I love the smell of coffee in the morning. Well, any time, really. I’ve grown quite a bit over the last few years in my appreciation of the various characteristics of coffee, though I’m not yet to the point of being able to smell out a good coffee. Fortunately for me, there’s plenty of places more than happy to recommend a good roast.
One such place is The Village Grinder, a long-standing local coffee house, born the same year I was (they beat me by a few months). It’s in Countryside Village in what’s now the center of Omaha, around 87th and Pacific. It’s attached to The Bookworm, a local independent book store. It’s pretty much your standard coffee shop: roasted coffee, a few teas, the accoutrements of the coffee process (presses, cups, etc.), a coffee bar with an espresso machine, pastry case, a few tables, generally welcoming atmosphere.
I’d driven past it plenty – it’s a couple stores down from the Coldstone I used to frequent entirely too frequently. I’d always been curious about it, though I’d never really made any effort to go over there. They were always closed when I was out, because I was out late and they weren’t. They keep “specialty shop” hours rather than the “cram here all night” that a lot of more recent places keep. So if it’s after 6 (earlier on the weekends), drive on by. There’s a Starbucks at the other end of the building for your evening coffee needs.
So how did I end up going in here enough times to write a review? Well, I was introduced to the place from a picture I saw in the Omaha group on Flickr, celebrating their 25th anniversary. The person responsible for the picture proclaimed them to have the best espresso in town, so I had to make time to give it a shot. And I’m glad I did. I think they actually do have the best espresso in town, at least in the mocha form I usually drink it in. Served in a generic foam cup (ideal for taking with you without the extra work of putting a sleeve on) and topped with whipped cream, it went down like no coffee drink I’d ever had.
But it’s inconsistent. Never bad, but I’ve had drinks that ranged from mediocre to “OMG, I’d drive hours for this.” I think I’ve figured out what the difference is, because it’s not the ingredients or the tools (they only have one machine). Okay, any of you familiar with the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Well, one of the characters is a trucker who drives around complaining about how it’s always raining. Turns out, he’s a rain god, the rain is just happy to be around him and follows him wherever he goes. I think the person who’d originally posted that photo may be a coffee goddess, because whenever she works the beans, it comes out amazing.
There’s also a pastry case that always looks like it has good stuff in it, but I never seem to go in in the mood for coffee and a snack. One of these days, I’m sure to try something food-related.
Then there’s the coffee wall… it’s literally a wall of coffees. Various different blends, from the standards like French Roast and Espresso, to some more eccentric ones, to a variety of flavored ones. Each fills a glass jar with its name en-Sharpied on the side. The jars line a pair of ceiling-high bookshelves. These are what lead to the majority of the wonderful smell of the joint. I’ve tried a few of their blends, all have been good either straight black or mixed with cream.
So, a good atmosphere, a good selection of freshly-roasted coffees, snacks, and hit-or-miss espresso drinks. Is it a place worth going into? Sure, especially if you like the small, independent, quiet kind of coffeehouse or some beans to take home for your brewing. Is it the only place I’ll ever go for coffee? Nah. Will I be back? I’m sure.
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