Moonwinks Cafe: A Coffee Lover's Dream

I am coffee snob. I admit it. To me, drinking inferior coffee is like admiring a child's finger painting while in a gallery filled with Van Goghs. It provides a meager charm, but is paltry compared to the serene beauty of a truly excellent cup. With my(perhaps delusional) cultivated sense of all things coffee in mind, I would like to describe for you what I believe to be the best coffee house I have had the pleasure of running across. It is known as Moonwinks Cafe and is located at 5151 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I live, as my nom de plume would indicate, in Westland, specifically, Westland, Michigan. The suburban entity that is Westland boasts a few coffee shops, some of which are better than others. However, I have opportunity to visit Ann Arbor three times a week as part of my duties as taxi driver for my daughter. Ann Arbor, Michigan may well be ground zero for coffee snobbery for the entire state of Michigan. It is loaded with coffee houses of every imaginable type and size, many of which I have frequented.

However, in the tiny adjacent community of Dixboro lies a quaint coffee shop that has the most unforgettable coffee I have ever tasted. For those unfamiliar with Dixboro, it is about as small a place as you will ever run across. If you look down while driving to change the radio station, by the time you return your eyes to the road you might already be through it. Nonetheless, it is home to several quaint shops and businesses.

The Moonwinks Cafe is unassuming and homey inside, with knick-knacks and gewgaws decorating the interior along with artwork from local artists that is available for purchase. Their menu consists of common cafe fair and includes pastries, smoothies, salads, and quiche. Each of these items are a delightful treat on their own, but it is the coffee that is truly outstanding.

The drink I order most often at a coffee house is a decaf cappuccino with sugar-free vanilla flavor. I have enjoyed this particular drink at coffee houses far and wide, but I have never experienced the supreme coffee bliss of my dreams until I had a cup of it at Moonwinks.

Lead barista and owner, Andrew Tankanow, can seriously be described as a "coffee artist". Not only do his drinks taste spectacular, they also look spectacular. Andrew creates designs in the foam of his coffee drinks that are absolutely beautiful. For my cappuccino, he swirls the foam around to make a picture of a heart. It is soothing just to look at before I even take a sip!

Once I finish appreciating the design of the drink and taste it, I am rewarded by a subtle cappuccino flavor that is never harsh or biting, along with hints of chocolate and the sweet flavor of the vanilla. If I were to try to imagine the perfect coffee drink, I think this would be it.

So if you are a coffee snob like me and want to experience some out-of-this world coffee, I would definitely give Moonwinks Cafe a try. They are open Monday through Friday from 6 am To 6 pm and on weekends from 9 am to 3:30 pm.