethiopian Rume Sudan, giving it decent resistance to disease, high-yielding crops, and a surprisingly complex flavor. This coffee is washed by a Descafe machine, and sun-dried in raised beds across from the farms wet mill

Portland Coffee is a coffee shop in Terra Alta, serving espresso drinks, drip coffee and tea, as well as baked goods, pepperoni rolls, and biscuits and gravy. The name “Portland” references Terra Alta’s original name in the late 1800s, tying the shop’s identity to the town’s early history. Its coffee is made from small-batch roasted, responsibly sourced beans, and the business donates 10% of its revenue to community and outreach organizations. I love collecting locally roasted coffees, so I picked up a bag of the 1863 to take home:

"1863 is Portland Coffee’s best blend yet! You get all the flavor of a light roast and rich color of a medium roast. This blend is comprised of beans from Nicaragua and Ethiopia and is so good that we had to name it 1863 to honor the great state of West Virginia. President Lincoln signed the bill admitting WV on March 26, 1863, and it was officially recognized as a state on June 20th of the same year. Representation of our state helped to ratify the US Constitutional amendment to legalize the emancipation of slaves." I ordered a Caramel Macchiato Latte, which is a "Luscious Latte made from a blend of creamy caramel sauce and of milk." It certainly has those lightly bitter notes of coffee, and the caramel could have been more prominent for me. This is a coffee-drinker's coffee. I did get a slice of banana bread with nuts, which satisfied my sweet tooth. This place has charm. Small town, locally roasted coffee and quality food -- a perfect community gathering space. Have you been? Grade: A