VENNTURE – MILWAUKEE – CoffeeBloggerMKE

Standing out on North Avenue for its wood trim features and bright powder blue logo, Vennture makes a statement. The brains behind Vennture, Jake, Simon and Rob have a passion for creating. Whether it’s a refreshing cold brew coffee or an after-work beer, they have pooled their creativity to produce Vennture, a beer and coffee bar that focuses on community and kindness. Their doors have only been open a few months, but already they are an established coffee and beer staple in their community.

We love that it’s open late during the week and on weekends. It also appeals to the 21+ crowd serving in-house brewed beers. With lots of great table and seating areas, we can see why this is a popular late night hang out spot.

Whether you are looking to just hang out for the night with friends or looking for a cozy date night playing games it’s the ideal place to be in the winter or summer. The cafe space itself has something for everyone – 2 large garage door windows with window bar seating for studying or private conversation, plenty of 4-person hardwood tables, and lots of front-row seats at the bar if you want to mingle with the baristas.

The bar is this amazing reclaimed hardwood which we were surprised to discover was actually an old piece of flooring from the cafe!

We would like to point out how affordable these coffee drinks are. We love guilt-free daily coffee trips! This makes it a lot easier to buy a round of cold brews for a group of friends, too.

Vennture works with Cafe Imports to source their beans, and they have their own small-batch roastery onsite. Here are some of the drinks we got to try at Vennture today:

Brazilian Oat Milk Latte – This has notes of peanut butter cups with a soft mouthfeel and citric acidity. The oat milk brings an earthy dimension to the latte. Even though there’s no sweetener added, the natural sweet hint from the oat milk is a perfect touch!

Sumatra Cold Brew – With notes of green pepper, earthy and lemon, this cold brew was refreshing! While we definitely recommend drinking this in the cold winter months, it would also be the perfect pick for a hot summer day.

We were lucky enough to do a little taste testing with all the cold brews being served today, and it was difficult to pick a winner. The Honduran, Brazillian and Guatemalan cold brews all taste quite different, so we recommend trying all three! (Or if you can’t decide, Jake will help find one that fits your tastes!)

Caramel Latte – If you haven’t noticed, we are frequent flyers with caramel lattes. Not all lattes are created equal! When you add a bit of sweetness to the espresso, it’s not easy to get that perfect blend that embraces the boldness of the coffee, creaminess of the milk, and hint of sweetness. Often the caramel or flavoring tastes artificial, but not here! Well done, Jake!

Costa Rica Pour Over – Loved this pour over tasting notes of chocolate and berries. It has a smooth rich finish to it with low acidity. We’re huge fans of pour overs, and definitely would recommend getting the experts at Vennture to make the perfect pour over for you.

Vennture sources their bakery items from Troubadours Bakery in Bay View, and they serve pies from Hatched on the weekends.

Brownie – This dense brownie had an intense chocolate taste to it; perfect for those who prefer a fudgy brownie over a cake brownie.

Blueberry Muffin – The crunchy toppings of this blueberry muffin gave way to a moist interior. Containing actual blueberries that were present but not overpowering this muffin was a very pleasant surprise! We would definitely recommend pairing this with a caramel latte!

Almond Croissant – We were surprised to discover that this almond croissant contained a light almond filling, so obviously this is an almond-lover’s dream! It’s flaky, just like you’d expect it to be! This pairs well with cold brew, if you can decide on which cold brew to try!

Cinnamon Roll – This cinnamon roll was incredibly soft and flavorful with a lovely helping of delicious frosting. The frosting is very sweet though, so you would definitely want to order a strong espresso with this selection to cut the sugary goodness.

Swirled Sugared Croissant – This flaky roll topped with sugar was definitely one of our favorites. We loved the subtle sweetness of this roll and kept going back to it over and over again. We definitely recommend pairing this with a pour over or any of their espressos.

One thing we regretfully did not get to try is the delicious pies from Hatched Bakery. Only available on the weekends at Vennture, Hatched pies can also be found at Birch + Butcher everyday and in hand pie form at Pilcrow on the weekends. (We’ve tried the hand pies though, and they’re loaded with real fruit, not sugary like jam, and have an amazing flaky crust! – Pictured above from a previous trip to Pilcrow)

Vennture puts an emphasis on kindness, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. They provide ways for a customer to show generosity to friends, their community, and even strangers. One of the ways they do that is the Honor Bar. This makes it easy to be a frequent customer and to share the love. Great idea!

If you haven’t completed your Christmas shopping yet, check out their coffee and coffee merch! You really can’t go wrong – coffee and merch is basically what our Christmas lists consist of every year.

If you visit Vennture, you’re sure to get some great coffee, a friendly smile, and a wonderful atmosphere. We’re pretty sure you won’t just be a one-time customer here.