Mean Bean Roasters

As we were driving through LeClaire, Iowa a Sherriff pulled us over and we started talking telling him we actually were staying in Galena, Illinois. He was so friendly that he recommened the Mean Bean as the best spot in Galena for amazing coffee! After my husband told him we would be sure check it out, he was so gracious that he only gave us a verbal warning! THANK YOU MEAN BEAN FOR GETTING US OUT OF A TRAFFIC TICKET!!! LOL!

Wow… another weekend that the employee is 20 – 30 minutes late. Guess I’ll find some place else

I finally had an opportunity to taste a fresh-​brewed flavored coffee here. This old curmudgeon is usually just a plain black coffee kinda guy. So I had the owner make me one of my favorite combos for crepes: chocolate and banana. The drink was a large one, with two rich shots of fresh-​roasted coffee beans, and as they say, «good to the last drop.» This shop is not your standard hangout-​with-​the-​PC and avoid-​all-​human contact kind of shop. There are just a couple of tables up front, and the store is full of coffee, tea and other fun culinary products like organic sugars and such. Of course you have mugs and brewing products, too. Packaged coffees and the ability to personalize and package your own roast, or your own package. Something you don’t see in those other «existential malaise» cafes, fer ‘sure. It’s a fun spot where a fresh flavored coffee will cost you the same as it does at the «S» word place. No pretense, just a lot of flavor, fun and originality.

If you like flavor syrup in your mediocre coffee this is the place to go. Staff was very friendly and they say they roast their own beans.

The smell is what drew me in. I asked if all their coffee is roasted in-​house and she said yes. I wanted something for our son back at home and I also wanted some whole bean decaf. She put together something for me that was flavored. Total for all, 2 lbs. of coffee, was $ 35.
My son’s was ground in the store and mine was left whole bean. My son has tried both flavors that I bought him and didn’t like either. They smell wonderful, but they’re burnt. He is going to try and give them to a friend to try.
Mine I have only tried twice and while I agree with my son about them being burnt I may just keep trying to drink them. I do think there is too much flavoring in them. So maybe if you are going to try them do without the flavor. Or ask them to back off a little.
Store clerk was not helpful and seemed to be more interested in what was going on in her back room.

Where do I start with Mean Bean. Well let me start with saying it was the BEST cup of coffee I have ever had.
I stumbled upon Mean Bean by accident. Even though I have been to galena many times, I never noticed it until this last trip. When you walk in you can smell the aroma in the air, and you know are in a legit coffee house. The menu to me was not as helpful as I thought it could of been but Gina, the woman working there was fantastic.
After some chit chat about how I found them she explained to me what they could do, which is basically create any coffee creation you can think of. After asking me my preferences she brewed me a fresh cup of the strongest coffee they had, and it was delicious.
I came back the following day for another cup and she again brewed me another fresh cup of coffee. Gina is a very friendly barista, who really takes the time to understand what the customer wants and creates a unique cup of coffee for them. They also have free samples of different flavors of the day.
I highly recommend grabbing a cub of joe at Mean Bean.

We have had a vacation home for almost 10 years in Galena and this is our favorite place to come get coffee when we are in town. My husband loves all the flavors, I’m more of a black coffee fan myself. They always have lots of different options to take home for both types of drinkers though, and it’s always fresh. If you go during the week sometimes you can even watch her roasting, which is neat. Their Mean Bean Black Magic is the best!

I spent almost $ 7 on two coffees. They basically roast coffee and add flavor syrup to make it flavored coffee. The lady that waited on us was extremely rude. I ordered their specialty roast that was Irish cream. I watched her walk to the other side of the shop to fill my small coffee from an air pot that was sitting out. My coffee tasted over roasted, burnt. We wanted to sit and have coffee in a shop. They had some crappy uncomfortable stools by some metal tables (not the warm, comfy coffee shop, we had wanted). We left in a few minutes because the worker was cleaning like an angry teenager… Ie: slamming everything down, etc. so we left. I drank 3 sips of my coffee and tossed it. My husband wasn’t impressed either. I’d like my $ back.

My husband and I were desperate for a great cup of coffee while staying in Galena, and we thought that a place that roasts their own beans would be our best bet. The shop is small and cozy and has two high-​tops at the front of the shop, overlooking the streets. My kids loved the sit-​and-​swivel bar stools but that’s about the extent of our love for Mean Bean. We realized after we ordered (just a small cappuccino) that this coffee roaster is really more about adding one of dozens of flavors to your coffee, letting you customize your own drink. It’s really about /​adding/​the flavor, though, not about the underlying goodness of the brew. We found the coffee to be over-​roasted, giving it the tell tale burnt and bitter flavor. We didn’t finish our drink, and wouldn’t go back unless we heard some amazing things about the place.