The saying goes, “Wake up and smell the coffee.” In Auburn there is a tantalizing selection of coffee to smell, and a wealth of surprising information about coffee to “wake up” to.

For instance, who knew that drinking some coffee in Auburn can directly benefit communities in the third world? Or that French press coffee can be purchased and steeped in disposable cups? Or that one of the most popular side items with coffee used to be served to missionaries in the jungle?

Here are some more intriguing “who knews” about coffee in Auburn.

Who knew coffee was so big?

An informal survey of local coffee drinkers reveals that a majority of them are passionate about their brew to the point that they go out more than once a week, and many hit the java joints every day. Each one of them has a favorite coffee shop. Starbucks still holds its own as a coffee institution, but most of those interviewed prefer the mom and pop shops.

Christopher Krizan, a grad student in math, is a daily customer of The Gnu's Room on Gay Street because he says their coffee is “tastier.”

“They have in house roasting,” he said. “And every person that works there is a coffee fanatic.”

Aerospace Engineering major Travis Albritton said he studies at Toomer’s Coffee Company on South College four to five times a week because he loves the atmosphere and the quality of the coffee.

Pastor Jeff Skinner of the Eagle Point Church of the Nazarene can often be found at AK’s Coffee Company on Frederick Road.

“It’s a relaxing atmosphere,” he said. “They have free wi-fi. The booths give me privacy.”

Many university students choose to hang out at Taylor’s Bakery because of its close proximity to the college and its late hours.

“On any given night you’ll see students here at 10 p.m. with ear buds on,” said Eade Vincent, owner.

Auburn definitely loves coffee.

“On any given day we sell several hundred cups of coffee,” said Vincent of Taylor’s Bakery. “We certainly do thousands of cups a month.”

Toomer’s sells 500 pounds of coffee a month. AK’s has 20 to 30 groups that meet there weekly.

Coffee is not only big in Auburn, it’s huge on the global market. Adam Wilson is a barista at The Gnu’s Room. He loves the coffee business so much that he changed his graduate degree to agricultural economics so he can make a career of it.

“At times the value of coffee traded has exceeded the value of oil traded, which marks coffee as one of the biggest industries in the world,” he said.
Who knew coffee was so complex to make?

Two of Auburn’s coffee shops, Toomer’s and The Gnu’s Room (through Mama Mocha’s Coffee), roast their own coffee. They say it takes expertise to do it right and not get the burnt flavor of many consumer coffees.

“My roaster is a lot like flying an airplane,” said Toomer, an experienced pilot. “You have air control and fuel control. You adjust those like you do in flying.”
The operators at these businesses are dead serious about the art of making a good cup.

“We put a tremendous emphasis on training,” said Toomer, who schools his employees for six weeks to make sure that every cup conforms to their standards of excellence.

Tina Tatum is the owner of The Gnu’s Room.

“Good espresso takes 21-24 seconds,” she said. “If it’s too slow you’re not getting the right espresso. If it’s too fast, it will be bitter.”

Sarah Barnett, who owns Mama Mocha’s, a coffee roasting business in the back of The Gnu’s Room where customers can actually watch the process, said that she and the others at The Gnu’s Room are complete nerds about coffee.

“We read coffee books for the fun of it,” Barnett said.

Barnett and the other baristas at The Gnu’s Room use the coffee books to perfect their latte art, the designs they create on top of steamed milk coffee drinks.

“As milk is steamed it forms microfoam,” she explained. “The barista then uses wrist motion and creates a pattern in the microfoam by the flow of milk pouring.”
Who knew coffee in Auburn can benefit the world?

Toomer’s is slowly getting into working with direct trade wholesalers who cut out the bureaucracy and give back to coffee growing communities in countries like El Salvador, providing services such as water wells, schools and medical facilities.

“The benefit for us is knowing that a significant percentage of the money we’re spending is going directly back to that community,” said Toomer.

Barnett said that a large portion of the coffee she gets is directly from the farmer.

“I'm also traveling to El Salvador in January to camp on the land and learn how to pick and process the coffee,” she said.

Who knew coffee shops could provide so many services and benefits?

The continual drive to increase profit means there are all kinds of extras the coffee shops offer.

Taylor’s now features shaved ice, and has just started offering breakfast and lunch items. They steep cold pressed iced coffee in the refrigerator for a smoother taste, and use ice cubes made of coffee. They offer French press in a disposable to-go cup and a patron can select any variety of beans, have them ground directly into the cup, and the screen on the cup’s lid will press the grounds to the bottom.

AK’s recently added self-serve frozen yogurt and toppings, and roomy booths to seat 50. They have a drive through window also.

Toomer’s sells a “discount” gift card good for any free drink when $25 is put on it. Their number one selling side item is the oatmeal steamer, a square of baked oatmeal topped with steamed milk, cinnamon and fruit. Toomer and his wife used to serve this practical traditional dish when they were part of the Missionary Air Force in Equador and hosted families.

The Gnu’s Room only uses organic dairy, and a high quality syrup, Monin, that originated in France.

Two of the shops provide entertainment for their customers. Toomer’s has open mike nights every Friday. The Gnu’s Room brings in musicians, comedians, authors, and has a monthly open mike for poetry and spoken word.

Toomer’s has devised a novel scheme for organizations to fundraise. They custom design a label and order form for any of their coffees so a group can sell it to raise money. They then fill and ship the orders when the campaign is completed.

Who knew that coffee could create so much synergy?

Coffee is good for the town of Auburn, but the homey congenial spirit of Auburn is also good for the coffee business. The culture of Auburn makes the culture of coffee better.

Regulars say the coffee shops are friendly havens where the service is personal and employees know them by their favorite drink.

“It’s very friendly,” said Hillary Dickey, a senior at the university and a loyal Toomer’s customer. “They remember what you order.”

David Lane, owner of AK’s, said he wanted to open a coffee shop for the people, not just for profit.

“I had a driving passion and vision to have a place for people to meet, feel at home and kick back,” he said.

The spirit of community even extends to cooperation between the different shops.

“The more people that drink coffee in Auburn, the better for all of us,” said Vincent. “If someone (another business) needs cups, you help each other, it’s not dog eat dog."

Barnett offers free espresso clinics every Saturday for her fellow baristas, and recently organized a “Barista Thowdown,” a friendly competition between the local coffee shop artists.

Ultimately, there may be a diversity of coffee to smell in Auburn, but coffee also unifies the city.

“We make an effort to make every experience a one of belonging, a sense of community,” said Tatum.