Dark Horse Coffee’s debut Summer menu experiments with bold flavor combinations

Abbey Hansen and Holly Holcomb of Dark Horse Coffee // Courtesy of Dark Horse Coffee

As the year of the horse, 2026 is said to be a year of independence, confidence, and forward momentum.

So when sisters Abbey Hansen and Holly Holcomb, in the process of opening Dark Horse Coffee in Blue Springs, realized they’d be launching during a horse year, they were “literally screaming.”

Located at 1702 SW State Rte 7, Blue Springs, MO 64014, Dark Horse Coffee’s grand opening on April 11 led to lots of happy tears, Hansen recalls.

Dark Horse Coffee // Photo by Ava McCluer

“I’ve been in coffee for a long time, and I’ve served Blue Springs for a long time,” Hansen says. “So, I know a lot of people here, and many came out to support, and that was really humbling. I was super overwhelmed, I cried a lot.”

The term ‘dark horse’ dates back to horse racing, referring to an underdog who emerges to prominence or success. The idiom doesn’t just represent Hansen and Holcomb themselves as business owners, but also the coffee plant.

“Coffee is the underdog,” Hansen says. “Some people are unaware that coffee comes from a tree and is a fruit, or that it has more flavor notes than wine.”

Hansen sipped on an espresso tonic with a lime wedge while we spoke about Dark Horse’s origin, sharing that she unexpectedly lost her last job; a negative situation that propelled her into a positive new journey.

Dark Horse Coffee early summer drink menu // Photo by Ava McCluer

The Summer Collection—which Hansen says is really the early summer menu—dropped on May 26 and includes four seasonal sips:

The Caramelized Banana Latte—made with housemade syrup.

I enjoyed this drink as an iced latte with oat milk. Hansen says the caramelized banana syrup is one of the more complicated syrups to make, but it’s worth it to create unique flavors that customers can’t get anywhere else.

I have a strong affinity towards banana-flavored coffee, and often order a version of this drink at coffee chains. But bottled syrups tend to taste more like Laffy Taffy or artificial banana. The subtle, authentic banana flavor in this latte is sweet but doesn’t overpower the espresso, creating a harmonious flavor profile.

The Cherry Limeade Matcha—the true star of the show. Crafted with Simply Limeade, cherry syrup, and sparkling water, then topped with organic matcha from MEM tea and a lime wedge.

Hansen says she hadn’t heard of MEM tea until she encountered their matcha at a previous job, “It is the best matcha I’ve ever had. It’s so green,” she says.

It’s true, and as a matcha connoisseur, I’ve learned to pre-judge the drink by its color. Dark Horse’s matcha is a lovely deep-chartreuse.

This is a great introductory drink for those hesitant to dip their toes into matcha world. The tea’s flavor is naturally rich and earthy, which is overpowering for some. But the cherry limeade flavor pushes its earthiness to the background without entirely masking it. Its light carbonation is so pleasant and had me wondering where this drink has been all my life.

With the taste of an artisanal version of a Sonic cherry limeade, this is a perfect refreshing drink for a Midwesterner.

The Churro Latte—originally created as a Cinco de Mayo drink, but was so loved that they decided to keep it around.

On first sip, I immediately noticed the buttery creaminess of the churro flavor before the sweet cinnamon radiates in the aftertaste. Coffee drinkers like me, who, as a personal credo, make sure to always ask for a sprinkle of cinnamon atop their lattes, will love this drink.

I also ordered this drink iced and with oat milk, but both lattes can be made with either espresso or matcha, hot or iced. Made with Onyx Lab espresso, which Hansen loves because of not only the taste, but the company’s transparency in their sustainability and ethical practices.

The Churro Latte is for the sweet coffee lovers.

The Summer Stallion—a seasonal spin on their signature cold brew topped with cold foam. Made with key lime pie syrup, housemade cold brew over ice with vanilla cream cold foam, and topped with gluten-free graham cracker crumbs.

The stallion is best when stirred, so the creaminess of the cold foam can be incorporated into every sip. This marries the full-bodied cold brew and the tart lime syrup. Lime and coffee together are an acquired taste, and not like anything I’ve ever tasted. Though not my favorite on the menu, I kept going back for another taste of this inventive drink.

The stallion, as the name implies, typically bears a strong and unexpected flavor. The Spring Stallion used a tamarind brown sugar syrup and was topped with toasted coconut cold foam. The citrus/cold brew combination can be polarizing, Hansen says, but was loved among customers enough to continue it with the lime in the summer edition.

Dark Horse // Photo by Ava McCluer

All syrups used at Dark Horse Coffee are housemade, except for the sugar-free ones, which are supplied by Pink House Alchemy.

Hansen says the cocktail-inspired drinks, like the matcha spritz or the espresso tonic, made the menu so there would be an option for every kind of coffee drinker. “Mocktails are having a moment,” she says. One permanent menu item, the Shakerato, is served in a coupe glass to look like an alcohol-free espresso martini.

“People don’t go to a coffee shop to have the same thing they had somewhere else, especially locally,” Hansen says.

Hansen gave me a sneak peek at the late summer menu, and all I can share is that there will be more berry-flavored syrups, as well as a new stallion special that is a different take on “something we’ve seen before,” Hansen says.