Oddly Correct debuts a bold canned beverage featuring coffee and lemon

Photo by Sarah Sipple

Kansas City coffee shop and roaster, Oddly Correct, launched a unique, even polarizing, canned beverage.

Crispy Boi ($6) is a mix of Oddly’s Cheat Code coffee and lemonade. The beverage is poured and packaged by Arete Beverage in Wisconsin, using coffee roasted in Kansas City. As of now, it is only sold at Oddly Correct’s cafe at 41st and Troost.

The combination of coffee or cold brew with lemonade is far from new.

Its origins begin as Mazagran coffee, a concoction with Algerian and French recorded roots. Locally, the Cold Brew Coffee Shandy is always on the Parisi Coffee menu in Overland Park and at Union Station.

In Oddly Correct’s new canned version, coffee is the first ingredient, which is evident in the taste and color. The Cheat Code coffee blend has tasting notes of cocoa, cherry, and blackberry on its own, but in this combo, subtlety is out the window. The flavors of coffee and lemonade battle for your senses, and coffee just barely wins out for the top profile. There is a citrusy brightness, and the sweetness is evident.

When I told family and friends about this canned drink, the reactions fell dramatically into two camps. Most said something along the lines of “that flavor combo scares me,” while a few had the adventurous approach of “I’m game to try!”

I picked up some Crispy Bois and had one as an afternoon treat at home, but I think it would be best enjoyed on Oddly’s sunny patio, paired with a savory biscuit. This drink is not carbonated, and I prefer it served over ice and with a straw. With two such distinct and bold flavors, a little dilution from melting ice doesn’t hurt.